State OKs $3.35 million in funding for workforce, student programs
Gov. Steve Sisolak speaks at a roundtable discussion with reporters about the 2021 session in Carson City on June 1, 2021.
Photo: David Calvert / The Nevada Independent
This month, the Interim Finance Committee of the Nevada Legislature voted to approve $3.35 million in funding to the Nevada Department of Education for a trio of programs related to workforce development in the Silver State.
The programs will “support student workforce pathways, provide literary resources and establish additional programs supporting the State’s COVID-19 recovery efforts in education,” according to a Dec. 10 press release from Gov. Steve Sisolak’s office.
Funds come via the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief II (ESSER II), and American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Recovery (ARP ESSER) funds, per the release. “Thank you to the Nevada Legislature for recognizing the need for each of the work programs approved this week,” Sisolak said in a statement. “I commend Superintendent Jhone Ebert and the Nevada Department of Education for their thoughtful prioritization of these programs and look forward to their positive impacts on education throughout our State.” “This set of work programs approved by the Nevada Legislature will provide necessary support to continue assisting our school district leaders, school administrators, staff, students, and families in the recovery and rebuilding out of COVID-19,” Ebert added. “I express my gratitude to the Nevada Legislature for approving these important programs.” Program details are as follows:
$450,000 has been approved to develop an education-focused labor market data dashboard with accompanying professional development training for educators to align career and technical education courses and pathways to the local labor market. “This work will assist students in finding employment opportunities due to jobs lost during COVID-19,” according to the release. “The online professional development tool for teachers will include how to understand and identify high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand occupations and how to create and develop business partnerships that will be helpful to students in participating in work-based learning.”
$1.5 million has been approved to maintain access to the myON digital library for all students in grades pre-K-12 by providing free access to age-appropriate literary resources. Since the launch of myON in May 2020, Nevada’s students have accessed more than 8 million books and spent more than 76.2 million minutes reading, per the state.
$1.4 million has been approved to the safe reopening of schools and the costs associated with providing distance learning or in-person learning safe and effectively. School districts will be able to allocate this funding to several items, including but not limited to: expanding broadband capacity; hiring new educators; developing online curriculum; acquiring computers and digital devices; and acquiring ventilation or air filtering equipment.
