New Nevada laws needed to secure education grants

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Nevada could qualify for as much as $200 million in federal education grants - but only if the Legislature is willing to quickly change state law.

At stake is money from the $4.35 billion "Race to the Top" program, which provides funding for innovative school programming.

To get a shot at grant funds, states must allow the use of student test scores as part of teacher evaluations.

Most states do, but Nevada law bars the practice.

State Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, said lawmakers don't want to miss a federal grant opportunity.

"All of us want to get a foothold in ensuring Nevada can compete for the 'Race to the Top' education grants to support innovation and help turn around failing schools," said Horsford, who pushed a bill during the 2009 legislative session to change the law.

But changing the law now would require a special legislative session. That would cost the state about $100,000.

State education leaders are wondering whether to push Gov. Jim Gibbons to call a special session and spend that money just to gamble on a grant. Gibbons has said he doesn't like the odds and won't call a special session in Carson City unless there are other state matters to address.

The teachers union is ready and willing to meet with lawmakers to discuss the issue, said Lynn Warne, president of the Nevada State Education Association. But since the grant requirement aren't yet finalized, it might be too early to try and hammer out a blueprint of the necessary changes in Nevada, Warne said.

In the competition for the education dollars, states can earn bonus points for meeting certain criteria, Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction Keith Rheault said.

The state, for example could sign on to a multistate pact that sets standards for core academic requirements in math and English Rewriting Nevada's academic standards in few months "wouldn't be easy, but it's not impossible," Rheault said.

More difficult for Nevada, would be meeting criteria for showing a commitment to funding public education, Rheault said. The state used $139 million from its share of federal stimulus funds to maintain basic school support, making up for lost state revenue. Rheualt said that could hurt Nevada in the evaluation process.