LATEST NEWS

Open enrollment for individual health insurance plans has been underway since the beginning of November and ends on December 15 in Nevada and in most other states.

Every Spring, 3rd to 8th grade students in Nevada as well as several other states gather around computers to take the Smarter Balanced Assessment. This test, often referred to as the SBAC, is the (partial) basis upon which elementary and middle schools are awarded points in the Nevada School Performance Framework (NSPF).

The Guinn Center presented at the recent Nevada Public Health Association conference. A copy of the presentation can be found here

An often-cited figure is the vast scope of the Clark County School District (CCSD) as a proportion of Nevada’s total K-12 population. The current Superintendent Jesus Jara, in his State of the Schools address, even noted that “if we fix Clark [County], governor, we fix your state.”

Homelessness strains governmental resources and is an enormous burden to those experiencing it. Unsheltered homelessness is a particularly thorny problem as it often correlates with chronic homelessness, and those experiencing the latter are one of the most vulnerable populations in the country.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a federal program, provides nutrition benefits to supplement the food budget of low-income families and individuals.

This blog is about questions more than answers. While we have heard many educational conversations at the Clark County School District (CCSD) Board of Trustee meetings, most are focused on current operations and not on long-term, strategic choices.

Earlier this month, CNBC released its America’s Top States for Business, a ranking of all 50 states based on their economic climate and competitiveness.

The Nevada Legislature approved several measures during the 2019 80th Legislative Session aimed at conserving natural resources, limiting the use of water, and increasing energy efficiency statewide.

The debate surrounding the 2020 Census has largely dominated the summer news cycle.

In recent years, Nevada, under Governor Brian Sandoval, invested heavily in our state’s elementary and secondary schools. Unfortunately, despite the historic investment of resources, supported by our taxpayers, Nevada’s K-12 education system continues to rank at the bottom in many national rankings, such as chance for success in one’s future career.

The Economic Forum is a state-mandated panel that convenes periodically to submit revenue projections for the General Fund—Nevada’s major operating fund—to the Governor and the Legislature. It is a five-member committee drawn from the private sector, with three members selected by the Governor and one nominated by each of the Assembly and Senate.

Recently, WalletHub published a study of 2019’s Best & Worst States for Millennials, a ranking of all 50 states and the District of Columbia to determine the most livable states for Millennials, defined as “individuals who were born between 1981 and 1997.”

The annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), which took place April 5-9, is considered one of the major academic conferences for educational research, attended by educational practitioners and scholars from school districts, community colleges, and universities to discuss their latest research.

Recently, the Guinn Center released a policy report analyzing the academic performance of Nevada’s virtual charter schools. The Guinn Center’s report concludes that Nevada’s virtual charter schools are never the lowest performing schools in the state; however, in nearly all measures, these schools perform below the statewide average.

The U.S. government annually distributes hundreds of billions of dollars in grants to state and local governments, non-profits, educational institutions, individuals, and more.

The Clark County School District (CCSD) will discuss, and possibly seek approval of its new 5-year strategic plan at the Board of Trustees’ meeting on February 28, 2019. When compared to the previous strategic plan under Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky, the proposed plan is more substantial in both length and detail.

The Guinn Center for Policy Priorities reports weekly on the 80th Session of the Nevada Legislature, summarizing major legislative developments from the previous week and discussing the current week's schedule. 

The Guinn Center for Policy Priorities will be publishing regularly a “Legislative Update” to help inform residents of Nevada about activities and actions during the 2019 80th session of the Nevada Legislature. In our nonpartisan manner, we will (1) summarize committee hearings and actions and recap floor actions in both houses; (2) provide an overview of the upcoming schedule; (3) highlight upcoming events such as deadlines, addresses, joint meetings, and hearings, as well as (4) offer some tips and observations along the way.

Once the upcoming legislative session is over, we may look back on the month of January 2019 as predictive of the future of K-12 education funding in Nevada. On Tuesday, January 8th, Communities in Schools hosted an Education Summit that included a major education finance revelation: the legislature is considering a weighted funding formula for Nevada education; unfortunately, the amount the State of Nevada contributes to education may not substantially increase. On Thursday, January 10th, there was a Clark County School District (CCSD) Board meeting that explored the impact of recent budget cuts on district operations

Last night, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak gave his first State of the State address before legislators, his cabinet members, other elected officials, his family, friends, and supporters. His plan did not portend a dramatic shift in policy – something akin to A Bold New Day in Nevada. Rather, his vision, anchored to our strong economy, revealed a steady continuation of many of the investments and programs supported by his predecessor, particularly in education. Overall, Governor Sisolak’s vision seeks to ensure that all Nevadans are included in our continued economic expansion.