As Nevada School Year Begins, Rosen Working to Lower Back-to-School Costs, Keep Students Safe

LAS VEGAS, NV - As a new school year begins across Nevada, Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) is working to lower back-to-school costs for hardworking families and make sure kids are safe when going to school. Last week, she helped introduce the Back-to-School Supplies Affordability Act to repeal Donald Trump's tariffs on school supplies and provide some financial relief for families, teachers, schools, and local governments. According to a new study, the upcoming school year will cost families close to $4,000 per child, which is up more than $400 from last year.

Senator Rosen is also bringing federal funding to Nevada to keep students safe. This year, she helped secure over $3.6 million in federal funding to support local road safety initiatives. These projects include the development of Vision Zero Safety Action Plans in the City of Henderson and Nye County, which will make the roads safer for students waiting for the bus and parents driving their kids to school.

"The beginning of the new school year is such an exciting time for students, parents, and teachers across Nevada, but it can also bring stress to families trying to make ends meet," said Senator Rosen. "Parents just want their kids to be safe and have everything they need, and I'm working in the Senate to deliver the support to make that possible. From lowering the costs of back-to-school supplies to investing in road safety, I'll continue working in the Senate to make sure students in Nevada are thriving."

According to a new study, back-to-school costs nationally have increased as a result of Trump's reckless policies:

Buying Classroom Supplies

• The upcoming school year will cost families close to $4,000 a child - up more than $400 from last year.
  • Nearly half of parents nationwide said they were cutting back on household expenses to afford back-to-school shopping, or even taking on debt to afford school supplies.
• The prices of paper products like notebooks, index cards, and tissues are up 20% or more from last year.
• The company behind Sharpie, Paper Mate, Expo markers, and Elmer's glue repeatedly raised prices for consumers in the past year as it faced $174 million in tariff costs.

Packing Lunch Boxes

• Grocery prices are up across the board, and a typical shopping cart of school lunch staples costs 10.9% more than last year.
• Some of the biggest price increases are seen in the costs of fresh blueberries (up 47.7%), loaves of sandwich bread (up 21.8%), apple juice (up 20%), and animal crackers (15.7%).
• Even the lunch box itself has gotten more expensive - the average price is up 26.8%.

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