The responsibilities of the Board of Regents include overseeing the Nevada System of Higher Education’s more than $2 billion budget, setting tuition prices, and hiring a chancellor and school presidents. They oversee four community colleges, two universities, one research institute, and one state college.
Currently, the board consists of 13 elected nonpartisan regents serving six-year terms. However, state lawmakers passed a bill last year that will reduce the board to nine regents serving four-year terms starting 2028.
Voters in District 4, which includes part of east Las Vegas and the City of North Las Vegas, can choose between Aaron Bautista, a Clark County School District special education teacher, and Tonia Holmes-Sutton, chair of the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority.
Both candidates vying for the position said they are not sold on Nevada’s ballot Question 1, which would remove from the Nevada State Constitution provisions that establish the Board of Regents as the governing body of NSHE.
If approved, the ballot question would give the state Legislature the ability to review and change the governing organization of public universities.
Bautista said he believes removing the Board of Regents would give the legislature too much say over the direction of higher education.
“I’m not for it,” said Bautista. “In Florida, they removed the Board of Regents and what ended up happening is that the Republican legislature got rid of some of the African American Studies classes because the Board of Regents wasn’t there. It prevents academic freedom, depending on who’s in office.”
Holmes-Sutton told the Nevada Faculty Alliance in April this year that she was against the proposed constitutional amendment. However, in an interview with the Nevada Current last week, Holmes-Sutton said she is currently “still processing” her position.
“I’m still making a decision myself as to what my position will be, ” Holmes-Sutton said. “I definitely believe that it is of importance to continue to research and engage with colleagues around the intentions and also opportunities that exist as the Legislature seeks to reform the Board of Regions governance.”
Holmes-Sutton noted that she wasn’t certain about Question 1’s chances of passing this election, after a similar ballot measure was narrowly defeated in 2020.
Bautista, who teaches at the Ellen Stewart Special School, received a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Nevada State College, and a master’s degree in special education from Grand Canyon University.
His campaign reported raising nearly $3,000 during the first six months of his campaign. In financial fillings, Bautista listed his party affiliation as the Democratic Party.
He’s been endorsed by a number of unions, including AFL-CIO, the Clark County Education Association, SEIU Nevada, Laborers Local 872, IBEW, and Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Service Technicians, Local 525. He was also endorsed by Hispanics in Politics and Make the Road Nevada Action.
Bautista said he would like to see NSHE address the state’s teacher shortage by establishing a state loan forgiveness program for educators working in the state, similar to programs offered in California and Alabama.
“In Nevada, where we have this big shortage, we don’t have programs like that at all,” Bautisa said.
Both candidates said they plan to approach their regent duties with college affordability and accessibility in mind, and emphasized the importance of college readiness to prepare students for the pressures of higher education.
Bautista advocated for reexamining enrollment requirements under the Nevada Promise Scholarship, which requires students to sign up for a minimum of 12 credits to qualify. Bautista said many students are too intimidated by the required course load to apply for the scholarship and give higher education a try.
Holmes-Sutton advocated for expanding dual credit programs, which allow high school students to earn college credits while in high school. Not all students in Nevada have equal access to dual credit programs, especially rural students where less resources are available, she said.
Holmes-Sutton has a master’s and doctorate of education from UNLV.
In addition to chairing the state Charter School Board, she serves the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Board of Directors and the WestEd Board of Directors. She previously served on the Nevada State Board of Education.
She reported raising about $5,500 during the first six months of her campaign, and spending about $2,500. In financial fillings, Holmes-Sutton listed her party affiliation as nonpartisan.
Holmes-Sutton has received endorsements from a number of military-focused groups, including the Nevada Democratic Veterans and Military Families Caucus, and the Nevada Veterans Association. She also received endorsements from the Nevada Faculty Alliance and Ironworkers Local Union 416.
Both candidates said they would prioritize improving student safety and mental health services.
Holmes-Sutton recounted how she herself has faced gun violence at four distinct periods in her life. Her daughter also faced gun violence as a student at UNLV who was attending classes when the Dec. 6 shooting at UNLV took place.
“You cannot focus on learning and teaching if you are fearful for your safety,” Holmes-Sutton said. “Well being, safety, and mental health are intrinsically linked in such a way that we must attend to them in a comprehensive manner.”
Newly elected regents will have no shortage of issues to address, including dealing with the fallout of higher education budgets devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In December, the board voted to raise tuition and fees by 5% to help pay for 11% raises for NSHE professional employees.
Bautista said he believes equity should be top of mind when considering the budget and how best to allocate resources.
“When it comes to spending I’d like to look at equity. What institutions are at a disadvantage? Resources need to be distributed so students and faculty are not at a disadvantage when going to a certain university,” Bautista said. “We have to look at the budget and where it’s being spent and where it could be spent better.”
Holmes-Sutton said balancing funding needs and college affordability is one of the most significant responsibilities of the board, and requires expertise and research.
“We can examine how other states have addressed some of the challenges that they experience around funding. We can learn by way of research and experience from others to be able to inform the decisions that we make,” Holmes-Sutton said. “It’s important to engage in a way that is transparent and that seeks the expertise and experience of others in making the decisions that are best for our community.”
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A string of deadly crashes in and around Pahrump has prompted Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill to push for more safety measures along dark, sidewalk-free roads.
“The worst penalty is death, if you consider that,” McGill said.
The recent deaths include a single-vehicle rollover on State Route 160 during the morning hours of the last Wednesday in January that killed one person and injured another.
Then, into February, two pedestrians were killed in less than three days.
The first was a 7 p.m. crash on Quarter Horse Avenue. Investigators believe a 2006 Jeep Liberty was driving on the street when it hit a pedestrian, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
A few days later, this last Saturday, state troopers responded to a crash just after sundown at Charleston Park Avenue. A sedan hit a pedestrian, who was also pronounced dead at the scene.
Nevada State Police investigators are still investigating both pedestrian cases before more details are released.
McGill said the recent crashes were enough to spur action.
“When the third one came out, I was sitting at home and watching TV. I looked at my wife and I said, ‘We got to do something about this,’” McGill said.
McGill is responding with a reflective vest giveaway, pointing to limited infrastructure as a possible factor. He noted a lack of street lights off State Route 160 and no sidewalks inside the community.
“The only light that you have is the ambient light from houses and cars so it is really dark,” McGill said.
John Treanor of AAA Nevada said poor visibility can quickly turn dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians.
“It is very easy to be confronted with a situation that you cannot see coming because the visibility might be bad,” Treanor said.
Treanor encouraged pedestrians to carry lights and drivers to be prepared if they end up outside their vehicles in dark conditions.
“Having lights on you. Even carrying a flashlight allows something where a driver can see it,” Treanor said. “If you are a driver, make sure you have the right stuff in your car, in case you do get in a situation where you are on the side of the road and now you are in dark. Make sure you have a kit with some reflectors, some lights. Anything the trunk of your car in case you need it.”
McGill said vigilance is important even in daylight.
“Any time of the day, you have got to be vigilant. You have to keep aware of your surroundings if you are a walker or on a bicycle or if you are the driver,” he said.
Authorities also urged caution as more people may pull off roads in rocky areas along the route toward Death Valley National Park during springtime blooms, increasing the need for drivers and pedestrians to stay alert.
A waterfront mansion on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe just sold for $46 million, less than three weeks after hitting the market.
The speedy deal marks a departure from the typical U.S. market.
Nationwide, homes took a median 78 days to land a buyer in January, five more than the same time last year and the 22nd straight month of homes taking longer to sell on a year-over-year basis, according to data from Realtor.com.
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The lavish log cabin-like residence, in Incline Village, listed on Jan. 24 for $47.5 million. It sold 20 days later, on Feb. 13, listing records show.
The more than 7,000-square-foot residence was built in 2014, and has double-height living spaces, walls of windows, beamed ceilings, fireplaces, and plenty of rustic exposed stone and wood, listing images show.
There’s also a gym, a wet bar, a spa, a wine room, an office, two separate game rooms, seven bedrooms and dramatic Lake Tahoe views. Outside, there’s a private sandy beach, multiple decks, a heated driveway and two exterior fireplaces, according to listing information.
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The seller and the buyer are both limited liability companies, according to property records. Both parties were represented by Jeff Brown of Tahoe Mountain Realty, who declined to comment on the deal.
The median home price in Incline Village was $1.595 million as of December, a fall of 3.3% from a year earlier, according to data from Realtor.com. Listings, meanwhile, spent an average of 130 days on the market.
Updated February 26, 2026 – 8:28 pm
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Green Valley’s softball team claimed an 8-6 win at Liberty on Thursday on the first day of high school spring sports competition in Nevada.
Green Valley next hosts Silverado at 3 p.m. Friday. Liberty plays at Bishop Gorman at 3 p.m. Friday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
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