Nevada sets aside money for district and charter school pay

The law sets aside $45 million from the State General Fund in each of two fiscal years for extra pay in eligible school district positions. Funding covers teacher positions at schools in the Title I program that meet vacancy thresholds, and licensed classroom staff teaching subjects with critical shortages. Charter schools are excluded. The Interim Finance Committee must find that the Nevada Department of Education's distribution plan meets the law's requirements and reasonably addresses high teacher vacancy rates before releasing money. Eligible Title I schools must have teacher vacancy rates of at least 15% for high schools, 12% for middle or junior high schools, or 10% for elementary schools. Other eligible licensed staff must be assigned as classroom teachers and teach English language arts, mathematics, science, or special education for most class periods. The district board must find a critical shortage in that subject. The money can pay only for eligible positions. Its use is subject to bargaining between districts and employee unions. Ongoing awards depend on funding, and applications must show that each position was filled during the immediately preceding calendar quarter. Two-year funding took effect June 5, 2025; ongoing award rules took effect October 1, 2026. Funds cannot be committed after June 30 of their fiscal year. Unspent money cannot be spent after, and must return to the state by, September 18, 2026, for the first year or September 17, 2027, for the second.

The law sets aside $19,314,297 from the State General Fund in each of two fiscal years for charter school salary increases. Funding covers eligible charter school teachers and support employees, such as nurses, bus drivers, and custodians. Support employees exclude teachers and administrators. Licensed instructional support staff can qualify under the teacher definition. Schools must submit staff counts and salary plans. The State Public Charter School Authority must send them to the Interim Finance Committee before requesting release of funds. Only schools meeting the submission requirements can receive money. Each school's maximum share matches its share of statewide charter teacher and support staff counts. Counts are measured on October 1, 2024, for the first funding year and October 1, 2025, for the second. The money must add to other funding and pay. It cannot replace pay provided before fiscal year 2025–2026 or pay negotiated or planned before this section took effect. Eligible teachers must be licensed and classified as teachers who spend at least half their work year teaching or disciplining students, or as nonsupervisory instructional support staff who spend no more than half their work year teaching. Funding took effect June 5, 2025. Funds cannot be committed after June 30 of their fiscal year. Unspent money cannot be spent after, and must return to the state by, September 18, 2026, for the first year or September 17, 2027, for the second.

Districts in counties with at least 700,000 residents cannot use extra funding for at-risk students or students learning English for hiring or retention incentives. The population rule covers Clark County School District. It limits the use of these student funds, rather than banning hiring or retention incentives paid from other sources. The restriction concerns incentives for teachers and other licensed staff who provide the services supported by these student funds. Districts in counties with fewer than 700,000 residents may use these funds for hiring and retention incentives for licensed staff providing the covered services. This restriction took effect July 1, 2025.

Districts and funded charter schools must report on extra pay. The Governor must recommend district award funding when practical, and a legislative panel may study teacher pay. Reporting covers school districts and charter schools receiving salary funds. The Governor's recommendations concern ongoing district awards. The legislative panel's study authority covers public school teacher pay. District reports must give the number of teachers receiving funded extra pay, the total extra pay, and the number of hard-to-fill positions. The December 2026 report must use the two-year funding program for its teacher counts and pay totals. Funded charter schools must report how they spent the money and the actual salary increases. The State Public Charter School Authority must combine those reports and send them to the Interim Finance Committee. The Governor must recommend funding for ongoing district awards when practical. If preparing the required budget recommendations is impractical, the Governor may recommend other school funding. The Subcommittee on Education Accountability may study whether public school teacher pay competes with other states and supports student achievement. District reports are due December 1 in even-numbered years. Charter reports are due August 1, 2026, and August 1, 2027; combined reports are due October 1, 2026, and October 1, 2027. Study authority began July 1, 2025. Ongoing district reporting and budget rules began October 1, 2026.