Lombardo and Youngkin Promote Federal Tax Credit Scholarships at Las Vegas School as Ford Challenges Record

What happened

Former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin joined Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo on Thursday, Oct. 22, at Founders Classical Academy of Las Vegas, where he praised the Republican governor as an education leader, the Las Vegas Sun reported. Speaking in the school's gym, Youngkin gave Lombardo the title of education governor, a label that had once been applied to Youngkin himself.

The Sun reported that the visit came two days after U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon met with Lombardo. It put education at the center of his reelection campaign against Democrat Aaron Ford, the state attorney general. The Lombardo campaign told the Sun that education has been a core part of his message since his first run for governor in 2022. Our earlier coverage of Youngkin's praise for Lombardo's education record has more on the event.

The federal tax credit scholarship program

How the credit works

The event spotlighted Lombardo's decision to opt Nevada into the Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program, which was created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and takes effect Jan. 1, according to the Sun. Under the program, Nevada taxpayers can direct up to $1,700 of their federal income taxes, or $3,400 for married couples filing jointly, to certified scholarship organizations. Those groups help families pay private school tuition and other K-12 education costs.

Supporters and critics

Youngkin credited Lombardo with being one of the first governors to join the program and said he believes it will bring millions of dollars into the state, the Sun reported. Democrats objected to the program in a letter sent in early October to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. They argued it pulls money away from public education to support private schools.

Nevada's existing Opportunity Scholarships

How the state program is funded

The Sun reported that the federal program gives Lombardo another route after Democrats, who control the Legislature, repeatedly blocked his efforts to grow Nevada's Opportunity Scholarship Program. Created in 2015, the public-private program offers scholarships of up to $10,094 for students attending private schools. Students in households earning up to 300% of the federal poverty level qualify.

The state program is paid for with donations from businesses, which receive a dollar-for-dollar credit against Nevada's Modified Business Tax. Total credits are capped at about $6.7 million a year, according to the Sun. Daniel Reyes, a former Founders Classical Academy student, told the Sun the scholarship made private schooling possible for his family.

Failed expansion attempts

In 2023, Lombardo sought to raise that funding to $50 million and eventually to $500 million, the Sun reported. Democrats removed the proposal from his education bill, arguing the state should focus on public schools.

Ford's response and education plan

Ford, a former public school math teacher, has argued that Lombardo has talked about reform without making real progress, according to the Sun. He points to Nevada ranking 46th for education outcomes in the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count 2025 report and to low elementary reading and math proficiency scores. Ford has also criticized Lombardo for supporting President Donald Trump's push to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education.

Ford's plan calls for reading specialists in every elementary school, smaller classes, expanded preschool and better pay for school support staff, the Sun reported. It also includes free breakfast and lunch for all students, a program that had been temporarily paid for with federal pandemic relief money. Lombardo vetoed a 2023 bill to continue it with state funds, citing food waste and other programs that address food insecurity.

What Lombardo says he would do next

At the event, Lombardo pointed to expanded school choice through open enrollment, support for better transportation and wider access to Opportunity Scholarships. He said that since 2022, child literacy rates statewide have risen 5%, while chronic absenteeism and the number of one-star schools have declined. The Sun noted that Nevada still spends thousands of dollars less per student than the national average, and schools continue to face teacher shortages, layoffs and infrastructure gaps.

If reelected, Lombardo said he would raise per-student funding to improve infrastructure, teacher pay, school options and transportation, the Sun reported. For more on the race, see our elections coverage.

What to watch next

• The Federal Tax Credit Scholarship Program takes effect in Nevada on Jan. 1.
• The governor's race between Lombardo and Ford, in which education has become a central issue.
• Whether the Treasury Department responds to the early October letter from Democrats criticizing the program.