LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Gov. Joe Lombardo on Monday explained the executive order he signed to rescue Nevada school funding, forestalling budget cuts that could have seen teachers and administrators laid off.
Legislative leaders pledged to work together when the Legislature convenes in Carson City in February to find a permanent solution to the school funding situation, which came about because of steep enrollment drops in Nevada schools.
"Unfortunately, when you figure out the per-pupil funding formula, you never equated this current situation to that, right?" Lombardo said at a morning news conference in the library at Wasden Elementary School. "That there would be a decrease in enrollment, and that's not unique to Nevada. That's a nationwide issue that we're dealing with, birth rates, whatever the reason may be, but the law didn't specify that particular issue. That's what we're trying to bridge until we can put it into law, exactly these kinds of circumstances moving forward."
But the governor said his executive is a temporary solution, one that will last for just 120 days.
"Now, let me be clear: This is a temporary solution. We are not pretending that enrollment trends are going to disappear," he said. "We need to work with the Legislature, school districts, educators and other stakeholders to make sure our funding system reflects the realities Nevada schools are facing. But we are going to do it in the right way, deliberately, responsibly and without disruption to the students in the middle of a school year."
WATCH | Lombardo, lawmakers discuss emergency school funding:
Families react to Lombardo's move
For parents, the funding shortfall goes beyond the numbers.
“I think it raises awareness on how they have access to bring the funding back so quick,” parent Monica Dominguez said.
Another parent, Shindona Dimes, questioned why the funding issue appeared to change so quickly.
“When parents start speaking up and people start taking action, now magically the money appears,” Dimes said. “My thought was, ‘Oh wow, we did have money, and you were just sitting on it.’”
Under the emergency regulation, the Nevada Department of Education can temporarily use enrollment figures approved by lawmakers rather than lower, current enrollment counts when calculating funding for eligible schools.
Some educators said uncertainty over school funding is a recurring concern.
Sarah Sanasi, a fourth-grade teacher, said she has seen the district deal with similar questions for years.
WATCH | Parents react to averted funding crisis:
“But we still don’t know what’s going on,” Sanasi said. “The email that came out said that all positions were safe and there were not going to be a RIF [reduction in force], but what does that actually mean?”
Clark County School District Superintendent Jhone Ebert said the emergency action means the district will not have a reduction in force this school year. However, enrollment changes could still lead to staff movement between schools.
“In each fall, I know that we talk about jobs, but we have 374 schools,” Ebert said. “So there will still be movement within some of our classrooms. I want to be clear on that.”
That possibility is also a concern for parents who worry about changes involving their children's teachers.
“Yes, because all these teachers are really good teachers, and they’ve been here for years,” Dominguez said when asked whether she would be upset if her son’s teacher were moved.
The emergency regulation also includes public charter schools, which the Charter School Association of Nevada said are facing some of the same enrollment pressures as traditional school districts.
State leaders said the 120-day period will give them time to work toward a longer-term approach to school funding before the 2027 legislative session.
Lawmakers pledge to find a solution
Key lawmakers who attended Lombardo's Monday news conference said there was no partisanship when they met behind closed doors to address the crisis, and that both Democrats and Republicans supported Lombardo's order.
"This is something we all care about," said Assembly Minority Leader Greg Hafen II, R-Nye County. "We all care about our students, our children. We always put them first, which I believe is why we always have to pass their budget first and foremost."
Added Hafen: "We will be getting on top of that, maybe right after we fund the session, but we will be passing that as our first priority."
Traditionally, the first bill passed by lawmakers in any session covers the costs of their meeting and is typically approved on the first day and signed by the governor.
Asked whether losing money is a foreseeable and even understandable result of having fewer students to educate, in the way a private company would lose revenue if it lost customers, state Sen. Marilyn Dondero Loop said there are costs that will exist regardless of the student population.
"You have costs that are not going to change," she said. "You're not going to have less buses. You're not going to have less food workers. You're not going to have less front [office] staff. You still have to have a principal, secretary, nurse, whatever you have."
Added Dondero Loop: "So I don't think that those current costs that we always have are going to change and I don't believe that we should be lowering the amount. We already don't fund schools, the education process, properly in Nevada, and so this isn't about that. This is about making sure that teachers have jobs, kids have teachers and we don't disrupt thousands of kids."
But details on the potential reforms were scarce, with mentions of using a four-month average school population to determine funding, rather than a specific count on a given day. There's also the possibility of a so-called hold harmless provision in law, which would prevent funding from falling below a certain level if enrollment dropped.
The 2027 Legislature begins on Feb. 1, 2027.
