Month: July 2019

Nevada Ed-Watch 7/26/19

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.

State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA)

What is the SPCSA & what are they responsible for? The SPCSA sponsors and oversees public charter schools across the State of Nevada. The Authority consists of nine appointed members responsible for overseeing educational and operational standards, and holding sponsored schools accountable to the academic achievement of students.

How often does the SPCSA Board meet? SPCSA members meet once monthly– on Fridays.

Click here for SPCSA meeting schedule and materials.

Can community members engage at SPCSA Board Meetings? All meetings are held publicly at the Nevada Department of Education building in Carson City and the Nevada Department of Education building in Las Vegas (2nd floor boardroom). Members of the public are invited to attend at either location. 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 SPCSA Members.

Click here for a list of all SPCSA sponsored schools.

Friday, July 26, 2019
State Public Charter School Authority Board Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment
Members of the public shared their appreciation for the leadership of outgoing SPCSA chair, Jason Guinasso. Sami Randolph was also welcomed as the new Governor’s Appointee on the board.

The Board Discussed the Transition of New and Outgoing Board Members

The board discussed the following updates to the board make-up:

  • 3 current members are not seeking reappointment
  • 3 other current members will continue serving on the board
  • Sami Randolph is a new member appointed by the Governor
  • Additional board members must be appointed by the Speaker, the Majority Leader, and the State Board of Education (as mandated by AB78)

The State Board of Education is accepting SPCSA board member applications until August 13th at 5pm. Click here to see the application.

The Board voted to have the current Vice Chair of the board, Melissa Mackedon, play an interim Board Chair role until a new Chair and Vice Chair are selected. Board roles will be determined during the October board meeting following the transition of all 9 appointed board members.

The Board Approved the Academic & Demographic Needs Assessment

The SPCSA Board approved the Academic and Demographic Needs Assessment, an evaluation of student demographic information, the academic needs of students, and the needs of students who are at risk of dropping out. 

Click here to see the presentation.

Click here to see the report.

Charter applicants are required to meet at least one of the following academic, geographic or demographic needs:

  1. Serve and ensure the academic success (performance at or above grade level) of the following student populations:
    • Students who have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
    • English Language Learners (ELL)
    • Students receiving Free or Reduced Price Lunch (FRL)
  2. Launch in neighborhoods with high concentrations of low-performing (1- and 2-star) schools in the following Clark County zip codes:
    • 89110
    • 89115
    • 89107
    • Click here to see a complete list of target zip codes across Nevada
  3. Have plans to prevent drop-outs for the following students who have been designated as at risk of dropping out of school:
    • Students who have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
    • English Language Learners (ELL)
    • Students receiving Free or Reduced Price Lunch (FRL)

The Academic and Demographic Needs Assessment will be updated annually.

The Board Approved Charter Contract Amendment Applications

 The Board approved the following requests for charter contract amendments:

  • Request for Imagine Schools at Mountain View to terminate its transportation services
  • Request for Nevada State High School to relocate its Henderson Campus and open new administrative offices

The Board Heard from Schools Formerly Authorized by the Achievement School District (NV ASD)

The board heard from the following schools that were formerly authorized by the Nevada Achievement School District:

  • Democracy Prep at the Agassi Campus
  • Futuro Academy
  • Nevada Prep
  • Nevada Rise

Each of the schools reported a smooth transition from the NV ASD to the SPCSA, with minimal impact on the families they serve.

Click here to see profiles of each school listed above.


The Board Approved the Charter Contract for Explore Academy
The Board approved a contract with Explore Academy for launch in school year 2020-2021. 

 The following conditions must be met prior to launch:

  • Explore’s founding high school campus in New Mexico (currently “A” rated) must maintain a “C” or better rating on their state’s accountability rating system.
  • The school must launch in 89030, 89031, or 89032. If the school intends to locate outside of these zip codes, a contract amendment must be requested for approval.
  • The school must complete all standard pre-opening requirements.

The Board Terminated the Discovery Charter School Receivership + Approved Reconstitution of its Governing Body 

Discovery Charter School must continue providing quarterly updates and holding regular check-ins with the SPCSA through the end of the 2020 school year.

The school has a new leader in place, plus a newly appointed board that has been vetted by the SPCSA staff.

The Board Heard an Update on Argent Prep’s Receivership

Argent Preparatory Academy provided updates to the Board, which included:

  • Acceptance of a $2.4 million offer on the final asset, a parcel of land.
  • Within 30 days of the sale, exited staff will be paid severance in full (about $90,000 total). Receiver fees and other remaining school debts will also be paid. Remaining funds will go back to the state.

The Board Heard Updates on Nevada Connections Academy

Nevada Connections Academy presented their high school operations metrics for quarter four.

Highlights:

  • The 2019 anticipated high school graduation rate is 67%-69%
  • 95% of students were tested, which meets state participation requirements 
  • The charter is up for renewal in the fall, which will be evaluated based on school year 2018-19 academic data (Nevada School Performance Framework results)

The Board Heard Updates on Nevada Virtual Academy (NVA)

The Board heard a quarterly update on the progress towards closure of Nevada Virtual Academy’s elementary school.

Highlights:

  • NVA filed a complaint with the court challenging the conditions that the Authority Board approved in 2018, when NVA’s charter application was approved.
  • NVA filed an injunction to operate under a court order without a charter contract.
  • A preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled for August 2, 2019. 

The Board Heard a Presentation About 2018-19 School Site Evaluations

Based on trends from site visits completed throughout the 2018-19 school year, the SPCSA team recommended the following opportunities to improve the site evaluation process: 

  • Prepare “campus maps” for evaluators
  • Allow more time for staff to review documents
  • Identify areas of redundancy for schools that have multiple campuses
  • Offer training on the classroom observation rubric
  • Hold office hours for school leaders and stakeholders to ask questions

Click here to download the presentation.

The Board Heard Updates from the Executive Director

The Board heard the following updates from the SPCSA Executive Director: 

  • SPCSA Board Members
    • The first board meeting with new members will be August 30, 2019.
  • Sponsorship Fees
    • The SPCSA changed its sponsorship fee to 1.25% as of August 1st (decreased by .25%).
  • New charter School Contract Applications
    • 9 applications were received 
    • Staff is working with external experts to review the applications, which will be presented to the board in November or December.
  • Charter School Contract Renewal Applications
    • 7 schools are up for renewal this fall 
    • Applications for renewal will be open October 1st through October 15th.
  • School Visits
    • SPCSA staff is developing a strategic plan for school visits this year.
  • General School Support
    • The SPCSA team is attending the Special Education Directors Meeting.

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Nevada Ed-Watch 7/18/19

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, July 18, 2019

Clark County School District Board of Trustees + County Commission Special Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

This special meeting was called to facilitate collaboration between CCSD Trustees and the Clark County Commission on decisions that affect both bodies.

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Members of the public provided testimony to Trustees and Commissioners regarding:

  • Funding for Pre-K programs
  • Support for the Open Schools Open Doors Program 
  • Encouraging accountability and transparency throughout the process of allocating program funds
  • Concerns about school funding

Trustees & Commissioners Discussed Open Schools Open Doors Program 

The Open Schools Open Doors Program allows the broader community to use school property after hours. 

Trustees and Commissioners were informed about a number of barriers to launching the program, including complications with federal regulations for public land use. Commissioners and CCSD Staff expressed a commitment to navigate any challenges necessary to launch the program. 

A pilot to test this program with five schools was approved at the February 14, 2019 board meeting. The pilot has been discontinued– shifting the focus to launching the program at full scale with all CCSD schools.

Click here to read about this in the Nevada Independent.

Trustees and Commissioners Discussed Utilizing AB309 Tax Dollars

Assembly Bill (AB) 309 authorizes the county to impose a .25 percent increase to sales and use tax. The money can be used by districts to address early childhood education, adult education, truancy reduction, homelessness reduction, affordable housing, recruitment and retention of licensed teachers for high-vacancy schools, and workforce training programs. 

The increase in sales and use taxes is estimated to bring $108,000,000 per year. Commissioners noted their belief that the intent of AB309 was for 50% of new tax dollars to be allocated to the following education initiatives:

  • Early Childhood Education
  • Adult Education
  • Truancy Reduction
  • Recruitment and Retention of Licensed Teachers for High-Vacancy Schools 

Trustees presented program ideas for potential allocation of the funds, including ideas proposed by community members at the Special Board Meeting on July 12, 2019. 

Trustees expressed a commitment to ensure funded programs are properly vetted and aligned to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). 

This discussion will be continued at the next regular Trustee board meeting, as well as at the next County Commission meeting. CCSD Staff will also provide the County Commission a report in 2-weeks regarding the status of their progress. 

Click here to read about this in the Nevada Independent.

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Nevada Ed-Watch 7/17/19

Posted on by Opportunity 180

The Ed-Watch series is designed to increase access to information on decisions 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 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 2019 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.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Nevada State Board of Education Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

A member of the public expressed concerns about an outdated process for renewing teacher licenses.

President’s Report: 

The President’s Report included:

  • The Nevada Department of Education is working on implementing of public education related bills that came out of the 2019 legislative session. 
  • Well wishes to all educators, administrators, and staff members going into the start of the 2019-2020 school year.

Superintendent’s Report

Superintendent Ebert provided the following updates:

  • Jessica Todtman is the new Chief Strategy Officer for the Nevada Department of Education (NDOE).
  • About one-third of all NDOE staff members attended a legislative debrief meeting to review each bill that the department is implementing or supporting.
  • As a mandate of SB543, the state must form a Commission on School Funding. The commission will provide guidance to school districts and the department on the implementation of the plan for funding public schools. Members of the commission are appointed by the Governor and several members of the Legislature. The commission must hold its first meeting by October 1, 2019. 
  • The State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) is working on a Demographic Needs Assessment and a Growth Management Plan to be implemented by January 1, 2020.

Board Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent Agenda highlights:

  • Appointing members to the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC).
  • Approving instructional materials for the Carson City School District. 

Board Approved the Addition of Mission High School to the Alternative Performance Framework (APF)

The board heard a presentation overview of the Nevada Alternative Performance Framework (APF), and a proposed recommendation to add Mission High School to be measured under the APF.

Generally, schools qualified for the APF fall into one of four categories:

  • Schools offering credit recovery programs
  • Schools offering behavioral/continuation programs
  • Juvenile detention facilities serving adjudicated youth
  • Special education schools serving students with multiple and severe cognitive disabilities

The APF measurement indicators include Academic Achievement, Attendance, Academic progress, Graduation, Student Engagement, and Planning for success. 

Click here to download the presentation. 

Board Conditionally Approved the Application Document for State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) Board Positions

The State Board is required to appoint two members to the SPCSA Board by October 2019, as mandated by AB78. For individuals interested in applying, the application will be available on the department’s website. 

Click here to see the draft application document that was presented at the meeting. 

Board members discussed concerns and proposed changes to the application questions to ensure applicant privacy and protection of personal information. The application document was approved with the condition that proposed updates are applied.

Board Heard a Presentation About the Current State of School Funding 

A review of the current state of school funding was requested by board members at the June 2019 board meeting. This presentation provided an overview of the current funding sources for schools.

Click here to download the presentation.

Board Heard a Presentation About Federal and State School Improvement

The board heard an overview of the state’s accountability system under the ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act). 

The presentation focused on the following low-performing school designations: 

  • Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) 
  • Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) 
  • Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) 

Board members requested information about how schools are held accountable for their performance. It was clarified that the designations above are the first step in the accountability process. Additional information will become available at a later time.

Click here to download the presentation.

Board Approved Changes to the NEPF Recommended by the Teachers and Leaders Council 

The Teachers and Leaders Council presented their recommended changes to the Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF).

The board approved the following recommendations:

Click here to see the presentation.

Potential Future Agenda Items:

  • A review of the teacher licensure renewal process
  • A presentation about Read by Grade 3
  • Updates on teacher vacancies and class size reduction
  • A report on teacher shortage

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Nevada Ed Watch 7/11/19

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, July 11, 2019

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Members of the public provided testimony both in support and opposition of the decision to eliminate the dean position in the Clark County School District.

Trustees Unanimously Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent agenda highlights:

Trustees and CCSD leadership also discussed accountability and a plan to scale the success of the eight middle schools that were designated as Innovative Schools.

Click here to learn more and see a full list of Innovative Schools.

Trustees Approved CCSD’s Annual Membership with the Nevada Association of School Boards

Trustees approved the annual fee for the Clark County School District to be a member of the Nevada Association of School Boards. Total membership cost was $29,874.23.  

Trustees Heard a Presentation on the Qualitative Budget Forecast

The presentation, led by CCSD’s Chief Financial Officer, covered the current budget forecast and a review of recent financial information.

Click here to see the presentation. 

Trustees Discussed the Decision to Eliminate the Dean Position

Trustees heard from members of the public both in support and in opposition of the decision to eliminate the dean position.

Specifically, members of the public provided testimony regarding:

  • Calling for teachers and administrators to work together to advocate for more funding at the county and state level
  • Requesting a forensic audit of the CCSD budget
  • Looking for other ways for the district to acquire more money

Trustees clarified that money could not come from the ending fund balance, and that they could not postpone the cuts until next year. 

Trustees did not vote on this decision because they do not have the authority to overrule, per board policy. However, Superintendent Jara committed to working with his cabinet and principals, with public input in mind, to identify alternative cost saving strategies. 

Click here to read about this in the Nevada Independent.

Trustees Approved a Partnership with Acceleration Learning

Acceleration Learning provides academic programming and support for students who have dropped out, so they can receive a high school diploma. Board discussion addressed concerns about staffing the program with out-of-state personnel, ensuring funding transparency, and getting clarification on enrollment expectations.

Click here to learn more about Acceleration Learning. 

Trustees Heard a Presentation on the CCSD K-12 Student Code of Conduct

The Equity and Diversity Education Department provided information to Trustees related to student discipline and an analysis of cultural inclusivity in schools. 

Click here to view the presentation

Click here to see the Culturally Inclusive School Analysis.

Trustees Heard a Presentation About Food Service 

The presentation was about increased participation and improved quality in meal services, which is part of the CCSD Focus 2024 strategic plan.

Click here to see the presentation.

Trustees Approve a Customer Service Agreement with Nevada Energy

Trustees approved a customer service agreement with NV Energy, who proposed an incentive program to retain CCSD as a full service customer over a five year term.

Click here to see the agreement.

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Nevada Ed Watch 7/12/19

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.

Friday, July 12, 2019

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Special Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

About 80 members of the public attended this interactive special board meeting, including community advocates, parents, principals, teachers, and support staff. 

Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick provided opening remarks about the need to adequately fund education. She requested that Trustees present a plan to the County Commission regarding the use of potential new tax funds, as legislated through AB309. AB309 authorizes the county to impose a .25 percent increase to sales and use tax. The money can be used by districts to address early childhood education, adult education, truancy reduction, homelessness reduction, affordable housing, recruitment and retention of licensed teachers for high-vacancy schools, and workforce training programs. 

Attendees Participated in Working Groups on Chronic Absenteeism, Workforce Development, and Pre-K Programs. 

Click here to see Superintendent Jara’s overview presentation on the three working group topics.

The working groups, led by Trustees, were tasked with identifying goals and strategies that could be proposed to the County Commission. 

The summaries below outline the ideas each working group proposed:

Workforce Development Working Group

  • Create Career and Technical Education (CTE)  “hubs” to expand access to workforce development programs for students. 
  • Initiate a nontraditional school schedule to allow flexibility for students to attend workforce development courses.

Pre-K Working Group

  • Expand Pre-K to all schools to address inequities and increase the overall number of students served.
  • Provide training for early childhood professionals.

Chronic Absenteeism Working Group

  • Decrease chronic absenteeism by 10% per year for the next 5 years. 
  • Scale Communities in Schools services to all Title I schools by 2020. 
  • Add one truancy officer to every high school feeder pattern.

Next, the Trustees will synthesize the results of these working groups, and will present the individual topics at the joint meeting with County Commissioners on July 18th. That meeting will take place at the County Commission Chambers (500 S Grand Central Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89155).

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