North Las Vegas educators get a boost from city, mayor

In investing in education, leaders in the City of North Las Vegas hope they are investing in its future.

The city approved $280,000 in micro grants to local educators during Wednesday’s council meeting, marking the third year the city has made such investments in its schools.

The grants aim to provide funding for grassroots efforts that the Clark County School District is not always able to fund and provide. The city funds projects at schools that aim to solve some of North Las Vegas’ schools most pressing issues: student achievement, chronic absenteeism, teacher retention and family engagement.

The schools’ solutions range, from funding competitions to increasing dry pantry options and aiding in students’ transportation.

“That just boosts their morale and gives them a reason to come to their school,” Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown said.

Forty educators from 19 schools received grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 on Wednesday. With over 140 applications, both Goynes-Brown and Education Initiatives Manager Ingrid Johnson said it was hard to select the winners. But her favorite part, Goynes-Brown said, was seeing the joy and thanks from those who had success with the funding.

“We have already seen how these projects can encourage students and their families to participate more actively in the educational process,” Johnson said in a Wednesday press release. “The impact of these funds is transformational in the lives of many North Las Vegas children.”

Antonello Elementary School, which increased by two stars in the last academic year, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in October that it credited the grants from North Las Vegas in helping reduce its chronic absenteeism, a critical issue in North Las Vegas.

The city started the grant program three years ago, at the same time Johnson became the first in the education initiatives manager position. During the 2022-2024 school years, the city gave a combined $420,000 to teachers and administrators to launch food and supply pantries, literacy events, step-dancing programs and more, which were shown to decrease absences and increase academic collaboration skills and family engagement.

In addition to these grants, North Las Vegas supports other initiatives towards education in its city.

In October, Canyon Springs High School hosted a celebration for the Silver State Education Foundation’s launch of its Homegrown Teacher Program, which was supported by a $258,000 grant from the city of North Las Vegas. It aims to address Nevada’s teacher shortage — a problem most acute in North Las Vegas — by supporting local students in their efforts to become educators.

“By investing in our educators, we are investing in our students and the future of North Las Vegas,” Goynes-Brown said in a Wednesday press release. “As an educator, I know the difference these funds — when paired with the dedicated teachers and administrators who applied for them — can make in strengthening student outcomes and increasing family engagement. I’m excited to see their projects come to life.”

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X.