Governor Joe Lombardo has signed a bill to fund the state’s K-12 public schools for the next two years. Lombardo signed the bill Thursday night after lawmakers approved a separate piece of legislation guaranteeing raises for charter school teachers.
Senate Bill 500 allocates 12.4 billion dollars to support the nearly half a million students in Nevada.
However, Lombardo said earlier this month he would veto the education funding bill if lawmakers did not also find a way to give charter school teachers a raise. Non-charter public school teachers were given a raise in the last legislative session.
So, legislators approved AB398, which allocates nearly $38 million for the raises. The bill also includes $45 million to fund additional compensation for teachers across the state in “hard-to-fill” positions, including Title I schools.
In a statement, the governor said he was proud to say that "now, all public school teachers will now be on an equal playing field.”
Lombardo has also signed three bills to directly fund state agencies, pay state workers, and authorize the state to use federal dollars or money collected through special fees.
SB502, which funds public works projects, is the only major budget bill not yet approved by the governor.
