Dive Brief:
- In Nevada, a new commission began work this week aimed at identifying areas where budget cuts to education can be made in an effort to find $605 million for construction expenses over the next decade.
- According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, the commission will reconvene in February to discuss the proposed costs of new construction in addition to maintenance on existing facilities.
- Some, including former state superintendent of public instruction and current commission chairman Dale Erquiaga, worry that a proposal to lower teacher licensing requirements in an effort to remedy a 1,000-teacher shortage may also subsequently lower the quality of teachers in Nevada.
Dive Insight:
The commission will toe the fine line between seeking out areas to slash while also trying to preserve the quality of education for Nevada’s youth.
Previously, Nevada’s approach to school choice resulted in a decision to allow families to take vouchers to any brick-and-mortar school of their choosing. That move resulted in a wave of applications that threatened to strain the state's public and private systems.
The cash-strapped state also recently netted a $1.3 million dollar settlement from Measured Progress after the standardized testing company “botched” a digital roll-out in the state, leaving most students unable to take their exams.
