Nevada governor signs K-12 education budget, per-pupil funding increases

CARSON CITY — Gov. Joe Lombardo signed a bill funding K-12 education late Thursday after the Legislature passed a bill to give pay raises to charter school teachers.

“I’m proud to say that, now, all public school teachers will now be on an equal playing field,” Lombardo said in a Friday statement. “Nevadans can rest assured that I will continue my efforts, in collaboration with the legislature, to expand accountability, transparency, and real parental choice this session.”

The governor’s education bill signing marks a major step in the legislative session that wraps up Monday; legislators must approve a bill to fund public education before any other spending bills.

Senate Bill 500 covers public schools and public charter schools in Nevada’s 17 counties. It provides an average of $13,889 per pupil in 2026 and $13,963 per pupil in 2027, nearly $600 more than in 2025 and $1,000 more than in 2024.

Nevada’s per-pupil funding is still well below the national average of about $17,000 annually.

This education budget is a sharp contrast to the historic K-12 education funding approved last session. Legislators over the last few months have grappled with less incoming state revenue than expected; forcing them to make tough decisions when it comes to bills with price tags. Policymakers on both sides of the aisle have prioritized education and maintaining teacher raises.

“Governor Lombardo was right to put aside partisan politics and sign the education budget so students can start school on time and teachers can get paid,” Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro said in a statement.

She said legislative Democrats are proud to have passed the $12.9 billion education budget, which includes maintaining the $250 million educator pay raises from last session.

“This will help ensure we are reducing class sizes, funding special education, providing accountability, and placing a qualified teacher in every classroom,” she said in the statement.

Republican lawmakers took a stand against the roughly $12.9 billion education budget last week, protesting its lack of public charter school raises, despite Democrats putting forward raises in separate legislation. Lombardo also said he would not sign an education budget that did not include pay raises for the state’s charter educators. Despite some Republican opposition, the budget bill passed the Assembly unanimously and the Senate down party lines.

The Nevada State Education Association was also opposed to the bill, arguing that the only $2 increase in per pupil based funding next year will be “devastating to our schools.”

The Legislature unanimously moved forward Speaker Steve Yeager’s AB 398, which will give additional compensation to teachers in hard-to-fill positions as well as fund charter school raises. The bill was co-sponsored by Assemblymember Gregory Hafen, R-Pahrump, and will likely be signed by the governor.

Nevada has more than 3,500 licensed charter teachers who will soon see raises, according to the Charter School Association of Nevada. Gil Lopez, executive director of the Charter School Association of Nevada, applauded Lombardo and Yeager for recognizing the hard work of public charter educators and support professionals, calling the bill a “meaningful step towards equity in funding for our public charter schools.”

“Today is a strong example of what we can accomplish when we put politics aside and put Nevada’s students and families first,” Yeager said in a statement. “I commend Governor Lombardo for signing a bipartisan education budget that makes critical investments in our public schools, supports our hardworking educators, and helps ensure every child has access to a quality education, no matter their zip code.”

Yeager added that he is proud of AB 398 and said, “When Democrats and Republicans work together in good faith, we can deliver real results for Nevada. I look forward to continuing to build on this progress.”

His bill appropriates $45 million in both 2026 and 2027 to the Interim Finance Committee to distribute to school districts to provide additional compensation to teachers in hard-to-fill positions. It also appropriates $19.3 million in 2026 and 2027 to the Interim Finance Committee to provide money to charter schools for salary increases for teachers and education support professionals. He originally proposed funding the raises by pulling from the state’s Rainy Day Fund, but the raises are now covered through the general fund.

Next, legislators are working to put forward a sweeping education reform proposal to improve accountability and transparency. Lombardo and Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, D-Las Vegas, have dueling education bills that are being combined into one piece of legislation. An amended version of Senate Bill 460 could be complete by Friday evening.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.