Gov. Lombardo says Mt. Rose Elementary program highlights importance of school choice | Local News

Governor Lombardo promised to become the "Education Governor" on the campaign trail and now he's starting to put words to action.

The Governor made a stop at Mount Rose Elementary School in Reno on Thursday to connect with students in the immersive language program.

He visited a kindergarten dual emergent classroom to read them a book about the state of Nevada and then went onto an 8th grade AP Spanish classroom at Mt. Rose Elementary. 

He told the students that his daughter went through the dual emersion program and it played a big role in her success. She is currently serving as a prosecutor.

Governor Lombardo says that Mount Rose Elementary School's immersive language program highlights exactly what he's looking for in his education initiatives.

Gov. Lombardo says "traditional public schools are not, and should not, be the only option." He wants to put $50 million dollars into the state's scholarship program that can be used for private education-- calling for the creation of the Office of School Choice under the State's Department of Education.

“School choice is different options the type of leadership - the elementary school that we are here today is a perfect example of that. Different types of education for what the kid is interested in, you know, the child is interested in. Not just the basic template. It doesn't fit every child. We're human beings and everybody has their own desires and motivations and school choice hopefully addresses that particular issue,” said Governor Joe Lombardo.

Mount Rose Elementary Principal Krissy Brown has been leading the dual immersion program for more than a decade, and has been working with the state superintendent to expand it around the state-- something Lombardo is on board with.

“He has $10.5 million written into his executive budget and so I know he is an advocate of it so we're excited to see where it goes and testify at the legislature,” explained Principal Brown.

During the Governor's State of the State address this week, he said that Nevada schools have been historically underfunded and students underperform.

"I'm tired of hearing the proverbial ranking, were at the bottom of barrel when it comes to Nevada and education," Gov. Lombardo told reporters.

As we reported earlier this week, the Governor is proposing a historic $2 billion investment in education that would increase per-pupil spending over the next two years. It would raise per-pupil spending to $10,290 per student this year to nearly $12,881 per student in 2025.

“You know, it makes a difference. Quite often you'll hear the naysayers say you just keep throwing money at a bad process, but in reality it takes money to get stuff done, and it's important to pay your teachers appropriate wages. It's important to have the right stipend for each student so they reach success and they have the resources and the infrastructure that go along with it. And, it's a very big machine,” remarked Gov. Lombardo. 

The goal is moving students toward careers and success by enrolling them in classes that are not only valuable career-wise, but are also topics that interest them. “It's the best feeling. They want to be at school, they want to learn, and they love it,” said Brown.

On the performance front, Lombardo says schools will have five years to improve literacy scores or students cannot advance beyond the 3rd grade until brought up to grade level.

He proposes $60 million to continue and expand pre-k opportunities.

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