Good afternoon,

I just wanted to give you a quick update on today’s Legislative Commission subcommittee meeting. The Subcommittee to Review Regulations approved Treasurer Schwartz’ ESA regulations. The regulations, including the kindergarten and military exemptions, are now official.

It was a four-to-three vote, with Senators James Settlemeyer and Pete Goicoechea, and Assemblymen Erven T. Nelson and Stephen H. Silberkraus voting to approve the regulations. Lawmakers voting against the regulations were Senator Aaron D. Ford, Assemblyman Tyrone Thompson and Assemblywoman Irene Bustamante Adams.

Here’s what this means for Nevada families:

Children of active military parents stationed in Nevada

Children of active military parents stationed in Nevada are exempted from — and so do not need to meet — the 100-day public school enrollment requirement for the ESA program. Thus, for those qualifying military families who applied for the ESA during the early application period and were denied based on the 100-day requirement, there will be an appeal process through which your application can be reconsidered. You will have the opportunity to provide proof of military exemption. I’ll have more details on that process after the New Year weekend.

For those military families who did not apply during the early application period, you’ll be eligible to apply for the program beginning with the February-March registration period. Qualifying families will not need to meet the 100-day enrollment requirement to apply.

Families with children under the age of seven

For families with children under the age of seven, who applied during the early application period, your applications will be taken by the Treasurer’s office from the pending file and processed in accord with the newly approved regulations — no 100 day requirement.

Like active-duty military families, other households with children between five and seven years of age will be able to register for the ESA program beginning with the February-March registration period.

I will provide more specifics and details about these exemptions in the upcoming weeks.

As a reminder, the Treasurer’s office has asked early applicants with children seven years old and older, who have not received a notice on their program status by January 4, 2016 to contact the treasury office beginning Monday. Send inquiries to nevadaschoolchoice@nevadatreasurer.gov  

To expedite staff replies, you will need to provide the application ID in every communication with the office.

Remember: Wait until January 4th to contact the office if you have not received a notice and your child is over age seven.

Have a happy and safe New Year!

~Karen