Special Report
Law & Courts

Nevada Law Blocks Stimulus Education Funds

By The Associated Press — October 12, 2009 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Nevada is ineligible to compete for millions of dollars in stimulus education funding because of a state law pushed by the teachers union.

The law prohibits student achievement data from being used in teacher evaluations. That means the state isn’t eligible to enter the Obama administration’s Race to the Top, a $4.3 billion competition for states trying to turn around failing schools.

State superintendent Keith Rheault says Nevada won’t apply for the first round of funding because of the law, which would need a special legislative session to change.

“If you’re desperate for money and you get a credit card offer in the mail, you read the fine print to see what the interest rate is,” Rheault said. “This to me is like a 35 percent interest rate, with all the federal reporting requirements and changes to regulations. But it just depends on how desperate you are for the money.”

The state can still work to resolve other issues in time for the second phase of funding, Rheault said.

Rheault said changing the state law would not immediately make the state eligible for the federal funds because the competition requires states to have increased education funding between 2008 and 2009 and Nevada had to cut its funding. The state would also have to dedicate money for after the stimulus funds ran out.

Rheault said the requirements for the competitive funding may soon become standard requirements for federal education money, meaning Nevada would have to change its laws regardless.

The Nevada State Education Association has fought against linking student achievement data such as test scores to teacher evaluations. The union is not backing off that stance for a chance at the stimulus education funds, said Lynn Warne, president of the NSEA.

"(The money) isn’t a poke in the eye, but it is not going to help what ails Nevada schools,” Warne said. “They haven’t ever funded appropriately. And I haven’t ever been in favor of changing state statute for one-shot, one-time, maybe money.”

Dan Burns, a spokesman for Gov. Jim Gibbons, said it wouldn’t make sense to have a special session just to change the education law, but the issue could be added to the agenda if a special session is called for other reasons.

The law was added during a special session called in 2003 to resolve a stalemate over taxes.

Related Tags:

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
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Teaching Students to Use Artificial Intelligence Ethically
Ready to embrace AI in your classroom? Join our master class to learn how to use AI as a tool for learning, not a replacement.
Content provided by Solution Tree
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
Teaching Webinar
Empowering Students Using Computational Thinking Skills
Empower your students with computational thinking. Learn how to integrate these skills into your teaching and boost student engagement.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
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
IT Infrastructure & Management Webinar
The Reality of Change: How Embracing and Planning for Change Can Shape Your Edtech Strategy
Promethean edtech experts delve into the reality of tech change and explore how embracing and planning for it can be your most powerful strategy for maximizing ROI.
Content provided by Promethean

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

Law & Courts How a Supreme Court Case on Vaping Stands to Impact Schools
The U.S. Supreme Court heard an important case about federal regulation of flavored e-cigarettes, which remain a concern for schools.
6 min read
A high school principal displays vaping devices that were confiscated from students in such places as restrooms or hallways at a school in Massachusetts on April 10, 2018.
A high school principal in Massachusetts displays vaping devices that were confiscated from students in restrooms or hallways on April 10, 2018.
Steven Senne/AP
Law & Courts Billions of School Tech Dollars At Risk as Supreme Court Takes Up E-Rate Case
The U.S. Supreme Court will take up a lower-court decision that struck down the funding mechanism for the E-rate school internet program.
3 min read
digital citizenship computer phone 1271520062
solarseven/iStock/Getty
Law & Courts The Uncertainty Ahead for Title IX and Transgender Students in Trump's New Term
Trump may not be able to withdraw the Title IX rule on "Day 1," but advocates on both sides expect it to go away.
7 min read
Marshall University students hold a protest to voice concerns over the handling of Title IX-related issues at the university on Nov. 18, 2022, in Huntington, W.Va.
Marshall University students hold a protest to voice concerns over the handling of Title IX-related issues at the university on Nov. 18, 2022, in Huntington, W.Va.
Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP
Law & Courts Ten Commandments Law for Public Schools Is 'Impermissible,' Judge Rules
The Louisiana law would require displays of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom.
4 min read
Photo of Ten Commandments poster on school wall.
Getty