Jason Shipman is the Principal at Florence Drake Elementary, the highest-performing Title I school in the region
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced Jason Shipman, Principal at Florence Drake Elementary School in Sparks, as her guest to President Donald Trump’s 2025 Presidential Address to Congress on March 4, 2025. Under his leadership, Florence Drake Elementary has become one of the highest performing Title I schools in Nevada, receiving the 2024 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Distinguished Schools award. Florence Drake Elementary was also recognized as a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School.
Following reports that Elon Musk and the “Department of Government Efficiency” plan to eliminate or dramatically cut the Department of Education, students, teachers, and parents at Florence Drake Elementary School and at schools across Nevada face uncertainty. Dissolving the Department of Education would have devastating impacts on public schools, including the potential disruption of the Title I funds that support low-income students. Principal Shipman’s school relies on Title I to pay teachers, keep kids safe, fund classroom equipment, and support special education.
“I’m the product of Nevada public schools – from kindergarten all the way to my time at UNR – and I know the difference a good education can make in a child’s life,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “As schools across the country face the potential cuts to critical federal funding, I won’t abandon our educators. I’m proud to work with Nevada leaders like Principal Shipman to ensure our students have everything they need to thrive.”
“I am incredibly proud of the continued success of the students and staff members at Florence Drake Elementary School,” said Jason Shipman, Principal at Florence Drake Elementary School. “We are a Title I school, and the federal funding we receive provides crucial resources and supports to children living in poverty. I can relate to the struggles of our students, as my own family lived in poverty when I was in elementary school. I encountered barriers to my education, as Title I funding had not been established yet, and I saw how those barriers adversely affected many of my friends whose educations and lives were negatively impacted by their lack of access to education. Title I funding is the federal government’s promise to help reduce these barriers so all students have the right to access a free and appropriate education, and I am proud to play a part in helping each of our students find success in our school.”
Senator Cortez Masto has delivered critical support to students and schools across Nevada. Cortez Masto’s legislation to increase the number of mental health professionals in schools was included in the bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed into law. In addition, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included three of Cortez Masto’s bipartisan bills to boost transportation safety for students, expand internet access for both rural and urban schools, and update old school infrastructure. The Senator has also championed bipartisan Reaching English Learners Act to create a competitive grant program to fund partnerships between institutions of higher education and high-need school districts to provide training for new English-language teachers.
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