At a time when the news on television seems overwhelmingly negative, one unheralded program brings hope and inspiration to thousands of families in Nevada. Specifically, a new Opportunity Scholarship program has allowed thousands of Nevada children to attend the schools that best meet their needs. This National School Choice Week, we can celebrate the ways in which more quality educational options have brightened the futures of Nevada children.
Because no two children are alike, school choice takes many different forms. Parents in some Nevada school districts can use an open enrollment option, which allows children to study in public schools outside their traditional neighborhood boundaries. Nevada also permits homeschooling, and offers selective magnet schools offering intensive programs focused on subjects like the arts or sciences. We also have a strong program of charter schools, publicly funded schools with both greater autonomy from regulations and greater accountability tied to student performance.
More recently, the Nevada Legislature expanded school choice by creating the tax credit Opportunity Scholarship program. Families of modest means can apply for scholarships of up to $8,000 funded by donations from businesses. In many cases, these scholarships can make the difference in allowing families to access the best education possible.
School choice worked for Buddy Hampton, a retired police officer and single father of three. In a recent interview, Hampton said that thanks to the Opportunity Scholarship, he can send his son Garrett to “a school that teaches him as an individual, instead of teaching the system. For some people that system works wonders, but for Garrett, it failed him.” As a gifted child who performs well academically, school choice has allowed Garrett to attend a program that better uses and stretches his talents.
Buddy Hampton eloquently summed up the case for the Opportunity Scholarship program: “School choice means to me that I’m allowed to send my son to a school that fits him, and doesn’t let him fall through the cracks—because each parent is the best barometer on how we teach our children….As a parent, I’m with my son all the time, so I know what works with him, and how to best educate him.”
This National School Choice Week, parents like Buddy Hampton—and the children like Garrett that those parents care so much about—will gather at more than 40,000 events nationwide the week of Jan. 20-26. Those events will feature real-life testimonials from both parents and students themselves about the way in which school choice has helped their lives—inspired their children, driven them to improve, and prevented sons and daughters from falling through the proverbial cracks.
As we gather in Nevada, we’ll celebrate the Opportunity Scholarship program—which hopefully will continue, and grow, for years to come. More than 2,300 Nevada families have benefited from the scholarship program last year—but more should have the ability to do so. We shouldn’t rest until every family in Nevada, and every family nationwide, has the same opportunity to succeed as young Garrett Hampton.
Valeria Gurr is Nevada State Director for the American Federation for Children.
Dear Governor Sisolak & Members of the Nevada State Legislature:
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. English is my second language, so I hope I can share my thoughts okay with you.
I am a mother of five who immigrated to this country 33 years ago because of the opportunity of a better life. The American Dream. My life here with my family has been a dream, and I want my kids to know all the opportunities America offers. The most important opportunity I want them to have is the Nevada Opportunity Scholarship, and the chance for the best education possible.
My husband and I run a small construction business in town. We are proud of the work we do, and we are grateful for our customers. On its own, our volume does not provide enough for us to have a choice in our children’s education. However, thanks to the Nevada Opportunity Scholarship, our children have been given the most amazing gift. The gift of a great education and a place to fit in and flourish. All because of private schools and the NV Opportunity Scholarship.
We have a story about when our oldest son Tyler went into high school. We knew college was only 4 year away but we had no experience with the college process. It was so intimidating and overwhelming at times. Sierra Lutheran High School personally walked us through the process starting Tyler’s freshman year. Every year there was an important college meeting that gave us instructions on what to do that year. SLHS had Tyler take a practice ACT and SAT starting freshmen year. I didn’t even know that they needed to be taken. I also didn’t know that the more you took it the better you did on it. SLHS was amazing on reviewing score with the parents.
Tyler’s senior year was so stressful BUT SLHS was there the whole time walking us through every college application. They helped Tyler with every personal statement that colleges asked for. He applied to 5 colleges each one requiring a different statement. We had personal meetings with the Dean of Students (now principal) Dr. Seddon who was so encouraging the whole time. All questions and concerns were address especially for me. We did all that was recommended by Dr. Seddon.
Tyler took the first official ACT summer after his sophomore year. He got a good score 28. The next recommendation was to retake ACT summer after your junior year He re-took it, to get another 28. He was very disappointed and wanted to give up and be done. BUT we had our schedule college meeting with Dr. Seddon right before his senior year started. She was amazing in encouraging him to take it again. She also gave some vital suggestion on what he needed to do before the test. Because of her prodding he signed up to take it again in October. He studied more like she suggested and followed all her suggestions for the night before and day of the test. He took it and he got a 31! This was huge! All because she took the time to encourage him personally and give him some good suggestions. He got the presidential scholarship for UNR and (Per her suggestion) he is in the HONORS program for Mechanical Engineering with the presidential scholarship.
I am so grateful for God’s blessing to me and my family, and I know other minority parents who receive the Nevada Opportunity Scholarship feel this way too. What a blessing it is for children from minority homes and are low income to have the best chance for the American Dream. Page three of the 2017-18 Nevada Educational Choice Scholarship Program Report on the Department of Education website shows that 69 percent of the 2,330 scholarship recipients are minorities, which is a blessing for the underrepresented wanting a better life for their children.
I was delighted to hear in your inaugural speech that you want to represent ALL Nevadans. I pray that means our family and others wanting a better opportunity for their children through the Nevada Opportunity Scholarship program
I am a single father of three. I have a 24-year-old, a 14-year old and my 7-year-old, Garrett.
All children learn differently. Some work great in the public school system, but some are left behind. Public schools teach the majority of students, but when your children are in the upper or lower part of their class, they often fall through the cracks. My son, who was at the top of his class, was academically gifted. But emotionally he needed a little more attention.
The challenge we faced at Garrett’s public school was that he had trouble staying on track. He has ADHD, and when he would finish his classwork earlier than his peers, he would get fidgety. Just like many of us, children are not designed to sit still. The school would let him sit at his desk, rather than provide him with additional classwork or give him another assignment to work on. This may work great for some children, but not for Garrett.
The new school Garrett is attending is wonderful. His teacher can give him personalized attention and adjust his assignments as needed. For example, when she gives other students one or two sentences to write, she will give Garrett five or six sentences, since she knows his capabilities. She judges each child’s needs and abilities on an individual basis.
At his old school, Garrett’s class had 29 students. At his new school, there are only 10 students in his class. This provides his teacher more individual time with each student.
The Opportunity Scholarship has given me the chance to send Garrett to a school that will teach him as an individual. I am a single father of three, worked for the state for 27 years and am a retired police officer. Without this scholarship, I would not be able to afford to send Garrett to Far West Academy. This funding allows me to send him to a school that fits his academic needs.
I believe parents know their children best and know what type of education system will fit their needs.
Thanks to the $20 million increase in the Opportunity Scholarship last year, I was able to send Garrett to a school that best meets his needs.
If it weren’t for this scholarship, I would have had to make serious financial cuts to send my child to this school. With the Opportunity Scholarship, I can send my son to a great school and give him the education he deserves while simultaneously ensuring I have the resources to enhance his education.
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Nevada lawmakers, please do not reduce the funding for the Opportunity Scholarship. It allows people such as me to send our children to schools that fit them and save them from slipping through the cracks.
The 2015 Nevada Legislature developed a great program that allows businesses to help underprivileged students get a better education. Sadly, like any program that takes money out of government’s hands, the program faces the threat of revocation in the 2019 Legislature, despite numerous reports that the program is doing a great job.
The Legislature established the Opportunity Scholarship program in 2015, which enables students to attend private schools using scholarships financed with Modified Business Tax credits. All businesses with taxable wages greater than $50,000 incur this tax liability. A business can donate funds to a state-approved scholarship fund, and get a dollar-for-dollar credit for the donation against their Modified Business Tax liability.
Currently about 2,000 students are receiving scholarhips across the state. To be eligible, students must live in a household whose income falls below 300 percent of the federal poverty line. Thus, for even the “wealthiest” students who are eligible to apply for scholarships, their total household income (for a family of four) cannot be greater than $73,800. That income cutoff guarantees that only students from lower- and middle-income households can receive Opportunity Scholarships.
¿Ha contemplado mandar a sus hijos a una escuela privada, pero no cuenta con los recursos para hacerlo?
Gracias a las Becas de la Oportunidad, las familias de Nevada ahora tienen acceso a fondos gratuitos para pagar por la colegiatura de una educación privada.
La beca es el resultado de una ley conocida como la AB165, que pasó durante la sesión legislativa del 2015 y luego fue expandida en el 2017.
La creación de esta beca tiene dos propósitos fundamentales. Por un lado, busca proveer una opción escolar diferente a estudiantes desde el kindergarten hasta el último año de la preparatoria, ayudando así a aquellos padres cuya situación financiera no les permite invertir en una mejor educación para sus hijos. De ahí que, para calificar hay que demostrar el nivel de ingresos de la familia del solicitante. De acuerdo a esta lógica, solamente pueden recibir una beca aquellos hogares cuyo ingreso no sea más alto que tres veces (300%) el monto pautado por el gobierno federal como la taza de la pobreza. Para citar un ejemplo, una familia de cinco miembros podría recibir una beca siempre y cuando el ingreso combinado no exceda los $86,340 dólares al año.
Por otro lado, las Becas de la Oportunidad buscan estimular el sector privado a donar dinero a cambio de un incentivo fiscal. Es decir, si un dueño de negocio o individuo hiciera una donación a cualquiera de las organizaciones autorizadas por el Departamento de Educación de Nevada para administrar esta opción escolar, dicho donador recibiría un crédito fiscal equivalente al cien por ciento sobre cada dólar dado en contribución.
En su forma original, a este programa se le impuso un tope de 5 millones de dólares; o sea, que no se aceptaban donaciones por encima de este monto. No obstante, en la sesión legislativa del 2017, el tope fue incrementando -de manera temporal- a veinte millones de dólares. Esto significa que en el 2018 y 2019 un mayor número de estudiantes podrán recibir hasta $7,890 por niño por año escolar para entrar a una escuela privada elegida por sus padres. “Una de nuestras metas para la próxima sesión legislativa, es conseguir que este aumento de 20 millones de dólares pase a ser algo permanente, de manera que las Becas de la Oportunidad continúen creciendo y sirviendo más y más familias necesitadas en Nevada”, dijo Valeria Gurr, la Directora Estatal de Nevada School Choice Coalition, una organización sin fines de lucro que aboga por el derecho de los padres a opciones escolares. “En la actualidad, existen en Nevada más de ochenta entidades educativas privadas que aceptan estudiantes becados a través de este programa*1”, agregó la directora.
Las fechas para solicitar la Beca de la Oportunidad varían dependiendo de cada organización. En Nevada, existen seis organizaciones que otorgan estas becas: AAA Scholarship Foundation, America’s Scholarship Konnection, Children’s Tuition Fund of Nevada, Dinosaurs & Roses, Education Fund of Northern Nevada y Nevada Action for Choice Access.
La primera en abrir su período de admisión para nuevos solicitantes es la AAA Scholarship Foundation, la cual estará aceptando solicitudes a partir el 15 de marzo del 2018. Cabe señalar que un candidato puede someter una solicitud a todas y cada una las organizaciones citadas más arriba.
Para más información sobre la Beca de la Oportunidad, llame al 877-996-8372 o escriba a NvEdChoice@gmail.com. Así mismo, puede visitar la página web: www.NevadaSchoolChoice.com
Sitting in her math class at Clark High School, Daniela Lopez longed to go to a private school. There was just one seemingly insurmountable problem. Her family couldn’t afford it.
Thanks to school choice, they didn’t have to.
While attending public school as a freshman and sophomore, Lopez didn’t find the environment conducive to learning.
“I had this math class, and there were about 45 kids in there,” she said. “Sometimes the kids would be very disruptive. Sometimes they would talk or listen to music.
“I wanted to learn, but I couldn’t really do it, because there were so many kids being disrespectful. The teacher didn’t really want to pay attention to us since people wouldn’t listen, and he would give up.”
Like thousands of other Clark County kids in working-class homes, Lopez assumed she was stuck.
“I grew up with poverty,” she said. “I’m not from the United States. I came over here (from Mexico) when I was five. It’s been difficult, especially when you have a single parent.”
Fortunately for Lopez, Gov. Brian Sandoval and legislative Republicans passed the Opportunity Scholarship program in 2015. It gives businesses a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for donations to scholarship-granting organizations. The organizations give private school scholarships to children whose families earn less than 300 percent of the federal poverty line. Scholarship amounts vary but can’t be more than $7,934 a year. For comparison, average school district funding in Nevada, not including capital costs or bond repayments, was more than $9,000 a pupil last school year.
“I wanted to move schools my sophomore year, because I was old enough to realize this is not what I want,” said Lopez, now 17.
Lopez had a cousin who went to Mountain View Christian School and told her about the Opportunity Scholarships. She applied, and her family was able to make the numbers work. High school tuition and fees at Mountain View are $9,450. Last school year, she attended MVCS as a junior and is now a senior.
“I could finally get the education I wanted,” she said. “Now that I’m here, they don’t let you fail. They’re here for you.”
Not only is she learning more, but Lopez’s grades have gone from a C+ average to A’s and B’s. Her social confidence and intellectual curiosity have grown as well.
“I definitely felt like I wasn’t as shy or nervous,” said Lopez. “At a public school, kids really don’t care, and they’ll make fun of you for a dumb question. Here I’m comfortable to ask any type of question.”
Next year, Lopez plans to head off to college — UNLV is under consideration — and pursue a degree in nursing, but she’s still personally invested in Opportunity Scholarships. Those scholarships help her 6-year-old sister also attend MVCS.
School choice matters, because Daniela Lopez matters. There’s no better time to remember that than during National School Choice Week, which concludes on Saturday. An estimated 6.7 million people will have attended one of more than 32,000 events celebrating school choice this week.
Those efforts are vital, because only a relative handful of students currently benefit from the Opportunity Scholarship program. Available tax credits are limited to $6 million a year, although that amount increases by 10 percent annually. Last year, lawmakers did approve a one-time increase of $20 million in credits.
“Children learn differently,” said Andrew Campanella, National School Choice Week president, while filming Nevada Politics Today. “When we can pair kids up with schools that best meet their needs, they’re more inspired, challenged, motivated and happy. They’ll go on to more successful and productive lives. That’s really the goal of education.”
It’s a goal that Lopez hopes lawmakers take to heart. Opportunity Scholarships “change the lives of many kids who are going through the same things I was,” said Lopez. “Their academics, their lives, their futures could be so much better. We really need it.”
Listen to Victor Joecks discuss his columns each Monday at 9 a.m. with Kevin Wall on 790 Talk Now. Contact him at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on Twitter.