Schools Over Stadiums Hoping to Provide Challenge to A's Las Vegas Ballpark Plans

A's fans are getting supports from teachers in Nevada to try and stop the A's move to Las Vegas

You may have heard that the fans in Oakland have been rallying other fan bases to their cause and getting them to chant "sell the team" at the top of the fifth inning of road games. This is in addition to the two "reverse boycott" games at the Coliseum and the "Unite the Bay" series in San Francisco. A's fans have been busy the past few months in what they have deemed the "Summer of Sell." 

The chants likely aren't having an impact on whether or not owner John Fisher will decide to sell the club to keep them in the Bay Area, and it's impossible to know what, if any impact the chants are having on the 29 ownership groups that will be voting on the team's bid for relocation. The chants are happening from inside their own ballparks now, too. 

The fans have picked up an ally, though, and it's the teachers of Nevada. A new group, Schools over Stadiums is aiming to stop the public funding that was approved by the Nevada legislature in June for the A's ballpark project in Las Vegas.  

Alexander Marks, Director of Strategy for the Nevada State Education Association (NSEA) answered some questions to give a little more insight into what the group is doing, how their efforts are going, and how anyone that wants the A's to remain in Oakland can help their cause. You can make donations here to fund those efforts.

From your perspective, what is the state of the education system in Nevada?

• Nevada ranks 48th in the nation when it comes to per pupil funding and we have the largest class sizes in the country as well. This week, a report listed Nevada number one in terms of educator vacancies as well. We said all Legislative Session that it was a “Rainy Day in Nevada.” The Legislature proposed and eventually moved nearly $3B into rainy day reserves instead of investing that money into our kids, our educators, and our schools.
• While the Legislature did increase the K12 Budget by $2B, between the chronic underfunding for years and years, along with inflation, a lot of that money will just go to the increasing costs. We will tread water. Nevada has the Commission on School Funding; one of their goals is to make recommendations on how to get Nevada to optimal funding. They have provided a plan to the legislature, but for 2 sessions, it has now gone ignored with almost none of their recommendations even getting a hearing. So yes, the $2B is a nice start certainly, but Nevada leaders have no plans for that next $2B.
• That’s what was so frustrating about the stadium scam special session. With all of the issues left unaddressed, as well as the numerous bits either not getting a hearing or being vetoed due to being “too expensive” the state found a way to fund a new stadium that won’t fix a single issue in education.                            

What is the goal of Schools over Stadiums?

• Schools Over Stadiums is committed to pursuing every possible path to stop the use of public funds to subsidize a billionaire’s stadium. That includes litigation and/or a statewide voter signature campaign. That could be either a referendum and/or an initiative. There are pros and cons to each and we’re evaluating each so that we can put the best plan in action to ensure that public funds don’t go to a billionaire (which then hopefully keeps the team in Oakland).
• Cutting off that public funding portion is key. Without it, the deal should fall apart due to the fact John Fisher cannot afford to privately finance on his own.
• The name represents NSEA’s vision for new priorities in Nevada. While Nevada leaders talk a lot about funding public education, their actions indicate they prioritize stadiums over schools.
• In its most literal form, the name represents our position that with the largest class size in the country and highest vacancy rates, we should be building schools long before we build stadiums.

Was there a point in the legislative process for SB509/SB1 that you thought "we have to do something about this"?

• We started the Legislative Session working on our “Time For 20” campaign calling for a 20% salary increase for all Nevada educators, a $20 minimum wage for the workers who make our schools run, and average class sizes of 20 students. It was an ambitious but realistic goal, but based on all available data suggesting what Nevada needed to do in order to be competitive with other states when it came to attracting educators and keeping the veterans we have. We hit the ground running from Day 1 with this plan, which was rooted in solving the issues impacting public education.
• About a week before we saw the language for SB509, NSEA held what was probably the largest rally ever in front of the Legislature in Carson City. It was a beautiful sunny day, but the rally was called “It’s a Rainy Day in Nevada” to highlight the fact that we had nearly $3B in reserves; however, the Legislature had no plans to invest that in our educators (or any other public services that needed it as well). Nearly 1000 educators showed up with umbrellas and signs demanding that 20% salary increase. It was a hugely successful rally. It should have set the tone for the remaining days of the Session. A week later, when we saw the SB509 language, everything became about the A’s Stadium. Nothing else broke through. Legislators lost focus on the work that needed to be done. There were plenty of other discussions on other items to be had as well. NSEA runs a very robust political program; we were able to tie this messaging to our overall Time For 20 campaign (and its sister campaign, The Respect Educators Act). The stadium discussion allowed us to highlight how misguided the priorities really were.
• We’re always at the point of “we have to do something about this.” If the educators aren’t advocating for themselves and our students, no one else will. Nevada has proven that time and time again. That was why the Special Session was probably more frustrating than the last week of the Regular Session. Educators generally feel ignored in this state, but during the Special Session, they got a front row seat. John Fisher and his lobbyists were able to get eight days dedicated to their “issue” and eventually got $380M for a stadium he could build himself. Meanwhile, educators are told that class size reduction, universal school lunch, and ensuring each campus has a security monitor are “too expensive” despite the fact they each cost less than what John Fisher received.

What do schools in Nevada need that will probably go unfunded (or underfunded) with the public money that is now set aside for the A's ballpark project?

• It’s difficult to put a specific dollar amount; however, if Nevada has an extra $380M, we believe it should be going to public education. This is about priorities at the end of the day. When we rank at the top of every bad list, we think it’s inappropriate and misguided to jump to the “new shiny objects” before solving actual problems. The Commission On School Funding mentions the word “stadium” zero times; it’s not a solution to our revenue problem. Nevada has shown an inability to walk and chew gum at the same time. Politicians move the needle ever so slightly and it’s “job well done” and they move on. We have a plan to get to optimal funding, but it has not been implemented. For two sessions now, the report’s recommendations have been ignored. Even with the additional $2B in funding this biennium, we are still $4000 less per pupil than where we need to be per the Commission. For many days, we asked the legislature a simple question - now what? Unfortunately, they had no answer as to their plan moving forward.              

Was the turnout on Wednesday what you were hoping for? How did that come together?

• The turnout was what we expected. This was sort of our first in-person introduction to friends we’ve made with our social media and online efforts. We’re still a new organization to many so it was nice to formally introduce ourselves and our mission. It was nice to finally put some faces to the twitter usernames we’ve interacted with since late May. The Oakland fanbase has been incredible. NSEA is a very politically active organization in Nevada; our member leaders are engaged and testifying at the legislature almost every day during session. We had no idea that Oakland fans would help us take over the SB509 hearing (and then the subsequent SB1 hearing).
• We have a lot of allies in the Oakland area. Two of them, former Mayor Jean Quan and Commissioner Michael Colbruno were gracious enough to host our first fundraiser. They want to keep the team in Oakland and develop the Howard Terminal project. One of our staff members, Chris Daly, used to serve on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, so he still has some great relationships in the area. That sort of networking is going to be important as we continue to visit the area, fundraise, and find new volunteers to help us in Nevada.
• The turnout gave us some new perspective as well; it’s one thing to talk online or via DM, but putting personal stories to this effort was powerful. Truthfully, I found myself feeling sadder than I thought I’d be. Oakland loves this team and it’s losing a big part of its community and identity because of a bad owner and a misguided Nevada Legislature taking advantage of that circumstance. Pitting communities against each other is wrong and that’s what they did, all in the name of making a buck. The partnership between Schools Over Stadiums and the Oakland fan base is proving them wrong every day. We have common ground, and after Wednesday night’s event, I’m convinced Las Vegas will never love this team the way Oakland currently does.

I saw that you're looking to raise between $1-2 million to fight SB1. How has fundraising been going?

• Fundraising has been steady. It’s going to take a lot of work to get to that $1-2 million goal. Unfortunately, we’re not a billionaire business owner who can simply ask the Nevada Legislature for a handout. The grassroots outreach has been very good the first month or so. The Oakland event will help; we were able to network and show folks that we’re the best and most viable option for keeping the team in Oakland. Whether it’s through the courts and/or at the ballot box, we believe we have a good plan for ensuring public funding doesn’t go to John Fisher and his Nevada partners cannot break ground.
• It will take a lot of work; again, we’re new and that’s why we’re visiting with the local base. Any money folks can send our way is a dollar that can help keep the team in Oakland.

What timelines are you working with in challenging the funding for the ballpark? If this doesn't get to a referendum vote next November, what other ways could you attack SB1?

• For the referendum, the window to begin gathering signatures was August 1, 2023. Our lawyers are finalizing the petition so we can file. There is a bit of a legal question involved in that process, so we want to make sure we aren’t wasting time and resources. Assuming that is ironed out, we intend to begin signature gathering by the end of August or early September. The deadline for turning signatures in is July of 2024. Once signatures are verified, it will go to the ballot in November to be voted on. That’s the cleanest way to do things; it’s a straight repeal of SB1 and would remove the entire bill from law.
• Through the courts, it’s tough to say what a time frame would be. Whether it’s a complaint against SB1 specifically (constitutional grounds for example), or an injunction to stop development deals, breaking ground, etc., until other items are resolved, the time frame depends on the courts.
• For the initiative, it’s similar in terms of deadlines for submitting signatures; however, we would not be able to start gathering signatures until January 1, 2024. If the signatures are verified, it would not go to the ballot. It must first go to the Legislature during the 2025 Session. They can choose to pass the measure themselves (which we think is unlikely but they are given the option). If they do not, it goes to the ballot in 2026. It’s certainly a longer timeframe, but that could be an advantage or disadvantage depending on various circumstances. It sort of depends where things are at, but an initiative can be a bit more creative than other strategies. For example, changing the finance structure or rewording certain parts to move the money to public education.
• Regardless of the timeline or which option(s) we choose, we intend to take this as far as we can. Again, Nevada’s priorities are misguided. We will point that out at every turn.

The public was allowed to voice their opinions on SB1 online, but certain members of the legislature felt that those results were skewed by out-of-state residents and that internal polling showed a much closer result. 1) What are you seeing firsthand from the residents in Nevada? Are they split on the ballpark, or were the polls on the state website correct? 2) With A's fans in Oakland donating to the cause, could that disrupt what you're trying to achieve in any way? 

• During the Regular Session, I recall some raw polling data about the potential stadium. From what I recall, polling did not mention the public financing portion of bringing a team to Las Vegas. Even that data was split. Adding in the public financing portion to that likely decreases the overall support. People don’t generally support risky endeavors like this that could have the potential to raise their taxes. The online poll certainly was skewed; it’s not a scientific way of determining where the public is since anyone can organize around an issue. We see the same thing with private school vouchers; they organize around and skew the results. In Nevada, it really depends on where you ask. In northern and rural parts of the state, folks are generally not supportive. They will see no benefit from a publicly funded stadium in Las Vegas. Most will have to travel hours just to see a game. Most of the Northern and Rural Nevada legislators voted no on SB1 for that reason. When you get to Southern Nevada, from folks we’ve spoken with, most seem to lean towards opposition. Again, with all of the issues we face, a stadium won’t solve them. The Allegiant Stadium deal from 2016 had all sorts of promises as well, but we’re still 48th in education. Housing is still an issue. The few who seem overly supported seem to be union workers who directly benefit from the deal, or people who are on the A’s payroll in some way. Nevadans pay attention. They want to see public tax dollars going to essential services.
• Donations are donations. Whether it’s Nevada or California, we’re happy to have any financial support in our effort to stop the use of public funds for a billionaire’s stadium. The dynamics of this effort require us to also seek donations from outside of the state. Nevada’s larger donors (gaming and unions) are already on board with the stadium and testified publicly in support. This is a strategic partnership. Helping Nevada educators stop the public funding and building of the stadium likely pushes the conversation back to Oakland, whether that’s Howard Terminal or another site.

How can people from outside of Nevada support Schools over Stadiums from California or around the country? 

• Right now, donations are key to help us through the effort. We will need all the help we can to get to that $1-2M goal. Tell your friends, tell them to tell 5 friends, etc. We can do this with small donations but it’ll take a lot of work. You don’t have to like politics. You just have to believe that a state 48th in education, with the largest class sizes and highest vacancies needs to fix its priorities. In doing so, you could also help the A’s stay where they belong with the people who love the team the most.
• If you’re in Northern California and want to volunteer some time to gather signatures, we’ll need help with that as well. We’ll be doing some big events around Reno for that; we spoke with the Oakland68s and we’re working on some sort of bus trip or something so we can focus on gathering the necessary signatures in Congressional District 2 where Reno is located.
• Social media. We’re very active. Share, retweet, engage. We like the grassroots feel to this campaign, and a larger reach is always great. We keep hearing about all these big celebrities in the area who are upset about the A’s being stolen, so help us network! (in case Tom Hanks reads this interview…) It’s been a useful tool to help us connect to all sorts of great advocates. We own the narrative. We have folks nervous and we need to keep up that momentum by tapping into new organizational partners.

You can donate to Schools over Stadiums here, and you can also follow them on social media to keep up to date with their latest plans.