Families rally in Carson City, urge lawmakers to save Opportunity Scholarship program
Dozens of students and families from around the Silver State rallied Thursday at the Nevada Legislature grounds in Carson City as part of Opportunity Scholarship Advocacy Day, urging legislators to save scholarship funding for the hundreds of children who are using the money to go to schools that better fit their individual needs.
Several parents and their children made their voices heard when they met with their representatives. The rally was attended by roughly 200 parents and students on the steps of the Nevada Legislature.
Nevada Senator Heidi Gansert and Assemblywoman Melissa Hardy also expressed their support for passing a law that would ensure funding for the Opportunity Scholarships for years to come.
“As leaders of the Nevada Legislature, we must continue supporting students who enrolled in schools that meet their individual needs. These children are thriving at their new schools, but will have to be removed unless we add appropriate levels of funding,” expressed Senator Heidi Gansert. “We’ve seen and heard firsthand from our working families the positive impact and difference the Opportunity Scholarship Program has made in their children’s lives and we must keep the program alive.”
The Opportunity Scholarships are financed with Modified Business Tax Credits and provide financially struggling families with the opportunity to attend private school. There are approximately 2,300 students currently receiving the Opportunity Scholarship. The Scholarship is designed to help students whose household income falls below 300 percent of the federal poverty line attend a school that better fits their individual needs.
The bill to permanently fund the Opportunity Scholarship will be formally introduced in the coming days.