Nevada’s schoolchildren struggle to achieve academically, and it’s not all their fault. Some lawmakers would like to tax and spend more money on education. But as we’ve seen over the years, more money is not fixing the problem. A lack of accountability, transparency, and political interests keep our kids from getting the education they deserve.
Simply increasing K-12 funding won’t improve Nevada’s educational outcomes. The state has doubled per-pupil spending over the years, yet student performance continues to decline. It’s like Nevada has doubled down, throwing even more money at the problem rather than changing their approach. The result: Nevada is 49th in education.
Structural reforms to the system are needed, not simply stuffing the current system with cash. This is the real key to boosting achievement in our state. Parents and teachers have reform ideas that can help if implemented correctly. It’s time we made politicians and educators accountable and help our students achieve because they are getting left behind.
Funding Hasn’t Increased Performance
The U.S. Department of Education reports that between FY1970 and FY2021, per-pupil funding increased from $6,104 to $12,465. During that same time period, Nevada’s performance on college admission exams, which measure students’ ability to complete college-level coursework, have continually deteriorated. Spending more than doubled while college readiness decreased. Nevada has doubled the risk (education spending) without the reward (higher academic achievement).
Other States are Doing It, Why Can’t We?
Nevada spends the largest share of its total budget on education, with 62 percent allocated. Yet, Nevada’s schoolchildren consistently score lower than other states that spend less. States like Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah. Not only did those states spend less, but half of them outperformed Nevada on the NAEP 8th-grade reading test. Adding insult to injury, most of them also outperformed Nevada in math.
We Have Reforms That Actually Will Improve Performance
There needs to be more transparency and accountability of our education dollars. If education money doesn’t make it down to the classroom per-pupil level, our children will continue to struggle academically. Here are some ways that policy makers and school systems can be more transparent about spending.
Teacher merit pay is one solution to help improve student performance. This provides teachers with an incentive to help students achieve academic results.
One way to promote accountability would be to expand school choice. This can be done by restoring Nevada’s Opportunity Scholarship Program. The program is supported by almost 70 percent of Nevadans. It was helping more than 2,000 low-income, mostly minority children before Democrats decided to gut it. These programs give schoolchildren access to better-performing schools.
There are at least 33 ways in total to improve student performance without increasing education spending. Nevada Policy has developed a comprehensive framework for school reform to guide future legislative efforts.
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