LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo sat down with educators, parents, and business leaders for an education roundtable hosted by the Latin Chamber of Commerce.
Latin Chamber President Peter Guzman moderated the discussion, saying companies looking to move to Nevada are just as focused on schools as they are on taxes and regulations. Guzman praised Lombardo for putting billions of new dollars into K-12, pushing teacher pay raises, and tying that money to accountability and student results.
“Business and education, education and business go hand in hand. When businesses are looking at Nevada, they’re looking at our tax climate and opportunities, but they’re also looking at our schools. This governor absolutely gets it,” said Guzman.
Lombardo defends first-term record, lays out next steps
Lombardo called education “the core of quality of life,” pointing to what he says is Nevada’s largest-ever K-12 investment, higher teacher pay, more support for high-needs schools, and new school safety laws that let districts remove disruptive students and protect staff.
He also highlighted gains like a 4% year-over-year increase in graduation rates and fewer one-star schools. Looking ahead, he said his priorities include smaller class sizes, expanded school choice options, and making sure more third-graders can read on grade level.
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“In my opinion, education is the core of everything we do in life. We’ve invested billions, we’ve added accountability, and we’re starting to see results, more kids graduating, fewer underperforming schools. But the rainbow’s not out yet. We still have a lot of work to do,” said Lombardo, a Republican.
Advocates praise federal tax credit move
School choice advocates at the roundtable credited Lombardo with what they call a “monumental” step for Nevada families: opting into a new federal Education Freedom Tax Credit.
The program will let taxpayers claim a federal credit, up to $1,700 per person under current rules, for donations to scholarship groups. Those dollars can help pay for tuition, tutoring, transportation, or educational therapies for eligible students in public, charter or private schools.
Advocates say it could reach up to 90% of Nevada students and help families who are still on waitlists for the state’s Opportunity Scholarship program.
“These families from public, private, and charter schools, we have been able to have a scholarship to pay for the cost of tuition, transportation, educational therapies, for many different things that families tutoring in public schools,” said Dr. Valeria Gurr, American Federation for Children. “So, it’s a bill that encompasses all education.”
Ford responds to roundtable
Attorney General Aaron Ford and gubernatorial candidate issued a statement in response to the roundtable.
“Nevada deserves better than more empty promises from the man who backed Donald Trump’s gutting of the Department of Education and depriving our state of $1 billion annually in education funding – our students, their teachers, and their families need real solutions and someone who produces real results. That’s why my education plan focuses on increasing our per-pupil funding to the national average, making teacher salaries competitive with those in other states, reducing class sizes, and supporting the public schools that Lombardo wants to defund. As Governor, I will also pass guaranteed school meals for every student, to put money back in parents’ wallets at a time when the Lombardo-Trump economy has run them dry,” said Ford.
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