OUR RESEARCH

This policy brief evaluates educational outcomes for high school students in care in Clark County School District, and offers several policy recommendations that may be taken under advisement by Nevada’s leaders.‍

In Fiscal Year 2015, personnel costs accounted for 80 percent of Nevada’s $4.1 billion education budget. The policy report discusses instruction-related costs in Nevada, trends over time, and some of the drivers of personnel costs. It concludes by offering a series of recommendations for Nevada’s policy makers.‍‍

The Guinn Center has prepared a report on Nevada’s K-12 school facilities in which we describe school capital facilities and maintenance needs across the State, discuss financial drivers of school construction costs, and conclude by offering a series of recommendations.

Voters in Nevada 2016 were asked to consider a measure to approve the regulation and taxation of recreational marijuana. This Fact Sheet presents arguments for and against the measure to Regulate and Tax Marijuana.

An initiative was placed on the ballot in November 2016 asking Elko County registered voters if they wish to tie fuel taxes to the inflation rate. This type of program is called Fuel Revenue Indexing (FRI). A “YES” vote means that FRI would be established for ten years (January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2026). A “NO” vote rejects the imposition of automatic inflation-adjusted increases to fuel taxes.

This Fact Sheet presents information about Washoe County Question 1 (WC-1), the proposed ballot initiative to increase the sales tax in order to generate revenue for the construction and maintenance of K-12 public school facilities in Washoe County. This Fact Sheet explains what will happen if Question 1 passes or fails to pass, and presents information about school facilities issues in Washoe County. (2016)

This fact sheet provides information on the Medical Patient Tax Relief Act, a ballot question for the November 2016 election in Nevada. The measure seeks to provide a sales and use tax exemption for durable medical, oxygen delivery and mobility enhancing equipment. The fact sheet discusses the effects the initiative could have on state tax revenue, who in the state might benefit from the exemption, and how Nevada’s tax policy for these types of medical equipment compares with other states.

In December 2015, Governor Sandoval called a special session to consider a development incentive package for Faraday Future, which has decided to locate in North Las Vegas. The goal of this policy brief is to (1) identify best practices for crafting development incentive programs, and (2) offer a set of recommendationsfor improving Nevada’s return on investment (ROI) on the proposed Faraday Future incentive package. (2015)

The Clark County School District presented a reorganization plan to the Advisory Committee on Reorganization of CCSD on October 12, 2015.This infographic shows the demographic and educational equity implications of the proposal.

Existing demographic disparities should be addressed by the Advisory Committee that is developing a reorganization plan for CCSD. These maps illustrate demographic differences based on factors such as race, socioeconomic status, academic outcomes, school choice, age of facilities, teacher vacancies, and new teachers.

This policy report focuses on five critical issues the Advisory Committee should consider as it drafts the reorganization plan: community based communication, demographic and educational equity, funding equity, education facilities, and governance.

This policy brief recommends a framework for implementing these efforts in a comprehensive and integrated manner to maximize the impact on student achievement.

During the 2015-2017 Legislative Session, 1,013 bills were proposed. At last count, 474 bills had been approved by both Houses and 433 had been signed by Governor Brian Sandoval. The Guinn Center provides a summary of the major pieces of legislation in the Guinn Center’s five research areas. (2015)

Voter turnout in primary elections in Nevada has declined over the period 2010-2016. In 2010, voter turnout in the primary election was 30.1 percent; in 2016, it was 18.5 percent.

In collaboration with other organizations, the Guinn Center contributed to a recent study examining the potential impact of full-day kindergarten on health outcomes: Full-Day Kindergarten in Nevada: A Health Impact Assessment (HIA).

This policy brief provides a comparison of the tax plans being considered by the Legislature. Based on our analysis and interviews with tax policy experts in other states that have implemented gross receipts taxes, the Guinn Center concludes by offering a series of policy questions and recommendations for Legislators. (April 2015)

Governor Sandoval has proposed restructuring the Business License Fee to provide more funding for education. This policy brief reviews whether this proposal embraces elements of good tax policy and discusses issues that the Legislature should explore prior to adopting the proposal.

Nevada’s public charter school students are entitled to receive a proportionate share of school funding from Federal, State and Local Sources. In practice, charter school students have experienced limited accessibility to State and Federal categorical funds compared to students at school districts.

School districts throughout Nevada have critical, unmet capital needs and currently have insufficient resources to fund repairs and build new schools. Existing financing tools rely largely on local funding and have not generated adequate revenue in a timely manner. In addition, the existing structure has increased disparities between school districts, given that each district has a different set of funding sources that it can use. This policy brief provides recommendations to expand the financin

This fact sheet illustrates the breadth and complexity of the K-12 public school financing system. While the Nevada Plan is the primary source of funding for operations, schools also receive revenue from a variety of local, State, and Federal sources. There is significant variation in funding between school districts and there are funding disparities between school districts and charter schools.

Governor Brian Sandoval has proposed almost two dozen initiatives to help move Nevada’s education system into the 21st Century.