Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Sandoval to head education, workforce committee for Governors Association

Updated Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2014 | 3:24 p.m.

Brian Sandoval

Brian Sandoval

The National Governors Association has selected Gov. Brian Sandoval to lead its Education and Workforce Policy Committee.

The two policy areas — education and employment — are among the state’s biggest problems.

Nevada's K-12 public eduction system and its unemployment rate rank among the worst in the country.

Nevada has the fourth worst unemployment rate in the country at 7.6 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That rate, however, has been cut by more than 2 percent since last year. That was the second best year-over-year reduction in unemployment in the country.

The role will give Sandoval an opportunity to lobby federal lawmakers on policies regarding K-12 education, postsecondary schools and workforce development.

Sandoval, who has seen the creation of 100,000 jobs since taking office in January 2011 and won the promise from Tesla for a $5 billion battery factory, was an easy pick for the association’s leadership.

The group is headed by Chairman and Democrat Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Vice Chair Republican Utah Gov. Gary Herbert.

Herbert praised Sandoval, a fellow Republican,

“Nevada has benefitted greatly from Gov. Sandoval’s leadership and so will the National Governors Association,” he said.

In a statement, Sandoval said he was honored to serve as the new chair and will work “to develop new policies for our 21st Century economy.”

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