"No longer the worst school district in a state that ranks at the bottom — but a shining example of what can be done when we put our children’s future first."
Get InvolvedThese figures come from Nevada Department of Education accountability data. They are not political talking points — they are the documented reality inside Nye County schools today.
Source: Nevada Department of Education Accountability Portal
Troy La Mana’s involvement in Nye County schools began when he fostered a female foreign exchange student attending Pahrump Valley High School. What he witnessed — dedicated teachers working against real structural odds — convinced him these problems required serious research and political action, not just talking points.
He ran for the Nye County School District Board of Trustees in 2022. He continued monitoring NCSD through school board meetings and community engagement. His report, Shadows in the Valley: A Novelized Report on Nye County Schools, documents conditions inside NCSD in detail — written before any Assembly campaign was announced.
"Nye County should fix Nye County schools — not Carson City bureaucrats who have never driven these roads or sat in these classrooms."
If NCSD does not achieve, within two legislative sessions (four years), both (1) a 25 percentage point absolute increase in proficiency scores and (2) at least one school earning National Gold Star School Program recognition — education funding becomes portable and follows the student.
This is not a first move against public schools — it is a guarantee for Nye County families. The district gets a genuine, time-bound opportunity with a clear roadmap. If it doesn’t deliver, the money moves with the child.
Guiding philosophy: Education should prepare young Americans to be independent thinkers, responsible citizens, and productive contributors — not dependent subjects of government systems.
These steps come directly from the Post-Script of Shadows in the Valley — written before this campaign. Each one is deliberate, actionable, and anchored in what has worked in comparable rural districts.
Shadows in the Valley: A Novelized Report on Nye County Schools follows a fictional student named Mateo through the real conditions inside NCSD — teacher shortages, crumbling infrastructure, chronic absenteeism, poverty, and the compounding challenges of serving the largest school district in the contiguous 48 states.
The story was imagined. Its roots were not. Every scene reflects the lived struggles of students, educators, and families in Nye County today. It was written before this campaign — driven by one question: are we serving our kids?
Request the full reportWhether you want to volunteer, request a copy of Shadows in the Valley, invite Troy to speak to your group, or simply ask a question — reach out. This campaign is built on real conversations with Nye County families.