Frustration mounts as school funding formula overhaul remains under wraps in waning days of session

It was supposed to be the biggest feat of the 2019 legislative session — an ambitious overhaul of Nevada’s 52-year-old education funding formula that once and for all would ensure schools are paid more for the extra cost of educating students with extra needs.

But with a little more than a month left in the 120-day session, the bill implementing the formula is still nowhere to be found. It’s agitating legislators and observers who fear that they’re missing a window of opportunity and that — with huge tasks such as finalizing a budget and passing a criminal justice reform measure yet to be done — they will not be able to put together a formula that will work for students and stand the test of time.

“We’re losing accuracy. We’re losing input. We’re losing understanding and comprehension. We’re losing deliberation, debate. We’re losing all of the things we should be doing when we’re talking about a policy change this dramatic and this significant,” Republican Sen. Ben Kieckhefer said about the delay. “We can have two joint hearings for five hours, right? But that doesn’t mean we actually considered this proposal with the diligence that it’s warranted.”

In a brief interview on Friday, Democratic Sen. Mo Denis said he still didn’t have a date for when the bill would drop. The process has been slowed by the fact that legislative staff had to finalize amendments on hundreds of bills before the Tuesday deadline to pass legislation out of its first house, he said.

Read more: https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/frustration-mounts-as-school-funding-formula-overhaul-remains-under-wraps-in-waning-days-of-session