CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Two Republican assemblywomen want to do away with class size reduction in Nevada and launch a program to pay the top teachers up to $200,000 a year.
Assembly members Vicki Dooling and Shelly Shelton are sponsoring AB378, which is up for a hearing on Wednesday.
The bill would repeal a program that provides funding to keep class sizes small, especially in lower grades. The state spent $177 million on the program in fiscal year 2014, although state auditors said there wasn't enough oversight to ensure the money was truly reducing class sizes.
The bill would apply the extra money to a Fund for Master Teachers and offer incentives for exemplary performance. Teachers in the program would make $150,000 to $200,000 a year, and mentor educators in at-risk schools.