In November 2024, the Commission on School Funding offered a roadmap for legislators to reach adequate public school funding within the decade, among a variety of other recommendations. Quality public schools are possible in Nevada if lawmakers make funding those schools a priority during the 2025 Legislative Session.
Read the most recent report here.
The Role of the Commission has greatly expanded since its inception.
The Commission has been charged with many duties, including guiding implementation of the state’s relatively new funding formula, the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan (“PCFP”). Perhaps most importantly, it has been tasked with recommending ways the state can fully fund that formula, so every student has the opportunity to succeed. Some of the current working groups of the Commission include:
PCFP Technical Changes – Making recommendation on technical aspects of the PCFP. These recommendations focused on cost variations between schools and districts, and how weights for certain student groups are applied.
Optimal Funding Targets and Strategy – Making recommendation on targeted funding levels to ensure students have the opportunity to succeed and what types of revenue options could help the state achieve those targets.
Current Reporting and Data – Recommending changes to streamline data and reporting and to ensure data is meaningful and geared towards improving school and student outcomes.
Accountability and New Reporting Framework – Making recommendations to improve the reporting, tracking, monitoring, analyzing and dissemination of information related to student achievement and financial accountability.
Accountability Outcome and Trends – Making recommendations about the dissemination of data relating to student achievement and financial accountability.
Improved Accessibility within Public Schools – Review and consider strategies to improve the accessibility and ensure the equitability of existing and new programs for pupils within and between public schools, including, without limitation, open zoning.
Small School District Capital Funding – Making recommendation around methods to enable small school districts to acquire capital and engage in building improvement and modernization projects.
Teacher Pipeline – Making recommendations related to addressing the teacher vacancy crisis.
Teacher and Support Staff Compensation – Making recommendation related to compensation for educators and other school employees.
The Commission makes these recommendations to the Legislature which ultimately makes final decisions.
Where they are now:
Benchmarks
The Commission has recently set two distinct goals – 1) Achieve per pupil funding on par with the national average funding levels, and 2) Achieve per pupil funding levels on part with expert recommendations.
The following are the most recent per-pupil figures detailed by the Commission:
- Current Funding $13,368
- National Average $17,467
- Expert Rec. $17,609
The figures illustrate where we are and where we need to be in a ten year period (though the figures will change with inflation adjustments).
Revenue
The Commission identified different avenues lawmakers could take to achieve these funding levels in a ten-year period. The Commission identified two larger categories to funds K-12 public education.
1) Modernizing and broadening the sales tax base to include taxes on sales beyond tangible goods, and
2) Capturing more property tax revenue through a variety of efforts, such as phasing out tax abatements and eliminating depreciation of property values.
These recommendations give lawmakers solid goals and a path to adequate funding. The report also includes how the funds can most effectively be spent to improve student outcomes. Lawmakers have the map, they just need to use it.