Las Vegas-area students unsure what school they will attend due to changes in Opportunity Scholarship funding

By Kim Passoth

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    LAS VEGAS, Nevada (KVVU) — A new school year is about to begin for students in Southern Nevada, but hundreds of kids may be forced to go to new schools they don’t want to attend. Opportunity Scholarships are not being funded at previous levels. There’s millions of dollars less, meaning low income students who were attending private schools may have to go to public schools instead.

“It does kind of put you in a bind and you don’t know what you are going to do,” shared Claudia Lomeli, a mom of two boys, ages seven and nine, who both were awarded opportunity scholarships to attend Mountain View Christian School last year. Lomeli told FOX5 it made a huge difference in their lives. Lomeli explained her sons struggled in public school. One needed extra help, the other was not challenged.

“It just wasn’t meeting their needs educationally or the environment that they were in,” Lomeli contended. Lomeli looked into private school and learned about Opportunity Scholarships.

“I love the school that they are in now. I could see their behavior was better, their grades were better,” Lomeli beamed. Lomeli’s boys do not yet know they may not be going back.

“I work with hundreds of families wanting to have access to this program,” stated Valeria Gurr with the American Federation for Children. Gurr contends while the governor wanted millions of dollars more to offer a choice in schools to thousands of Nevada families, it was a hot button issue during the legislative session.

“The Nevada Legislature decided to cut funding for these students, it is just pure politics and its playing with the life of kids and hurting them,” Gurr argued. Those against funding low income students who want to attend private schools say it diverts money away from struggling public schools. Gurr says that is not the case.

“This is a tax credit scholarship program so business are able to donate in exchange for modified business tax. This money does not come from the Public Education Budget,” Gurr asserted. Gurr projects with far less money this year, about 500 students will be impacted.

“With $11.4 million allocated last year and the year before, the program now has $6.6 million and these organization have to compete for the funding,” Gurr revealed. Gurr remains hopeful additional funding can be found elsewhere.

“In seven days if we are not able to find funding anywhere else, we are going to have to let these families know that they are going to lose their scholarship and have to go back to a school that wasn’t serving them.

More than half of opportunity scholarships go to minority candidates. Families who are now finding out they can no longer get opportunity scholarships say it is too late to apply to get into competitive public charter schools.

In Nevada, opportunity scholarship, are need-based for students who live in households whose income level does not exceed 300 percent of federal poverty guidelines. Scholarships can be used for tuition, fees, and transportation costs associated with attending the private school.

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