TEACHERS STRIKE OUT: Court Rejects Ballot Measure to Undo Public Funding for Las Vegas A’s Ballpark

Posted on: May 13, 2024, 02:40h. 

Last updated on: May 13, 2024, 02:56h.

Corey Levitan Read More

Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Las Vegas Myths.

The Nevada Supreme Court has blocked a bid to put the Oakland Athletics’ proposed Las Vegas Strip baseball stadium to a public vote come November.

In a 5-2 decision, the state’s highest court upheld the District Court’s judgment over Schools Over Stadiums, a political action committee tied to the Nevada State Education Association (NSEA) teachers union.

Last June, state legislators passed Senate Bill 1 (SB1), allocating $380 million in publicly financed bonds and tax credits to help defray the stadium’s $1.5 billion projected cost.

Swing and a Miss

Schools Over Stadiums sought to undo the legislation with a ballot measure. Arguing five different ways that SB1 violates the Nevada Constitution, it gathered the required number of signatures (102K) by the deadline to make the November election (June 26).

The Court disagreed, however, ruling that the measure itself violated the Nevada Constitution, and that it presented a “legally inadequate description of effect.”

The ballpark is scheduled to be built on 9 acres of what will, by October, be the former site of Tropicana casino-resort.

It is scheduled to open in time for the 2028 major-league baseball season.

There’s Always Next Year

Schools Over Stadiums has vowed to organize again in 2026, releasing the following statement:

“Schools Over Stadiums remains committed to stopping Nevada tax dollars from paying for a stadium for a California billionaire, and we are disappointed Nevada voters will not have their say in 2024. With this guidance, Schools Over Stadiums plans to refile our petition next year and win in 2026. Nevada voters deserve the opportunity to decide where their money goes.

“Nevada ranks 48th in per-pupil funding with the largest class sizes and highest educator vacancy rates in the nation,” the statement continued. “We will never lose sight that our campaign is about Nevada’s misplaced priorities, and we will not stop fighting until we ensure Nevada commits to delivering a high quality education to every student.”