Is a child you know and love in a public school in Nevada? Are they succeeding in acquiring an education that will catapult them ahead of the competition? Do you worry whether or not they are gaining the skills and knowledge to be a contender in this increasingly competitive world?

According to a National Education Association survey, 90 percent of educators are experiencing burnout, with 55 percent of them planning on leaving their career in education earlier than planned. In December 2022, in the Clark County School District alone, there were a total of 1,461 educator vacancies. This is an astonishing number. 

In the Clark County School District, some support staff make as little as $12.07 an hour. In this economy, this is not a living wage. Many support staff have a second job just to make ends meet. Support staff are the backbone to schools and are often overlooked. They deserve to be able to properly care for their own children financially; after all they selflessly care for others' children.

What does this mean for the students of Nevada's public education system? It means that they are being taught by overworked, underappreciated teachers and staff. It means their class sizes are larger than they should be. It means less individualized attention and assistance. It means that many are falling through the cracks.

The community must stand together and demand more for Nevada's students by supporting the Nevada State Education Association's Time for 20 campaign. Time for 20 asks Nevada legislators to reduce class sizes to 20 students per class, to raise school districts' minimum wage to $20 an hour and to provide a 20 percent pay increase to educators. It's time we give school district employees the respect, dignity, appreciation and motivation we expect them to give our children. Pay increases will eliminate staffing shortages resulting in smaller classrooms and better educational results for the children of Nevada. 

To contact your local legislator with a prewritten letter and ask them to support Time for 20, go to https://www.nsea-nv.org/TimeFor20. It takes two minutes to make the difference in the well-being of 447,603 students, 668 schools in 20 Nevada school districts according to ballotpedia.org.

Carrie Russo is a single mother, food service manager for Clark County School District, special education advocate and a Time for 20 ambassador for Nevada State Education Association.