Makes various changes relating to bilingual education. (BDR 34-790)
Summary
SB115 makes several changes to Nevada law governing bilingual education in public schools and charter schools. It authorizes school districts and charter schools to pay a $2,500 annual stipend to teachers assigned to teach pupils in bilingual education programs, so long as the teacher either already holds the required bilingual education endorsement or is actively completing the coursework or preparation needed to earn it and is otherwise authorized to teach in that setting. The bill also defines “program of bilingual education” for these purposes as instruction for English learners in which students are taught English and other content through their primary language.
The bill further requires the Commission on Professional Standards in Education to adopt regulations expressly requiring teachers who teach in bilingual education programs to hold the appropriate endorsement. It also amends annual reporting requirements for school districts and charter schools so their budget and expenditure reports must include the number of employees who received the bilingual education stipend in the preceding and current fiscal years. The effective date is July 1, 2025.
Impact
SB115 affects Nevada’s teacher licensure and school finance reporting laws, primarily in NRS 387.303, 388A.345, and 391.019, and adds a new section to Chapter 391. It does not mandate that districts or charter schools pay the stipend, but it gives them authority to do so and requires that, in large school districts and charter schools, the stipend be paid from the local school precinct or charter school budget. The bill also formalizes endorsement requirements for bilingual education in regulation and increases transparency by requiring reporting of stipend recipients in annual fiscal reports.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have broad legislative support. It passed the Senate 17-3 and the Assembly 38-4, indicating strong bipartisan approval overall. The available record does not include committee testimony or detailed floor debate, but the vote margins suggest the measure was generally viewed favorably as a workforce and bilingual education support bill.
Contention
The main policy issue is whether to use stipends to recruit and retain teachers for bilingual education programs and how to fund those stipends locally. Because the stipend is permissive rather than mandatory, some lawmakers may have been concerned about local fiscal impacts, especially for large districts and charter schools that must pay from local budgets. Another possible point of discussion is the endorsement requirement: the bill reinforces that bilingual education teachers should hold the proper endorsement, while still allowing stipends for teachers who are in approved preparation programs and otherwise authorized to teach, which balances credentialing standards with staffing flexibility.