Special Report
School & District Management

Nevada Faces Jan. Deadline for Education Funding

By The Associated Press — December 03, 2009 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Nevada has until mid-January to become eligible to compete for millions of dollars in new federal education grants, but the hurdles are greater than just repealing a law the prevents tests scores from being used in teacher evaluations, a state education official said Wednesday.

“There’s a lot that has to happen,” said Gloria Dopf, Nevada deputy superintendent of public instruction. “They’re not going to give you $175 million for status quo.”

The dollar figure is how much the state could receive under a $4.3 billion program designed to support innovation in classrooms. The deadline to apply for the first phase of funding is Jan. 19.

union representatives and state leaders have said they are working on language to change the state law and make it acceptable to apply for funding. Gov. Jim Gibbons has said the issue would be on the agenda if he determines a special legislative session is needed to deal with the state budget.

A decision on a special session could be made this month or early January.

If there’s no special session soon, Nevada would lose out on applying because the next regular legislative session isn’t until 2011.

Dopf said the teacher evaluation law, while getting the most attention, is not the only challenge the state faces under a tight deadline.

“There are multiple parts of the requirements that must occur,” she said, “not just the assessment of teachers.”

Nevada was allocated $300 million in education funds earlier this year through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Those funds were allocated on assurances by the state that it would meet certain educational and assessment standards, Dopf said.

The state has received about two-thirds of those funds so far. To receive the rest, it must submit an application by Jan. 11 detailing how those assurances have been implemented and documented.

But some criteria is still being completed by the federal government, she said. While Nevada has participated in a consortium to develop common core standards — nationwide target achievement levels for students in each grade — not all have been released.

Nevada would have to adopt the federal standards, which would require a review and approval by the Department of Education’s Academic Standards Council and the state Board of Education. And the state’s application to receive the rest of the $300 million in education funding must first be approved before Nevada can compete for additional grants, Dopf said.

“We are on target for a lot of things,” she said, while conceding that time is short to implement other requirements. “We will be committed to working with all the parties to make it happen, or at least have a credible application.”

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in Schools
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by Panorama Education
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Spark Minds, Reignite Students & Teachers: STEM’s Role in Supporting Presence and Engagement
Is your district struggling with chronic absenteeism? Discover how STEM can reignite students' and teachers' passion for learning.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2025 Survey Results: The Outlook for Recruitment and Retention
See exclusive findings from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of K-12 job seekers and district HR professionals on recruitment, retention, and job satisfaction. 

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management 3 Ways to Be an Instructional Leader: A Guide for Principals
Instructional leadership can mean different things to different administrators. A new report gives three common models.
6 min read
Two professionals talking in hallway
E+
School & District Management 3 Budgeting Lessons School Administrators Learned From ESSER
District leaders recommend maintaining a list of dream priorities and looking closely at return on investment.
7 min read
Share your financial/budget idea with others; business project. Sharing of experience.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management The Top 10 Things That Keep District Leaders Up at Night
District-level administrators deal with a lot day to day. Here are their top concerns and stressors.
7 min read
School & District Management 'It Sounds Strange': What Districts Can Do Now to Be Ready for Natural Disasters
It's tempting to push natural disaster preparations to the backburner. These district leaders advise against it.
4 min read
Are You Ready? emergency road sign.
iStock/Getty