Nevada governor defends dismantling of US Education Department

McKenna Ross, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Mar 24, 2025

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Nevada’s Republican governor said he believes dismantling the U.S. Department of Education will give more power to state officials over Nevada’s curriculum and remove bureaucracy, countering concerns raised by state Democrats and education groups made last week.

During an exclusive interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday, Gov. Joe Lombardo defended his record on education in response to recent criticism. Democrat Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford joined 19 other attorneys general in a March 13 lawsuit attempting to stop the federal executive branch from cutting the department’s workforce and programs.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday directing Education Department Secretary Linda McMahon “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”

Trump cannot eliminate the department entirely because it was created by Congress. Lombardo contended President Donald Trump’s effort to dismantle the Department of Education will return education-related decisions to the states.

"There has been no explanation of how it’s going to be detrimental,” Lombardo said. “The Department of Education has never educated a kid. The particular items that they are responsible for — that is, the wraparound services and education disbursement to state education (departments) — as far as I can tell, it’s going to continue.

“You’re removing a significant amount of bureaucracy that could be put into the education funding,” he said.

During a press conference on Friday, Ford, who has said he intends to run for governor in 2026, said funding for students with disabilities, low-income students and homeless youth, rural schools and more could see drastic cuts.

“You can’t tell hard-working families you care about education when you actively support ripping away the very resources that help students succeed,” Ford said. “Lombardo is out here pretending about local control when in reality, it’s about him looking out for himself at the expense of our children.”

Lombardo pointed to “Read by 3,” an early childhood literacy program, and 8th grade mathematics standards as examples of curriculum reform areas that the state, instead of the federal government, should control.

“Those are the two biggest issues — early intervention and early education and eventual life skills as you go further into your education,” he said. “Our kids are not career or college ready when they graduate.”

Meanwhile, some state Democrats are looking for ways to preserve the department’s functions. Assembly Bill 494, introduced in draft form by Selena Torres-Fossett on Monday, proposes continuing protections and regulations currently under the purview of the Education Department should they be repealed at the federal level.

Lombardo is expected to roll out one of his priority pieces of legislation, called the “Accountability in Education Act,” in the coming days. The bill – which received an exemption from the Monday deadline for most bill introductions in the Legislature — is expected to address a variety of education expansions and accountability reforms. They include an expansion of school choice policies, open zoning, additional transportation funding for charter schools, accountability measures for low-performing schools, increased oversight of those schools and incentives for teacher performance.

He said the bill is still being drafted in part because of the discussions around how to set up the teacher incentives.

Asked how he’ll push for school choice options given Democrats’ strong opposition, Lombardo said it’s about negotiation.

“They have items that are important to them too, right?” he said. “I think it’s important for people to understand that.”

Democrats have also proposed sweeping policy changes to the state’s education system, including retaining previous teacher raises, creating universal pre-K programs, expanding the availability of school lunches and developing accountability boards for struggling school districts.

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