Audit into Nevada public schools questions $2.6 billion education investment
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Nevada made a record investment into public education this past legislative session, but is it working?
That was the debate state leaders had on Wednesday after an audit found spending billions of dollars doesn’t translate into student achievement.
Lawmakers invested $2.6 billion dollars into public education during the most recent legislative session. However, the funds were tied with accountability measures.
“I hope they’re doing what the audit says. But more importantly, make sure money is being spent appropriately,” Republican Governor Joe Lombardo told 8 News Now on Feb. 7, 2023. “You keep throwing good money to bad programs and you’re wasting everyone’s time.”
Lombardo received that report on Wednesday and it was discussed among state leaders of the Executive Branch Audit Committee.
The audit into Nevada’s 17 public school districts revealed major shortfalls and questioned the state’s historic investment.
“It’s a little disturbing that as part of the presentation with the $2.6 billion into the education program for the state of Nevada, but yet this audit says that, I don’t know for a lack of a better term, a waste of money,” Lombardo said.
The administrator for the Division of Internal Audits Craig Stevenson defended his report’s finding, saying that taxpayer dollars need to be targeted.
“That is not to say that more invested does not necessarily lead to better outcomes, it really has to do with how you invest that money,” Stevenson said.
The report found the Nevada Department of Education needs more enforcement tools.
Lombardo said he plans to propose new legislation to make it easier to remove a school superintendent and put a district under state control.
“The accountability matrix was produced and was provided to the districts in agreement with the districts. Now we have to pass legislation to have the hammer per se,” the governor said.
8 News Now requested a copy of the state’s audit into public education, which is nearly 200 pages, but has yet to receive a copy.
