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A classroom at Double Diamond Elementary School(Photo: provided to the RGJ)

Republicans on Monday rolled out their revamped school voucher plan after the Nevada Supreme Court found the 2015 version unconstitutional.

State Sen. Scott Hammond, R-Las Vegas, is carrying the bill that would revive the education savings account or ESA program. ESAs passed the 2015 Legislature along party lines when Republicans controlled both chambers. The program would have given parents around $5,100 if they pulled their children from the public school system.

Education savings accounts - the school voucher program passed in 2015 - are shaping up to be the divisive issue during the Nevada Legislature. Seth A. Richardson/RGJ

However, the Supreme Court ruled in 2016 the program needed dedicated funding and ruled it unconstitutional.

The new bill addresses that matter, and would create a line item for $60 million toward the program, the number Gov. Brian Sandoval requested. Thats lower than the $80 million Treasurer Dan Schwartz said the program needed.

Control of the new program would be pulled from Schwartzs office and moved to the Office of Educational Choice, a newly formed entity within the Department of Education.

The bill would also limit vouchers to 5 percent of a districts enrollment in a given school year. The vouchers would also be awarded on a first come, first serve basis.

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Homeschoolchildren would also not be included in the program. The voucher would automatically be terminated for any child who either moves or attends a school out of state.

Soon, Nevadans will have the most expansive school choice options of any state in the country and we must work to ensure the processes and opportunities are as streamlined as possible, Hammond said in a statement.

Schwartz said in a statement Hammond had his full backing.

We fully support his efforts to continue providing Nevada families with educational choice options that will set the stage for their childs success, Schwartz said. We hope the Nevada Legislature will pass funding for the program so that families can start receiving funding in August.

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All nine Republican senators are sponsors on the bill, as are all Assembly members save for Assemblyman Richard McArthur, R-Las Vegas.

However, the bill faces an uphill struggle in a Legislature where Democrats control both chambers. Many have already made public statements against the vouchers, including both Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford and Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson, both Las Vegas Democrats.

Activists and organizations opposed to the plan held a rally outside the Legislature before the bill was introduced that included several lawmakers, including Assemblyman Tyrone Thompson, a Las Vegas Democrat and chair of the education committee, and state Sen. Julia Ratti, D-Sparks.

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Assemblywoman Olivia Diaz, D-Las Vegas, said the public education system still has critical funding problems that need to be addressed first.

We need more pre-K. I think you can put more money into that, said Diaz, who sits on the education committee. I was just lobbied this morning on the need for librarians to remain at the schools. How about that concept? We have many a need in our public education system that need more funding.

Democrats are also weary of giving money to private schools who dont have to adhere to state standards. Some are also concerned about discrimination based on religion, race or income.

Sandoval, a Republican, has said ESA funding is one of his top priorities for the session. Democrats do not have enough votes to override a veto of the budget without Republican votes, and several Republicans have said they are willing to go past the June deadline for the Legislature if ESAs are not included.

Republicans have also said they want to keep the program as-is without means testing based on income, race or other demographics.

Schwartzs office released numbers Monday showing there are currently around 6,700 pending applications, with 914 complete. More than 750 of the pending applications and around 100 completed applications are from the Reno-Sparks area.

Seth A. Richardson covers politics for the Reno Gazette-Journal. Like him onFacebook hereor follow him on Twitter at@SethARichardson.

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Republicans unveil new education savings account bill - Reno Gazette Journal