Political Quotes

“Nevada is one of the largest States in the country--the 7th largest, to be exact--but we have just 17 school districts. By contrast, California, has over 1,000 school districts. Among our 17 Nevada districts is the Clark County School District with over 300,000 students. It's the Nation's fifth largest district-- where two-thirds of the students are minorities, and one-in-five students is an English-language learner. For the past decade, Clark County School District has been one of the fastest growing districts in the Nation. In some years, Clark County was opening a new school every month to keep up with the growth. But northwest of Las Vegas and Clark County is another one of our 17 districts--vast, rural Esmeralda County. Esmeralda County School District is huge, in terms of land. It covers almost 3,600 square miles, but has just four schools and about 80 students. And Esmeralda County is not unique in Nevada. There are other rural school districts in the State with schools that still have one teacher instructing multiple grades--much like the school I attended as a boy. This diversity of Nevada's school districts makes the State a microcosm of our Nation. So I understand the issues that overcrowded, urban schools face; and I understand the challenges that rural schools must confront. More importantly, I understand that in order to improve education at every school in America, we need a comprehensive approach.…”