After a challenging year for public schools and the end of the most recent legislative session, it finally looks like brighter days are ahead. We have a COVID-19 vaccine to protect our educators and families, infection rates are steadily declining, the Legislature worked to restore funding shortfalls and an infusion of federal funds will provide schools with an opportunity to reopen their doors safely and successfully. 

But we also need a reality check — the federal funds will not be the education panacea many hope for. The return to school will be cloaked in myriad new challenges and intense pressure to deliver on lofty goals. All the while, federal dollars provided to school districts to address problems specific to the pandemic will be at work opening schools safely, restoring learning losses and closing the achievement gap widened by distance learning.

The best Nevada can hope for with these federal dollars is a return to normal. But Nevada’s normal has done a disservice to our students for years. Normal is maintaining the largest class sizes and some of the highest teacher turnover rates in the nation. Normal is substandard academic achievement and ranking last in college readiness exam scores. Normal is congregating at or near the bottom in K-12 funding, year after year. Normal is simply not providing the resources necessary for students to succeed.  Let’s face it, normal is shameful.

Further, expecting these one-time federal dollars to transform education is a tall order given that this direct aid to districts will only represent a 3.8 percent annual increase in funding over the five fiscal years they are available. When the dollars do expire, we could be left with a fiscal cliff that damages students. Innovative or successful programs will disappear. Gains will be lost. Without state lawmakers committing to a plan to fully fund schools, federal funds will only offer a brief reprieve from inevitable and catastrophic budget cuts. 

However, these dollars do present an opportunity for schools to demonstrate they can put additional funds to good use. We know from years of research and targeted programs here in Nevada that additional funding, spent well, leads to positive outcomes for students. But initiatives that attempt to unravel the academic, social and emotional consequences of the pandemic could take time. Getting it right may take some trial and error. We must both trust those who know best - educators, principals and professionals - while insisting on transparency and communication. There must be open and good faith dialogue between districts and their communities. Particularly in Clark County, disagreements must be put aside while we do what is right for our students. 

But as mentioned, this funding is limited in time, scope and amount. We simply cannot sit idly by and expect this one-time federal allocation to lift Nevada out of years of inadequate funding and support. We would be setting ourselves and our students up for failure. 

So, what should we avoid? We should avoid complacency. These funds will expire, and we will find ourselves several years down the road facing the same K-12 funding problems. We should avoid expecting our public education system to be rescued by these dollars, especially given the relatively small amount of funds available when spread over several years. That said, we should avoid letting this opportunity go to waste. We should demand a plan from leaders and aim to walk away from this experience with well-documented, proven strategies to guide best practices in the future. 

If we play our cards right, we can emerge from this crisis stronger, but only if we recognize the enormity of what is ahead of us. There is no quick fix to lifting Nevada out of its last place status in public education. Federal dollars can put us on a path, but it will take strong state leadership, fierce advocacy on the part of the community, meaningful communication from districts and schools giving everything they can to make this work.

Beverly Rogers is Chairman of the Rogers Foundation founded in 2013 by Jim Rogers to transform lives by supporting public education and the arts in Southern Nevada. Through the foundation she provides college scholarships, supports school programs, helps recognize educators and provides systems of support and platforms for local artists to flourish and thrive. Beverly is also a member of The Nevada Independent Advisory Council.