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Lombardo threatens to veto Nevada education funding bill

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Lombardo threatens to veto Nevada education funding bill


Nevada lawmakers signaled they will continue funding K-12 teacher raises in the next two-year budget cycle, but charter school staff could be left out of future increases, sparking threats of a gubernatorial veto.

A panel of state Senate and Assembly legislators recommended about $250 million in spending to fund pay raises in the state’s school districts that were first approved in the Legislature last session but did not follow a recommendation from Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo to allocate $38 million to extend the raises to charter school staff, who were not included previously.

Legislative leadership left the door open for charter school teacher raises. Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, D-Las Vegas, said before the recommendation vote on Wednesday that the subject was not closed.

“While I recognize that today is not the day that we’ll be talking about charter school raises,” Cannizzaro said, “I do think that conversation should continue for the remainder of this session, so that we can come to a good resolution on that that makes sense.”

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Five Republicans on the subcommittee that budgets education funding voted against the recommendation.

“Charter schools are public schools. These teachers are public teachers,” state Sen. Carrie Buck, R-Henderson, said before the panel voted. “They deserve raises, also.”

In a Thursday statement, Lombardo expressed his frustration toward the subcommittee’s exclusion of charter schoolteacher raises.

“I’ve been clear and consistent on this,” Lombardo said. “I will not sign an education budget that does not include equal pay for public charter school teachers and make teacher pay raises, including those for charter school teachers, permanent. Further, I will veto any education budget bill that falls short of addressing a serious need for accountability, transparency and real parental choice. All 63 legislators have been aware of my position for months, and it is my expectation that they will pass a bill that improves education for all Nevada children.”

Lower-than-anticipated revenues to the state as tourism weakens in an uncertain economy have put a damper on budget meetings in Carson City. May 2025 projections of the revenue for the State Education Fund show $161 million less than what was projected in January, forcing lawmakers to weigh which programs they want to expand and which may remain at status quo.

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In the Wednesday meeting, legislators recommended transferring $126.9 million from the Education Stabilization Account — an education rainy-day fund — to the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan account for 2025 fiscal year to cover revenue lost from the impacts of decreased tourism.

On Thursday, the education budget subcommittee voted to recommend transferring $115.7 million from the Education Stabilization Account to the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan for the 2025-2027 biennium.

The committee also affirmed the governor’s recommended budget for per-pupil funding of $9,416 for fiscal year 2026, a $2 increase from the current fiscal year, and $9,486 for fiscal year 2027.

The Legislature has less than 30 days until the session adjourns. Lawmakers typically spend the last week of session voting on the state budget bills, including education funding. Nevada’s Constitution requires education to be funded first.

Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.

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Oregon lands commitment from Nevada punter

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Oregon lands commitment from Nevada punter


Oregon has found its next Australian punter.

Bailey Ettridge, who averaged 44.66 yards on 47 punts at Nevada this season, committed to transfer to the Ducks on Sunday. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.

From Lara, Australia, Ettridge had 15 punts over 50 yards and 18 inside opponents’ 20-yard lines this season. He also had two carries for 26 yards, both of which converted fourth downs.

Ettridge replaces James Ferguson-Reynolds, who is averaging 41.64 yards on 33 punts for UO this season. Ferguson-Reynolds and Ross James are both out of eligibility after the season.

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Ettridge is the first scholarship transfer to Oregon this offseason and his addition gives the Ducks 81 projected scholarship players in 2026. He is the lone punter presently on the roster.



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‘Winnemucca Day’ helps fuel Backus, Wolf Pack to 58-40 win over Utah State

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‘Winnemucca Day’ helps fuel Backus, Wolf Pack to 58-40 win over Utah State


RENO, Nev. (Nevada Athletics) – Nevada Women’s Basketball returned to Lawlor for the first game of 2026, hosting Utah State.

The Pack picked up its first conference win of the season with the 58-40 victory over the Aggies.

Freshmen showed out for the Pack (5-9, 1-3 MW) with Skylar Durley nearly recording a double-double, dropping 12 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Britain Backus had five points to go along with two rebounds and a season high four steals.

Junior Izzy Sullivan also had an impactful game with 17 points, going 6-for-11 from the paint and grabbing five boards. She also knocked down Nevada’s only two makes from beyond the arc, putting her within one for 100 career threes.

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The Pack opened up scoring the first four points, setting the tone for the game. It was a close battle through the first 10 as Utah State (6-7, 2-2 MW) closed the gap to one.

However, Nevada never let them in front for the entire 40 minutes.

Nevada turned up the pressure in the second quarter, holding Utah State to a shooting drought for over four minutes. Meanwhile, a 5-0 scoring run pushed the Pack to a 10-point lead.

For the entire first 20, Nevada held Utah State to just 26.7 percent from the floor and only nine percent from the arc, going only 1-for-11.

For the Pack offense, it shot 48 percent from the paint. Nevada fell into a slump coming out of the break, only scoring eight points.

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It was the only quarter where the Pack was outscored.

The fourth quarter saw the Pack get back into rhythm with a 6-0 run and forcing the Aggies into another long scoring drought of just under four and a half minutes.

Durley had a layup and jumper to help with securing the win.

Nevada will remain at home to face Wyoming on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

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EDITORIAL: Nevada’s House Democrats oppose permitting reform

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EDITORIAL: Nevada’s House Democrats oppose permitting reform


Politicians of both parties have promised to fix the nation’s broken permitting system. But those promises have not been kept, and the status quo prevails: longer timelines, higher costs and a regulatory maze that makes it nearly impossible to build major projects on schedule.

Last week, the House finally cut through the fog by passing the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act. As Jeff Luse reported for Reason, the legislation is the clearest chance in years to overhaul a system that has spun out of control.

Notably, virtually every House Democrat — including Reps. Dina Titus, Susie Lee and Steven Horsford from Nevada — opted for the current regulatory morass.

The proposal addressed problems with the National Environmental Policy Act, which passed in the 1970s to promote transparency, but has grown into an anchor that drags down public and private investment. Mr. Luse notes that even after Congress streamlined the act in 2021, the average environmental impact statement takes 2.4 years to complete. That number speaks for itself and does not reflect the many reviews that stretch far beyond that already unreasonable timeline.

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The SPEED Act tackles these failures head on. It would codify recent Supreme Court guidance, expand the projects that do not require exhaustive review and set real expectations for federal agencies that too often slow-walk approvals. Most important, it puts long-overdue limits on litigation. Mr. Luse highlights the absurdity of the current six-year window for filing a lawsuit under the Environmental Policy Act. Between 2013 and 2022, these lawsuits delayed projects an average of 4.2 years.

While opponents insist the bill would silence communities, Mr. Luse notes that NEPA already includes multiple public hearings and comment periods. Also, the vast majority of lawsuits are not filed by members of the people who live near the projects. According to the Breakthrough Institute, 72 percent of NEPA lawsuits over the past decade came from national nonprofits. Only 16 percent were filed by local communities. The SPEED Act does not shut out the public. It reins in well-funded groups that can afford to stall projects indefinitely.

Some Democrats claim the bill panders to fossil fuel companies, while some Republicans fear it will accelerate renewable projects. As Mr. Luse explains, NEPA bottlenecks have held back wind, solar and transmission lines as often as they have slowed oil and gas. That is why the original SPEED Act won support from green energy groups and traditional energy producers.

Permitting reform is overdue, and lawmakers claim to understand that endless red tape hurts economic growth and environmental progress alike. The SPEED Act is the strongest permitting reform proposal in years. The Senate should approve it.

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