My name is Rachel Croft and I am a National Board Certified Teacher in Carson City. I have seen firsthand how funding impacts students, teachers, and schools across Nevada.
Right now, too many of our classrooms are overcrowded, our teachers underpaid, and our schools lacking the resources they need to provide a high-quality education. Pass the Plan is not just an investment in schools—it is an investment in Nevada’s future.
I will never forget the year I had students packed into my overcrowded classroom. Every day was a whirlwind—managing lessons, answering questions, and doing my best to give each child the attention they deserved. But at the end of the day, as I sat at my desk exhausted, one question haunted me: Did I even talk to Danny today?
Danny was quiet, the kind of student who wouldn’t demand my attention. I knew that if I wasn’t intentional, he could slip through the cracks. So, I made a commitment: no matter how chaotic the day, I would find a way to connect with him. That meant working late into the night, planning every moment meticulously, ensuring I had time to check in with him and every other student who needed me.
And let me tell you—that burns a teacher out.
Teachers shouldn’t have to choose between their students and their own well-being. But when class sizes are too large, and resources are stretched too thin, students like Danny don’t always get the attention they need. And teachers? We push ourselves to the brink, trying to compensate for a system that isn’t giving us enough support.
If Nevada fully funded its schools, we could reduce class sizes, ensuring that every student—especially the quiet ones like Danny—gets the attention they deserve.
We could provide teachers with the support they need to do their jobs without sacrificing their health.
We could build a system where teachers don’t have to go home wondering if they missed a child who needed them.
This isn’t just about budgets—it’s about kids. It’s about teachers. It’s about the bus drivers who greet students every morning, the cafeteria staff who make sure they don’t go hungry, the custodians who keep their learning spaces safe, and the countless others who show up every day to support Nevada’s students. It’s about the future of Nevada.
I urge lawmakers to #PassthePlan so that every student, in every classroom, gets the education they deserve.
by Rachel Croft, resident of Carson City
Editor’s note: Pass the Plan is a campaign by the Nevada State Education Association, which advocates for the passing of the roadmap for funding created by the Commission on School Funding in 2022. The goal is to achieve “optimal funding” within ten years, which will require at least a $700 increase in per-pupil funding over the next two years to stay on track. The NSEA stated that to help achieve this, “Policymakers must avoid proposals that divert public dollars into private interests such as stadium vouchers, private school vouchers, and Hollywood giveaways.”
