60°F
weather icon Clear

School choice supporters rally at Nevada Capitol

CARSON CITY — Several hundred charter, online, private and home-schooled students, parents and administrators converged on the Capitol grounds Wednesday to promote school choice in Nevada.

The Nevada Supports School Choice rally comes just days before the Legislature convenes on Monday and just days after Gov. Brian Sandoval spoke about the need for lawmakers to expand school choice in the 2015 session.

The school choice event is celebrated nationwide each year in January.

Supporters of alternatives to the traditional public school system wore yellow scarves and carried yellow placards saying “choice means hope” and “united for school choice.”

In his Jan. 15 State of the State address, Sandoval announced his support for Opportunity Scholarships, which would give tax credits to businesses that provide tuition-based scholarships for at-risk students to attend private schools.

He has also proposed in his budget $20 million to expand charter schools in Nevada but will require $20 million in matching funds from a newly forming charter school organization for the funding to become available.

Sandoval, who was unable to attend the rally because of another commitment, said he wants more choices of all types for parents.

Carrie Buck, principal of the Pinecrest Academy charter school in Henderson, said she will be pushing for funding equity in the session, particularly in capital costs. While the school, which has 941 students, gets the same per-pupil expenditures as public schools, that money also has to be spent on leases and equipment costs, she said. Charter schools should receive an equitable share of school construction bond funding, Buck said.

“I welcome accountability,” she said.

Buck said when a school district purchases laptop computers, they cost $1,100.

“In charters, you get them from Costco for $349; they arrive in three to four days, not three to four months,” she said. “It’s more like Federal Express, not Pony Express.”

Warren Krch, band teacher at the Ely-based Learning Bridge Charter School, brought his approximately 30 band students on the 350-mile trip to the school choice event. The band played “The Star-Spangled Banner” and other selections before making the long journey back home. The school has about 150 students.

Destiny Sunday, 13, who plays a tuba in the school band and wants to become a musician and photographer, said she likes the school because she attends the same class every day.

“They do an extra-good job for me,” she said.

Dale Erquiaga, state superintendent of public instruction, said the event underscores Sandoval’s desire to expand school choices for parents.

“Families have to be able to choose from all of these selections,” he said. “This is really exciting to see Nevada families and kids rally behind public education and private education in this way.”

Erquiaga predicted that the Legislature will enact Sandoval’s budget and education modernization and reform proposals.

Lauren Hulse, executive director of the Charter School Association of Nevada, said the organization will be the voice of charter schools at the legislative session.

“Many parents and students enjoy the option of choosing a quality charter that provides individualized education within the public school system, but many parents are still not aware of their school choice options. We hope to change that,” she said.

A national group, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, said Nevada’s charter school law ranked 14th in the nation in its annual ranking, moving down one spot from the previous year.

The report found that Nevada has taken steps to improve its law by creating an independent state authorizer of charter schools, strengthening accountability and providing facilities support. Still, the law provides insufficient autonomy and inequitable funding to charters, the report said.

About 29,000 students are enrolled in 45 charter schools in Nevada. There are also about 21,000 students attending nearly 200 private schools.

There are no state statistics on the number of home-schooled children.

Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900. Find him on Twitter: @seanw801.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST