Manny Kess Proposes Education Solutions
As part of Manny Kess's overall campaign theme of government transparency, he is calling for the creation of an Independent Office of the Inspector General who would have the power to audit Nevada's public K-12 education system.
Why Do We Need an Independent Office of Inspector General?
PROVIDE ACTUAL TRANSPARENCY
Nevada's K-12 Education system ranks near the bottom in education despite record spending. A possible forensic audit would provide Nevadans with a truly transparent picture of how our education dollars are being spent and whether or not they're actually getting into our classrooms.
PUT FORTH A TRUE INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS
Nevada's education debate has become far too partisan and both parties have failed to find, or fund, a system to make our education better. Having a truly Independent Office of Inspector General would ensure that partisanship wouldn't stand in the way of improving our public education system.
ADD A REAL SYSTEM OF CHECKS AND BALANCES
Manny is proposing the Office of Inspector General be under the Treasurer's Office as opposed to Governor's Office, This would add much needed counterbalance in government and ensure that no Governor, regardless of party, has complete control.
Read Manny's Full Press Release Here.
Download Manny's Full Draft Legislation Here.
Republican Manny Kess, candidate for Nevada State Treasurer, announced plans to introduce more oversight to Nevada’s education budget today. Kess shares the years-long concerns of countless Nevada families regarding the lack of effective fiscal oversight of its public school system, which currently ranks among the nation’s worst in student learning despite per-pupil spending levels comparable to those of other, better performing states.
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“Each year school districts across the state receive more taxpayer dollars, yet families still await the benefits promised by the education establishment,” Kess proclaimed. “We’ve seen little evidence that recent, massive infusions of additional revenues into the K-12 system have helped students to learn and prosper. The goal of my campaign is to bring accountability and transparency to state government, which is why I’ve been transparent myself with Nevada about my own life story, background, and challenges. This campaign is about ideas and policy that will make Nevada thrive, and our education system is going to thrive, we must ensure that the resources we do have are utilized wisely and efficiently.”
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State government has remained on the sidelines while impacted families have called for a thorough, forensic audit of the Clark County School District. Kess, having been inspired by previously developed legislation of a similar nature (AB108, 2021; AB146, 2019; AB404, 2017), is now proposing an independent Office of the Inspector General within the Nevada State Treasurer’s Office, whose purview and authorities for initiating forensic audits will be limited solely to the public K-12 realm.
“We have talked about, but not followed through, on a desperately-needed forensic audit of our school districts. Nevadans have a right to know this fundamental question: Why haven’t frequent increases for K-12 funding failed to actually improve Nevada’s schools? An Office of the Inspector General within the State Treasurer’s Office would not only provide a truly independent analysis of K-12 spending, but also ensure counterbalance between the Governor’s office, regardless of party. That is the kind of transparency and accountability we just shouldn’t ask government for, but demand from it.”
The key elements of Manny’s proposal are as follows:
1. Establish an independent Office of the Inspector General within the Nevada State Treasurer’s Office, whereas “independent” serves to inform that any appointed Inspector General can only be terminated for cause (not at-will);
2. The Inspector General will be appointed by the Nevada State Treasurer, who will choose from a selection of three well-qualified nominees vetted and submitted by Nevada’s Legislative Commission;
3. The Inspector General’s auditing authorities will not extend beyond local K-12 county school districts;
4. The term of the Inspector General shall be four years, and he/she can be re-appointed with the consent of the Legislative Commission and the Nevada State Treasurer; and
5. Qualifications to serve as Inspector General will include extensive knowledge and experience in the financial accounting and auditing fields.