State teachers union forms PAC as part of last-ditch effort to kill ESAs
Less than two weeks before the Legislature is scheduled to end, the Nevada State Education Association has formed a new political action committee to try to put the kibosh on Education Savings Accounts, the school choice program Gov. Brian Sandoval has said he is committed to fund.
Strong Public Schools Nevada was filed this week with a not-so-subtle purpose: “To support public education champions for public office and defeat candidates with a record of shifting public money to private schools.”
The union has already been sending mail pieces against ESAs, which are considered a key negotiating point in the endgame, and sent a new one this week to 100,000 households, mostly Democrats in Democratic districts, an obvious attempt to stiffen friendly spines. Insiders believe that Democratic leaders will bargain with the governor for a sliding scale or means-tested ESA, which would appear to make this NSEA effort quixotic.
But the union is giving no quarter, and also has a new radio ad trying to pressure lawmakers. Can NSEA stop what seems inevitable?