The Nevada State Education Association is a left-of-center statewide teachers union primarily representing public school teachers and teaching assistants in Nevada. The union is the state-level affiliate of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest national teachers’ union. Like the NEA, the NSEA promotes left-of-center policies at the state level in Nevada and endorses Democratic candidates for public office. The group supports a variety of policies including increased education funding and other left-of-center policies not directly related to education, such as left-of-center election policy legislation, and opposes charter schools. ^{1 2 3 4}

In 2023, the NSEA launched the Schools Over Stadiums political action group, which led a lawsuit opposing public funding of a new baseball stadium for Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics, which are preparing to move to Las Vegas. ⁵

Background

The Nevada State Education Association traces its history to the late 1800s and represents public school teachers and teaching assistants in the state. The union is the statewide affiliate of the national left-of-center National Education Association, which is among the largest public sector unions in the United States. ⁶

Historically, the largest local affiliate of the NSEA was the Clark County Education Association (CCEA), which represents the majority of teachers in the state and is known for high-profile contract negotiations with the Clark County School District, which is among the five largest school districts in the United States. Following years of disputes between CCEA and the NSEA, the CCEA in 2018 voted to disaffiliate with the statewide organization. In response the NSEA formed a rival local affiliate, NEA-Southern Nevada. The NSEA and CCEA also filed dueling lawsuits against each other over membership dues. ⁷  

The fracture between the groups also reached into state politics, with the NSEA and CCEA endorsing different candidates in the Democratic primary for governor in 2018. ⁸

Activity

The Nevada State Education Association supports many traditional teachers’ union policy positions, lobbying for a variety of school administration funding and salary standards in the state legislature. The union’s 2020-2021 legislative agenda called for a variety of COVID-19-related restrictions, with the union expressing hesitancy to reopen schools due to the lack of “including health screenings, social distancing in classrooms and transportation, and accommodation for vulnerable or sick educators” in various school districts. ⁹

The union also opposes the use of standardized testing and teacher assessments and opposes the expansion of charter schools in the state. ¹⁰

In 2022, the union launched its Time for 20 campaign, calling for state legislators to “fund Time for 20 with a 20% raise, $20/hour starting pay, and 20 students per classroom.” ¹¹

Stadium Funding Debate

In 2023, the Nevada State Education Association launched the Stadium Over Schools campaign, a political action group that began legal, legislative, and public relations advocacy opposing the state funding of a new stadium for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball following the team’s announced relocation to Las Vegas. The NSEA filed an injunction seeking to block the transfer of $380 million in public funds towards the project on the grounds that it was unconstitutional. The NSEA’s lawsuit would require the Stadium Over Schools coalition to collect over 100,000 petition signatures to force a ballot question to potentially block the project. ¹²

1. “Memo: NSEA Supports Assembly Bill 321.” Nevada State Education Association. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://www.nsea-nv.org/resource-library/memo-nsea-supports-assembly-bill-321
2. “About NSEA.” Nevada State Education Association. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://www.nsea-nv.org/about-nsea
3. “Public Comment: State Public Charter School Authority.” Nevada State Education Association. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://www.nsea-nv.org/resource-library/public-comment-state-public-charter-school-authority
4. “Educator Votes 2024.” Nevada State Education Association. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://www.nsea-nv.org/EducatorVotes2024
5. Axisa, Mike. “Oakland A’s move to Las Vegas hits more hurdles as Nevada State Education Association tries to block funding.” CBS Sports. February 26, 2024. Accessed March 14, 2024. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/oakland-as-move-to-las-vegas-hits-more-hurdles-as-nevada-state-education-association-tries-to-block-funding/
6. “About NSEA.” Nevada State Education Association. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://www.nsea-nv.org/about-nsea
7. Valley, Jackie. “Clark County Education Association breaks away from state organization, but a new local affiliate emerges.” The Nevada Independent. April 26, 2018. https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/clark-county-education-association-breaks-away-from-state-organization-but-a-new-local-affiliate-emerges
8. Valley, Jackie. “Clark County Education Association breaks away from state organization, but a new local affiliate emerges.” The Nevada Independent. April 26, 2018. https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/clark-county-education-association-breaks-away-from-state-organization-but-a-new-local-affiliate-emerges
9. “2020-2021 Legislative Priorities.” Nevada State Education Association. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://www.nsea-nv.org/resource-library/nevada-state-education-association-2020-2021-legislative-priorities
10. “2020-2021 Legislative Priorities.” Nevada State Education Association. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://www.nsea-nv.org/resource-library/nevada-state-education-association-2020-2021-legislative-priorities
11. ^[1] “82^nd Session Summary.” Nevada State Education Association. Accessed March 15, 2024. https://www.nsea-nv.org/82ndSessionSummary
12. Axisa, Mike. “Oakland A’s move to Las Vegas hits more hurdles as Nevada State Education Association tries to block funding.” CBS Sports. February 26, 2024. Accessed March 14, 2024. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/oakland-as-move-to-las-vegas-hits-more-hurdles-as-nevada-state-education-association-tries-to-block-funding/.