During a special session this month, Nevada legislators unanimously approved a $22 million measure to support statewide funding for full-day kindergarten.
If Republican Gov. Kenny Guinn signs the bill, as he has pledged, it would be the first time Nevada has earmarked state aid for full-day kindergarten.
Under the plan, beginning with the 2006-07 school year, the state department of education would distribute the money to public schools in low-income neighborhoods where at least 55 percent of students are eligible to receive free or reduced-priced lunches.
The legislation also allows districts that had financed full-day kindergarten with federal grants to divert those funds to remedial programs.