Dive Brief:
- Because a lawsuit filed in August by a coalition of opponents of Nevada's school choice plan has yet to be resolved, a judge has ordered that no money should be distributed to enact the Republican-led education savings accounts program.
- Opponents argue that the use of public education funding for private schools is a direct violation of Nevada's state constitution.
- Under the new plan, funding was supposed to be released for families to use starting in February 2016; now, it's unclear when some, if any, of the money will be distributed.
Dive Insight:
More than one lawsuit is now connected to Nevada's education savings account plan, which is unprecedented in the U.S. The American Civil Liberties Union alleges that the plan violates the Blaine Amendment, a Nevada-specific provision that bans using public funds for religious purposes, including, for example, the possible use of taxpayer dollars to send a child to Catholic school.
Earlier this month, regulations to guide the new program were approved in the state.
The program has been controversial from the start. Last June, the state legislature approved a general fund tax package of $1.1 billion dollars. That move increased state education spending by a total of 16% and provided the funding for an ed reform plan conceptualized by Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval.
The governor’s expanded voucher program was meant to enable students from any socioeconomic background to attend any school they chose, but the threat of lawsuits like the one that has now rendered the program lifeless have always lingered overhead.