Nevada Lawmakers Refuse to Allow COVID-19 Funds to Prop Up Ailing School Choice Program

Nevada legislators rejected a proposal from Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo to funnel $3.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds into the state’s ailing Opportunity Scholarship program. Lawmakers concluded the funding crisis had been artificially created and reform of the program was needed.

Students walk to their classrooms at a public middle school in Los Angeles, on Sept. 10, 2021. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Nevada legislators rejected a proposal from Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo to funnel COVID-19 relief funds into the state’s Opportunity Scholarship program, which provides public funds to hundreds of families in the state to be used for private school tuition.

The governor had requested $3.2 million in additional money for the eight-year-old program, saying that hundreds of children would lose their scholarships within weeks due to a lack of funding, forcing them to return to public schools.