TEACHERS’ UNION REFUSING TO ENDORSE SISOLAK “NO PLAN TO FIX OUR SCHOOLS”

Oct. 12, 2022

Rob Lauer Political Reporter

Today, Nevada ranks literally 50th in the nation in education. After four years of continued failure in our public schools by Gov. Sisolak, the liberal Dems that run the Clark County Teachers Union (CCEA) have had enough. Even after Sisolak promised to give them raises, the CCEA just announced they are withholding their endorsement. That’s like the NRA withholding its endorsement for a redneck hunter running for game and wildlife commission.

In a press release, the CCEA made it extremely clear what they think about Sisolak.

“In the 2018 gubernatorial election, CCEA supported Steve Sisolak. We helped him win the primary and go on to win the general election. Sisolak has a record and it was important to know what he was going to change moving forward. This moment requires State Leadership to step up, and collaborate strategically with School Districts, if we are to seriously address the issues facing our educators and students. We expected to hear a plan to address these issues over the next four years; and we did not. Accordingly, CCEA cannot support Steve Sisolak for reelection and will not be making an endorsement in the 2022 Governor’s race.”

Sheriff Lombardo, obviously is thrilled by the CCEA’s no endorsement and issued the following statement:

“Steve Sisolak has failed our kids, our educators, and our schools for far too long. Our schools are unsafe, our students are failing to meet basic academic benchmarks, and our teachers have a poor quality of life. Unlike Steve Sisolak, Sheriff Joe Lombardo has a plan to fix Nevada’s broken education system, and he will immediately work to bring safety, accountability, and empowerment to our schools.”

Sheriff Lombardo outlined his top education priorities, which included ways he would re-prioritize Nevada’s education system by:

• Working with legislators, parents, students, and educators to create a ten-year education plan with goals, objectives, and accountability measures, so our priorities, funding, and planning are not dependent upon shifts in partisan or ideological makeup in Carson City.

• Reversing Sisolak’s dangerous school safety policies, including Assembly Bill 168, that mandated violent students can no longer be suspended or expelled from school, which has resulted in a significant increase in harassment, threats, and sexual assaults within Clark County School District.

• Restoring funding for Read by Grade 3, a crucial program that was deemed unimportant and, ultimately, was defunded by the Sisolak administration.

• Expanding vocational training and workforce development programs, which are an essential part of giving students across the state more educational opportunities and empowering Nevada families.

• Preventing social-reform curriculum from being taught in our schools and removing explicit, age-inappropriate books and materials currently being taught in Nevada’s classrooms.

• Evaluating potential ballot initiatives that would allow for the break-up of the Clark County School District and other school districts that are underperforming and failing Nevada’s students. Under the current administration, Nevada has been overrun with dysfunctional bureaucracy. Our school districts need leadership and a future-forward vision that finally addresses a lack of leadership, underperforming and unsafe schools, and a 78% increase in staff vacancies.

• Reward our most effective teachers for excellence, innovation, student achievement, parental involvement, and for making a commitment to the long-term improvement of our education system.

• Working diligently to fix Nevada’s unacceptable teacher shortage by reforming Nevada’s licensure requirements to welcome qualified teachers into our state and create an incentive system so new educators come and end up calling Nevada home. Additionally, we cannot expect to retain or recruit the best and brightest teachers if our schools are unsafe, which is why it’s essential to reform our school safety policies immediately. It is critical to work with Nevada high schools and colleges to encourage Nevada students to pursue careers in education.

• Begin treating teachers with the respect and dignity they deserve.

• Investing in educators trained in special needs and mental health education. No Nevada child should be left behind because of a special need. Every student deserves an opportunity to become the best version of themselves.

• Ensuring every child has access to the best education possible by providing proper classroom resources and supplies and expanding school choice options, so that a student’s zip code no longer determines their future.

• Instituting financial accountability measures within our education system, so that  parents, students, and taxpayers know that their education dollars are spent as effectively and efficiently as possible.

• Holding Nevada’s school board members accountable by requiring school board members to have proper qualifications, obtain adequate training, and be required to spearhead community engagement efforts to better listen to the communities they serve.

• As opposed to just obtaining a certificate of completion, modernizing Nevada’s education system by setting goals for students to develop critical life skills to prepare them to thrive in any facet of the workforce.

Now we know why all Sisolak can do is talk about abortion.