Nevada teachers union forms political action committee against new ballpark plan

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Nevada teachers union said they're working to prevent public funding towards a new Las Vegas ballpark.

On Thursday, the Nevada State Education Association formed a political action committee called Schools Over Stadiums in response to Nevada lawmakers approving a bill to give money to the Oakland A's to build a new ballpark if they relocate to the valley.

RELATED LINK: Gov. Lombardo signs Oakland A's stadium bill into law

"Nevada's priorities are misguided and public funds should not go to a California billionaire for a stadium," said Dawn Etcheverry, a music teacher and President of NSEA and Schools Over Stadiums. "For years, Nevada educators have been issuing an SOS over the dire conditions in our schools. The goal of Schools Over Stadiums is to right this ship and keep the focus on Nevada's true priorities - our kids, our parents, and our educators."

"With next school year approaching, Clark County is facing thousands of educator vacancies," said reading teacher and NEA of Southern Nevada President Vicki Kreidel. "Instead of hiring part-time stadium workers, let's ensure each student has a qualified and full-time educator in the classroom. Instead of a stadium, let's build classrooms for 30,000 students. Instead of funding billionaires, let's fully fund public education."

Two weeks ago, Governor Joe Lombardo signed the bill into law, which would allocate $380 million in public funds for a new Major League Baseball stadium that would be located at the Tropicana Las Vegas site. As of June 21, sources told Channel 13 the Oakland A's have started the relocation application process to move to Las Vegas.

RELATED LINK: Bally's Executive: Tropicana likely won't be touched for up to 2 years

The months-long process will include a relocation committee who will study the relocation proposal and make recommendations to Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred and an eight-man executive council. The council formulates a recommendation to all clubs, which must approve the move by at least a three-quarters vote. The only member that has been announced so far is Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio who will chair the relocation committee.

"I don't have a firm timeline," Manfred said. "Depends on when the application comes in and how long the committee feels it needs to examine the application."

The City of San Jose also sent a letter to Manfred earlier this month asking Major League Baseball to suspend the San Francisco Giants' territorial rights to the South Bay. If the league approved the measure, it could open the door for the A's or an expansion team to move there. However, Manfred turned that offer down.

"We are currently involved in a complicated relocation process with the Oakland A's," Manfred wrote in a letter to San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "At least until that process is complete, we are not in a position to take any other action with respect to the territories in Northern California or to consider the possibility of expansion."

RELATED LINK: Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, Tom Hanks speak out against A's move

Many Bay Area fans have been against the team moving to Las Vegas. A's fans held a reverse boycott earlier this month, which Manfred said doesn't change "a decade worth of inaction". He made comments following the game calling that night's crowd of 27,759 fans "almost an average Major League Baseball crowd", although Manfred said those comments were taken out of context.

According to ESPN, the Oakland A's are in last place when it comes to Major League Baseball Attendance. The team is averaging 9,841 per game. The team also isn't performing well on the field. Oakland has the worst record in the league with 21 wins and 62 losses. On Wednesday, the New York Yankees played the A's. Yankees pitcher Domingo German didn't let a single Oakland batter get on base and threw the first perfect game in 11 years.