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Portfolio #1

Minh Chau Doan

College of Southern Nevada

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According to the School Law for Teacher's diagram of federal districts, Nevada is in the

9th Circuit Court of Appeals (Underwood & Webb, 2006, p. 15). In Nevada's Constitution,

Education is covered in Article 11 and consists of ten articles. These articles explain the

establishment of public education, funding sources, and the prohibition of religious teaching

funded by the legislature. The following paragraphs are summaries of the sections in Article 11.

The first article charges the legislature to promote education. Education consists of

teaching not only literature and science, but also moral and vocational skill development.

Vocational education consists of mining and agricultural education. The first article also requires

a superintendent to oversee public education. The legislature is also responsible determining the

responsibilities of a superintendent, how long the superintendent serves, and how the

superintendent is appointed.

The second article calls for the legislature to enforce the same education throughout the

school district. Schools are required to be operational for at least six months in every year.

Religious schooling is prohibited since it does not allow "general attendance" ("The Constitution

of the State of Nevada"). Religious schools do not receive funding from the state's public

education fund. The legislature is also required to pass laws that encourages student attendance

in each school district.

The third article explains how land appropriation is handled and how revenue is

generated to support public schooling. Any land given by Congress for educational purposes

must be followed through. Any revenue generated by sale of federal lands for education, interest

on public land, and fines collected by the penal law will go to fund educational initiatives. The

legislature is responsible for using that revenue and distributing among the school districts with
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leftovers returning back to the educational fund. The state university may be funded as well

through the educational fund.

The fourth article announces the establishment of a state university. The state university

is required to have an Agriculture, Mechanic Arts, and Mining departments. Support of the state

university including financial support is required of the legislature. Overseeing the state

university and the required departments is the Board of Regents. The duties of the Board of

Regents will also be law-bound and explained in another article in the Education Article.

The fifth article defines how schools are established and the role of educators. Only the

legislature has the ability to establish schools from primary grades to universities. Educators

within those schools are required to take an oath explained in Nevada Constitution Article 15,

Miscellaneous Provisions. This oath is required for all educators from primary grades to

university departments. Failure to do so results in loss of payment from the public education fund

and any other funding from the legislature.

The sixth article clarifies what can be funded from the public education fund and how

general funds can be used for educational purposes. The legislature is responsible for

maintaining and supporting all public schools and universities. The use of general funds for

education must be included in the budget required by the state. Any education funding requests

during the meeting of the legislature must be handled first before any other funding allotments.

The education funding requests are usually appropriated to support kindergarten to twelfth grade.

The requests are also funding for two years.

The third to last article explains how Board of Regents are elected. This article was

created during the creation of the Nevada Constitution where the Governor, Secretary of State,

and Superintendent of Public Instruction were the Board of Regents. These three individuals
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served for four years until the legislature could held elections for Board of Regents. The

legislature at that time was tasked to create more duties for the Board of Regents. In this article,

the Board of Regents are charged with controlling and managing the affairs of the state

university and any funding provided by law.

The second to last article articulates the refusal of religious teaching in public schools and

universities. Schools that offer religious teachings would not be considered a public school.

Public schools and universities are required to prohibit any sectarian instruction. Any form of

religious teachings is prohibited. The Nevada Constitution also requires public schools to

eliminate religious teachings if they have it before the passing of the Nevada Constitution.

The last article clarifies public funding for religious purposes. In this article, no public

funding is allowed for any religious use. This article clarifies public funding to include State,

County, or Municipal funding. The article also prohibits any form of support that comes from

public funding even if it is not directly monetary.

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References

Underwood, J., & Webb, L.D. (2006). Legal Framework For The Public Schools. School Laws

For Teachers: Concepts and Applications, 15.

The Constitution of the State of Nevada.(1864). Retrieved from

http://wps.prenhall.com/chet_underwood_schoollaw_1/42/10992/2813970.cw/index.html