Lombardo threatens to veto Nevada education funding bill

Nevada lawmakers signaled they will continue funding K-12 teacher raises in the next two-year budget cycle, but charter school staff could be left out of future increases, sparking threats of a gubernatorial veto.

A panel of state Senate and Assembly legislators recommended about $250 million in spending to fund pay raises in the state’s school districts that were first approved in the Legislature last session but did not follow a recommendation from Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo to allocate $38 million to extend the raises to charter school staff, who were not included previously.

Legislative leadership left the door open for charter school teacher raises. Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, D-Las Vegas, said before the recommendation vote on Wednesday that the subject was not closed.

“While I recognize that today is not the day that we’ll be talking about charter school raises,” Cannizzaro said, “I do think that conversation should continue for the remainder of this session, so that we can come to a good resolution on that that makes sense.”

Five Republicans on the subcommittee that budgets education funding voted against the recommendation.

“Charter schools are public schools. These teachers are public teachers,” state Sen. Carrie Buck, R-Henderson, said before the panel voted. “They deserve raises, also.”

In a Thursday statement, Lombardo expressed his frustration toward the subcommittee’s exclusion of charter schoolteacher raises.

“I’ve been clear and consistent on this,” Lombardo said. “I will not sign an education budget that does not include equal pay for public charter school teachers and make teacher pay raises, including those for charter school teachers, permanent. Further, I will veto any education budget bill that falls short of addressing a serious need for accountability, transparency and real parental choice. All 63 legislators have been aware of my position for months, and it is my expectation that they will pass a bill that improves education for all Nevada children.”

Lower-than-anticipated revenues to the state as tourism weakens in an uncertain economy have put a damper on budget meetings in Carson City. May 2025 projections of the revenue for the State Education Fund show $161 million less than what was projected in January, forcing lawmakers to weigh which programs they want to expand and which may remain at status quo.

In the Wednesday meeting, legislators recommended transferring $126.9 million from the Education Stabilization Account — an education rainy-day fund — to the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan account for 2025 fiscal year to cover revenue lost from the impacts of decreased tourism.

On Thursday, the education budget subcommittee voted to recommend transferring $115.7 million from the Education Stabilization Account to the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan for the 2025-2027 biennium.

The committee also affirmed the governor’s recommended budget for per-pupil funding of $9,416 for fiscal year 2026, a $2 increase from the current fiscal year, and $9,486 for fiscal year 2027.

The Legislature has less than 30 days until the session adjourns. Lawmakers typically spend the last week of session voting on the state budget bills, including education funding. Nevada’s Constitution requires education to be funded first.

Contact McKenna Ross at [email protected]. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.