Month: November 2018

Nevada Ed-Watch 11/29/18

Posted on by Opportunity 180

The Ed-Watch series is designed to increase access to information on what decisions are being made regarding public education in Clark County and Nevada.

Clark County School District Board of Trustees 

What is the Board of Trustees & what are they responsible for? The CCSD Trustees are publicly elected decision-makers for the school district. They are responsible for providing oversight to the Superintendent and establishing District-wide policy. Trustees are accountable to work with their communities to improve student achievement.

Click here to learn more and see a list of current Trustees

Click here to Find your Trustee District

How often does the Board of Trustees meet? Trustees meet twice per month (second and fourth Thursdays) at 5pm at the Edward A. Greer Education Center (Board Room): 2832 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89121.

Click here for a full list of Trustees meetings and agendas

Click here to visit Hope For Nevada’s #NVEd Calendar

Can community members engage at Trustee Meetings? Decision-making bodies benefit greatly from hearing public input and multiple perspectives. Community members can sign up to speak after the agenda has been posted– by calling the Board Office at (702) 799-1072 at least 3 hours before the scheduled meeting, or signing up in-person at the beginning of the meeting. Prior to each agenda item being voted on, speakers can share their perspective after the Board’s discussion and prior to the vote.

Thursday, November 29, 2018
Clark County School District Board of Trustees Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda 

What happened at this meeting?

The Consent Agenda included approval of a $250,000 settlement for a case alleging employment discrimination and retaliation.

Read about this settlement in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Trustees heard an update from the Student Advisory Committee

The purpose of this committee is to provide an open forum for students to get information about District policies, procedures, and current events. Students also give their feedback and ideas to Trustees and district administrative leadership.

The committee shared topics covered in their two most recent meetings, which were:

Trustees Discuss Policy for Naming of Schools and Education Related Facilities.

Trustees discussed an update of the existing policy in general, and specifically the renaming of Kit Carson Elementary School. The Board agreed to bring back both topics as individual agenda items at a future meeting.

Trustees Approve Updates to Policies regarding:

  • School Mascots and Other Identifiers (Policy 1101). Trustees approved adding a requirement that the direct supervisor of a school principal make the final decision for mascot and other school spirit identifiers (such as team names, school song, and school colors).
  • Investment Program (Policy 3214). This policy outlines the guidelines, objectives, and priorities  for the responsible investment of public funds.
  • Small Purchases made with Procurement Cards (Policy 3313). Trustees approved updates to purchase requirements on procurement cards. School principals and department heads are authorized (with a set limit) to use procurement cards to directly purchase instructional or work-related supplies and materials. This policy outlines the authorized and not authorized use of the procurement cards.
  • Higher Education Cooperative Program (Policy 6174). Trustees approved rewording the Higher Education Cooperative to Dual Enrollment Programs, which allow eligible CCSD high school students an opportunity to receive credit toward graduation requirements for both high school and higher education institutions.

Trustee Reports

Trustees expressed excitement about some recent events, such as the Sun Youth Forum, the student Mariachi Competition, and a celebratory event for the inaugural 2018-19 Superintendent’s Honor Roll, which celebrates 5-star and Shining Star CCSD schools. Principals from 62 schools were recognized for the outcomes they were able to reach for their students.

Trustees & Superintendent Communication

Superintendent Jara and Trustees discussed whether the new organization of Regional Associate Superintendents is in compliance with AB 469 (CCSD reorganization). Superintendent Jara explained that while they are technically out of compliance, they had been prior to the change as well, and will be working through the legislative process toward amendments to be in compliance.

Superintendent Jara also explained that he is in close conversation with the State Superintendent, bargaining units, and legislators– with aligned priorities that principals have autonomy to hire their own staff and the manage their own budget.

Read about the new organization of Associate Superintendents in the Nevada Independent and the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Public Comment

Members of the public addressed school zoning and reciprocal licensure for special education teachers.

Potential Future Items:

  • Updating language for Naming of Schools and Education-Related Facilities policy (Policy 7223).
  • Kit Carson Elementary School name reassignment.

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Nevada Ed-Watch 11/15/18

Posted on by Opportunity 180

The Ed-Watch series is designed to increase access to information on what decisions are being made regarding public education in Clark County and Nevada.

Nevada State Board of Education

What is the State Board of Education & what are they responsible for? The Nevada State Board of Education adopts regulations based on Nevada laws, which are in turn passed down to individual school districts in Nevada to implement. The Board has 11 total (7 appointed and 4 publicly elected) members.

How often does the State Board meet? The Nevada State Board of Education meets once per month on Thursdays at 9:00AM. Click here to see the 2018 Board Meeting Schedule. Click here to visit Hope For Nevada’s #NVEd Calendar.

Can community members engage at State Board Meetings?  A time for public comment is provided at the beginning (for agenda items) and at the conclusion (on any matter) of each Board meeting. There is a time limit of three minutes per speaker. Members of the community providing testimony must fill out a visitor card, available on-site the day of the meeting.

Click here for a list of all State Board Members.

Thursday, November 15, 2018
Nevada State Board of Education

Click here to see the meeting agenda 

What Happened at This Meeting?

Superintendent Provides Update on School Safety Task Force

The Superintendent provided a brief update on the concluding work of the  Statewide School Safety Task Force. Established by Governor Sandoval, the Task Force is charged with developing recommendations for safety practices in all Nevada schools. The Task Force concluded its work this month and is due to provide a final report before the end of November.

The Consent Agenda Included Approval of:

  • 2-year licensing (written authorization to operate) for Greater Las Vegas Academy private school.
  • Dual credit request for courses offered by the College of Southern Nevada to the Leadership Academy of Nevada (LANV)

Board Approves Amendments to School Organizational Teams (AB 469)

The approved amendments:

  1. Establish a dispute resolution process for all School Organization Team (SOT) members, including teachers and parents.
  2. Establish provisions to streamline contract-based services that are provided by the school district to schools.
  3. Create a legal definition of the term “allocated” and ensures that SOT’s and school principals have authority over their dollars.

Click here to see the full regulations document

 

Board Approves Amendment to the Creation, Submission, and Approval of School Calendars

Board members updated the way that educators’ professional development time is aggregated. This allows professional development that occurs for a portion of a day, rather than a full day, to be counted towards the total number of required professional development days.

Click here to see the full school calendar regulations document

 

Board Approves Amendment to the Statewide Performance Evaluation System for Teachers and School-Level Administrators 

The amendment includes language updates for peer evaluations among teachers, and revisions to the data used to measure teacher performance.

Click here to see the full performance evaluation regulations document

 

Board Recognizes 2019 Teacher of the Year

Nevada’s 2019 Teach of the Year recognition went to Mr. Richard Knoeppel, who teaches Architecture at Advanced Technologies Academy HS (Clark County School District). As Teacher of the Year, he is reserved a seat on the Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Council (STAC). Mr. Knoeppel also serves as one of the inaugural Fellows of the Nevada Teach Plus Policy Fellowship.

 

Board Discusses the Inaugural State Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Cabinet (STAC)

The Board was introduced to the inaugural State Superintendent’s Teacher Advisory Cabinet (STAC), heard updates on the application and selection process, and reviewed the goals and vision for the 2018-2020 term. The purpose of the cabinet, consisting of 21 teachers, is to increase teacher voice in State-level policy making.

The board expressed concern about the group not reflecting the diverse student population.

Click here to see the full STAC presentation

 

Board Approves Tesla’s Nevada K-12 Education Investment

A representative from Tesla presented an update on current initiatives that support robotics and STEM learning– with the goal to directly support the development of Nevada’s future engineers.

The Board accepted $6 million to the education gift account as part of Tesla’s ongoing commitment to invest $37.5 million in education.

Click here to see the Tesla investment letter

 

Board Discusses Report to Reassess Public Education Funding Methods

The Board discussed a report created by Augenblick, Palaich and Associates– the independent consultant contracted to study the funding method currently used for Nevada Public Education. The study team recommends replacing the existing funding approach with a more student-centered formula that:

  • Shifts from an expense-based model (determined by historical spending) to a costs-based model (determined by the resources needed to meet state standards and requirements).
  • Is responsive to student needs through weighted funding (additional resources allocated to students based on need, such as being an English learner or a special education student). There are currently some resources available for these students that are allocated through categorical funds. A weighted formula would ensure ALL students that have these needs receive the same resources, regardless of their school.
  • Is responsive to unique district characteristics.

The Board expressed support of a new funding model, with the need for strong accountability and transparency, and to create concise marketing materials to share the proposed model with the public.

Click here to see the presentation deck

Click here to see the report

The proposed new funding model is included in the Department of Education’s Bill Draft Requests for the next legislative session.

 

Board Approves Alternate Summative Evaluation Rating Tool for Evaluating CCSD Teachers

The Board approved recommendations by the Teachers and Leaders Council requesting use of an alternative tool to evaluate teacher performance for the 2018-19 school year.

Click here to see the Teacher Evaluation Rating Tool

 

Board Discusses the Statewide Teacher Performance Evaluation System

The Teachers and Leaders Council presented the Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF) scores for teachers and administrators from the 2017-18 school year, as well as their recommendations for score ranges for the 2018-2019 year. Board members expressed concern that the current rating method does not accurately reflect teacher performance and is not a tool that fosters continued professional growth.

Rather than approving the 2018-2019 score ranges as proposed, the Board requested a “set of recommended changes and actions needed to improve the overall accuracy of the category assignments.”

Click here to see the full presentation

 

 

Public Comment

Members of the public expressed gratitude to the Board for approving the alternate teacher evaluation tool. Other comments focused on advocating for school districts to receive additional funds from local municipalities (county governments).

Potential Future Items:

  • Role of the Board to support the transition of Nevada’s new Governor.
  • Review Bill Draft Requests that were supported by outgoing legislators.

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Nevada Ed-Watch 11/8/18

Posted on by Opportunity 180

The Ed-Watch series is designed to increase access to information on what decisions are being made regarding public education in Clark County and Nevada.

Clark County School District Board of Trustees 

What is the Board of Trustees & what are they responsible for? The CCSD Trustees are publicly elected decision-makers for the school district. They are responsible for providing oversight to the Superintendent and establishing District-wide policy. Trustees are accountable to work with their communities to improve student achievement.

Click here to learn more and see a list of current Trustees

Click here to Find your Trustee District

How often does the Board of Trustees meet? Trustees meet twice per month (second and fourth Thursdays) at 5pm at the Edward A. Greer Education Center (Board Room): 2832 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89121.

Click here for a full list of Trustees meetings and agendas

Click here to visit Hope For Nevada’s #NVEd Calendar

Can community members engage at Trustee Meetings? Decision-making bodies benefit greatly from hearing public input and multiple perspectives. Community members can sign up to speak after the agenda has been posted– by calling the Board Office at (702) 799-1072 at least 3 hours before the scheduled meeting, or signing up in-person at the beginning of the meeting. Prior to each agenda item being voted on, speakers can share their perspective after the Board’s discussion and prior to the vote.

Thursday, November 8, 2018
Clark County School District Board of Trustees Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda 

What happened at this meeting?

Joint Meeting with Audit Advisory Committee

Budget Appropriation Transfers

Trustees approved a set of budget appropriation transfers for the 2017-18 amended budget (approved December 14, 2017).  The transfer moves funds from one governmental function to another without impacting the end fund balance. Click here to see the Recap of Appropriations Transfers

Presentation of Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

Jason Goudie, CCSD’s Chief Financial Officer, gave a presentation on the financial report of the complete 2017-18 audit. Click here to see the report.

Audit Committee Approves Auditor’s Narrative Report

The CCSD Audit Committee heard a report on the review and recommendations made by Eide Bailly, the third party financial auditor who conducted a review of CCSD’s 2017-18 financial reports and procedures.  The full narrative report, including the district’s response, was approved by the Audit Committee as final. Click here to see the full narrative.

Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees

Trustees Approve Consent Agenda

The consent agenda included authorization to contract with the Nevada Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) for registration and lodging for students and advisors to attend the State Career Development Conference (SCDC).

The consent agenda also included the approval to accept funds to maintain current and establish new school gardens in Title I schools across the District.  Schools that are designated Title I are those schools that have 40% of more of their student population that qualifies for free and reduced lunch. Click here to see a list of schools identified for the garden program.

Discussion: Florence McClure Women’s Correctional Center Cultural Enrichment Program

Trustees discussed the Cultural Enrichment Program that will be provided at the Women’s Correctional Center for  female inmates. “The program’s goal is to provide an outlet for interested women to redirect negative energy in a positive way through the performing arts.” The program runs for 16 weeks, will be facilitated by expert volunteers and will offer participants the chance to earn a high school elective credit. Click here to learn more about the WCC cultural enrichment program.

Trustees Receive Briefing on the Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Forecast

Jason Goudie, Chief Financial Officer for CCSD, provided an update on the current year (School Year 2018-19, Fiscal Year 2019) budget.  The forecast shows an anticipated end of year fund balance of $45.5 million. It was noted that enrollment will continue to be the biggest variable in the District’s budget forecast; CCSD enrolled 2,600 fewer students this year than anticipated.

Trustees Adopt the 2019 Legislative Platform

Trustees reviewed and approved the Clark County School District’s priorities for the 2019 legislative session.  The main focus is on the K-12 funding formula and related sources of additional money. The school district will be working with 360 Strategies to lead their lobbying efforts during the legislative session.  Click here to see an overview of the full Legislative Platform.

Public comment on this topic included concerns that there is not  alignment among the unions’ and the District’s priorities; and, concerns that student equity was not mentioned in the legislative platform, including specifically targeted funding to reduce proficiency gaps.

Click here to read more about this in The Nevada Independent

Click here to read more about this in The Review Journal

Trustees Approve agreements with Police Officers and Police Administrators

The approval of these agreements go through the end of 2019.  The approval of the Police Administrators contract is the first agreement reached between the District and the PAA and includes retroactive pay increases back to 2015.

Presentation on Facility Construction Methods

The presentation reviewed the positives and negatives of both the Design-Bid-Build method and the Construction Manager-at-Risk method of facility construction.  While no formal action was taken, it was recommended that both methods remain available as options to the District for various projects.

Superintendent Shares Update on Student Searches

Two searches have been completed to date, one occurred at Las Vegas Academy and one at Foothill High School.  There were no incidents as a result of the searches.

Public Comment

During the final public comment period a number of current CCSD bus drivers shared their personal experiences related to working conditions, having too few drivers to complete the routes and the impact this is having on students who are regularly late getting to and from school.

Potential Future Items:

  • Presentation on student transportation, and an action plan to address concerns related to transportation.

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