Legislation that would substantially expand education opportunity in Nevada will go before a state assembly committee shortly.

A bill introduced on behalf of Republican governor Joe Lombardo earlier this spring would free families to make the education decisions that work best for them.  The proposed legislation seeks to increase the eligibility requirement for Opportunity Scholarships to 500 percent of the federal poverty line while also boosting spending from less than $6.7 million annually to $50 million initially.

The bill would also allow

• open enrollment for public school students,
• charter schools to apply for public money to bus children to campuses, and
• cities and counties to sponsor charter schools.

The proposed legislation is scheduled to be heard by the Nevada Assembly Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday, April 26.

It's unclear how much chance any school choice legislation has of being passed by Nevada's Democrat-controlled Legislature.  Despite being home to a public school system that ranks near the bottom nationally, Nevada remains largely dominated by teachers' unions interested only in forcing as many students as possible into their one-size-fits-all monopoly.

Nevada is seeking to join several other states that have recently passed significant changes to how they fund K–12 education.

Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, and Utah all passed legislation this year making it easier for families to use taxpayer dollars to allow their children to take advantage of the option that best suits their needs.  Several other states are considering legislation that would enable funding to follow students.

"Funding the Opportunity Scholarship program is about fighting for equality in education by giving low- and middle-income families the resources they need to access the same educational options and classrooms that are currently only available to wealthy families," said Erin Phillips, president of Power2Parent, a Las Vegas–headquartered parent advocacy organization.

Image: jarmoluk via Pixabay, Pixabay License.