Month: March 2020

Nevada Ed-Watch 3/23/20

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.

Monday, March 23, 2020

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Emergency Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Trustees Approved a Limited Grant of Authority for the District Superintendent

The approved limited Grant of Authority permits Superintendent Jara to approve contracts and purchase items that are essential to the operation of the District during COVID-19 school closures. 

The following items were approved during this meeting:

  1. Veritas Hardware and Software products and services
  2. Elevator inspection services
  3. Renewal of Eide Bailly as CCSD’s external independent financial auditing firm for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020
  4. Review of annual reports for Vegas PBS 
  5. Submission of proposals to the Oversight Panel for School Facilities 
  6. Payment to counsel for the CCSD v. Las Vegas Review-Journal case
  7. Payment of change orders and contracts associated with CCSD construction

Trustees Discussed Distance Learning Plans During COVID-19 Closures

Trustees approved a memo to submit to the Nevada Department of Education, which states that the District is making  best efforts to provide distance learning to students, in compliance with state mandates. Superintendent Jara shared updates on the District’s efforts to develop a Distance Learning Plan and offer students access to online learning. The Superintendent also discussed equity concerns related to a lack of internet access for all students. Additionally, 63% of Clark County School District students have access to an online device at home. 

The District’s Distance Learning Plan involves student learning packets that are available online, as well as printed packets available at food distribution sites. Trustees suggested using internet hotspots to access the internet. Trustees also suggested creating a system allowing students to check-out devices.

More discussion highlights regarding Distance Learning included:

  • Tracking virtual attendance among students
  • Measuring the impact of closures on the length of the school year
  • Ensuring on-time graduation for high school seniors
  • Partnering with internet service providers to offer unrestricted access for Clark County residents
  • Maintaining public transparency and consistency around communications between District administrators

District Staff Addressed Questions Asked by Members of the Community

Superintendent Jara and District staff members responded to the questions below that were submitted by members of the community. These questions will be compiled into an FAQ that will be available on the CCSD website.

  1. Are teachers required to call students? 
    Teachers are to make contact with students at least once a week (via e-mail, Google Hangouts, or a phone call), and document the engagement for attendance purposes. 
  2. How can students with no access to technology or the internet receive schoolwork?
    The district is exploring ways to ensure that all students have access to distance learning packets. Trustees also encourage community members to assist in printing and sharing resources with neighbors. 
  3. How will students earn credits towards graduation? 
    The Superintendent is reviewing a plan for credit earning for high school seniors, which will be provided to the public by Wednesday, March 25.
  4. When will a decision be made on reopening schools or remaining closed for an extended period of time? 
    Updates from Nevada’s Chief Medical Officer will be shared on a regular basis, as available.
  5. How will school events be executed? 
    The District is in the process of considering this. 
  6. What are the distance learning protocols and expectations for special education teachers?
    The District will review the guidance received by the state Department of Education to assist the most vulnerable children. Upon review, the information will be shared with District staff.
  7. What is the requirement for employees to log in and out every day? 
    All employees, including support staff, are required to log in and log out every day and communicate daily with their supervisors.
  8. What are the considerations for parents who are learning English to access resources? 
    The ELL department is working on developing solutions.
  9. Will charter schools follow the same guidelines for district distance learning?
     The district cannot enforce authority on charter school distance learning programs. [NOTE: charter school families can access information regarding distance learning offerings at individual school websites or through the State Public Charter School Authority].
  10. Have Nevada Academic Content Standards (NACS) been considered in the creation of the distance learning packets? How are parents being supported? 
    Yes, the packets are aligned to Nevada Academic Content Standards (NACS). Through Vegas PBS, a homework helpline will be available this week.
  11. Will the state waive licensing requirements for student teachers? 
    The District is working on this with the Nevada Department of Education.
  12. How do teachers without online services log in? 
    Contact the school leader and/or supervisor by phone.
  13. Will student packet work count against students? How will these packets be differentiated for AP and honors level students? 
    No, they will not count against students and will not be graded. The packets are aligned to the Nevada Academic Content Standards (NACS).
  14. What is being done for substitute teachers? 
    Substitutes in vacancy positions are being paid, but long-term substitutes are not receiving pay.
  15. Are teachers required to use personal cell phones to contact students? 
    Educators can contact students via email if they prefer. The District will explore Google Voice as a paid option.
  16. What do parents do if teachers have not yet contacted them? 
    Contact the school’s principal or a school administrator.
  17. Where are the weekly packets located on the CCSD website? 
    The packets are located on the landing page of the CCSD website. 
  18. Will outside contractors be allowed to work? 
    This is unknown at this time.

NOTE: Trustees announced that the next regular board meeting will take place on April 16th, 2020– following the cancellation of the March meeting.

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Nevada Ed-Watch 3/12/20

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, March 12, 2020

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

Due to concerns related to the coronavirus, all non-essential agenda items were removed from this meeting.

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Members of the public provided testimony to Trustees regarding:

  • Concerns about the safety of students and faculty due to coronavirus (COVID-19)
  • Concerns about salaries and health benefits for substitute teachers 
  • Concerns about the impact of COVID-19 school closures on employee compensation
  • Concerns about teacher retention

Consent Agenda Highlights: 

  • Approval of an agreement with the Nevada Department of Employment, Training, and Rehabilitation to provide pre-employment transition services and vocational training to blind or visually impaired high school students.
  • Approval of a two-year extension of a $1.4 million contract to provide tutoring services for Title I students attending private schools.

Trustees Heard Updates about the District’s Response to COVID-19

The district has been tracking COVID-19 since February 28, 2020 and developing an emergency management and health plan. The district has increased cleaning activities to prevent the spread of the virus, and is working with community partners like the Southern Nevada Health District, local governments, and the Nevada Resorts Association to ensure the health and safety of students and staff. 

Presentation Highlights 

Scheduling:

  • Classes will remain open until further notice. CCSD does not have the ability to transition to online classes at this time.
  • All upcoming athletic events, extra-curricular activities, school assemblies, and community events are suspended. Events that are scheduled towards the end of the school year, including graduation ceremonies, will be evaluated at a later time.
  • Restrictions on international and out-of-state student travel will remain in place until further notice.

Staff and Service Providers: 

  • Safekey, After-School All-Stars, Communities in Schools, and other programs that provide after-school services will continue operating. 
  • All out-of-district consultants, including professional learning facilitators, are restricted from providing in-person services in schools until further notice.
  • District policy does not permit the payment of substitute teacher salaries in the event of school closures. CCSD has reached out to the Nevada Department of Education for guidance on resolving this.

Families and members of the community can access this website and these Frequently Asked Questions to receive updates from the district related to COVID-19. 

Trustees Heard Updates on Issues with the Human Capital Management System (HCMS)

CCSD Staff provided updates on the payroll component of the HCMS, including:

  • Staff is actively working to ensure that all missed payments are paid.
  • Staff is continuing to assess the number of individuals who have not been paid yet. To date, staff estimates 50 individuals have not yet been paid. 
  • A 6-month, interest-free loan is accessible for individuals who have not yet been paid.

Click here to see the presentation.

Superintendent Communications

  • The district will continue to provide information to families regarding actions taken in response to the coronavirus.

Requests for Future Agenda Items

  • Information related to instructional options in the event of school closures due to COVID-19, including the feasibility of using Google Classrooms
  • Data related to the number of short and long term substitute teachers within the district

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Nevada Ed-Watch 3/12/20

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 2020 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, March 12, 2020
Nevada State Board of Education Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Members of the public provided testimony regarding: 

  • Support for updates to the Nevada Educator Performance Framework for evaluating Speech Language Pathologists 
  • Support for increased investments in adequate school psychologist staffing
  • Support for completing the 2020 Census

President’s Report

Board President Wynn shared the following updates: 

  • Participation in Nevada Reading Week 
  • Preparation for the COVID-19 virus, including online resources available for school administrators and nurses, as well as discussion about distance education 

Superintendent’s Report

State Superintendent Ebert shared the following updates:

  • The Commission on School Funding: 
    • Met with Department of Taxation to gather revenue sources included in the State Education Fund
    • Is developing a budgeting program and discussing revisions to budget templates used by districts 
    • Is determining the categorical weights for pupils and establishing benchmarks for monitoring the implementation of the new funding structure during the March 20th meeting.
    • Is conducting a comparative analysis of district budgets under the new budgeting process during the April meeting.
    • Is identifying final recommendations for the governor and legislature during the May meeting. Committee recommendations are due by July 15th. 
  • ACT Fee Waiver Participation: In 2019, 35,000 students took the ACT. Of those students, 21,000 were eligible for fee waivers, but only 2,059 students (about 6%) used waivers. The Department is working with districts to expand the number of students who access fee waivers.

Board Approved the Consent Agenda:

Consent Agenda Highlights:

Board Heard Updates on the Development of the Statewide Plan for the Improvement of Pupils (STIP)

The STIP outlines goals and values related to the Nevada Department of Education’s role in improving student outcomes. Department staff presented updated goals, each of which will have 2-4 strategies with defined inputs, outputs, and outcomes. 

The board provided guidance related to advocating for additional funding at the legislature to allow for the implementation of STIP with fidelity. 

The final STIP will be presented to the board during the April board meeting. 

Click here to see the presentation.

Board Approved Recommended Revisions to the Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF) 

The approved recommended revisions to the Nevada Educator Performance Frameworks (NEPF) for School Counselors, School Nurses, and Speech-Language Pathologists. The recommendations will help ensure the NEPF aligns with national best practices and accurately reflects the work of professional practice in Nevada. 

Click here to see updated NEPF standards for school counselors 

Click here to see updated NEPF standards for school nurses 

Click here to see updated NEPF standards for speech language pathologists

The board approved a recommendation that Student Learning Goals (SLGs) be modified by a workgroup. The workgroup will remove requirements for the use of standardized assessments to track student progress against their individual SLG’s. Department staff stated that this change will allow tracking of SLG progress to be more closely aligned with content standards. The final changes will be presented before the board for approval at a future meeting. 

Click here to see the presentation.

The Board Heard Non-binding Recommended Ratios for Specialized Instructional Support Personnel 

Senate Bill 89 requires the State Board of Education to develop non-binding recommendations for the ratio of pupils to specialized instructional support personnel. 

Specialized support personnel includes: 

  • School counselors
  • School psychologists
  • School social workers
  • School nurses
  • Speech-language pathologists
  • School library media specialists
  • Any other qualified professional

The board is not approving the recommended ratios until more research is available to inform the most appropriate ratios for Nevada’s student population.

Click here to see the presentation. 

Board Heard a Presentation about the Implementation of Financial Transparency Requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

ESSA requires State Report Cards to include per-pupil expenditure data beginning with FY19. Currently, the Nevada Report Card reports total expenditure per pupil at the school, district, and state levels, but does not differentiate between personnel and non-personnel expenses. 

The Department is reporting personnel and non-personnel expenses in Spring 2020.  By September 15, 2020, the Department will have more interactive graphics and data comparison capabilities that will be available to the public on the Nevada Report Card website.  

The board requested budget data on the Nevada Report Card website to include actual costs for teacher salaries at the school level. 

Click here to see the presentation.

Requests for future agenda items: 

  • Presentation from Teach Plus on an analysis of teachers leaving the profession

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Nevada Ed-Watch 3/6/20

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 (1st floor boardroom). Members of the public are invited to attend at either location. A time for public comment is provided at the conclusion of each agenda item and at the conclusion 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.

Alternatively, public comment may be submitted in writing at publiccomment@spcsa.nv.gov, and any such public comment received prior to the meeting will be provided to the Authority and included in the written minutes of the meeting.

Click here for a list of all SPCSA Members.

Click here for a list of all SPCSA sponsored schools.

Friday, March 6, 2020
State Public Charter School Authority Board Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda 

What happened at this meeting? 

SPCSA Executive Director’s Report: 

Report Highlights: 

  • Introduction of 2 new board members: Tameka Shauntee Rosales and Lee Farris
  • Introduction of 3 new SPCSA staff members: one administrative assistant and two finance employees
  • 1 application was submitted for the Winter Cycle. An SPCSA staff approval recommendation is expected by the April board meeting
  • Former Achievement School District (ASD) schools have been transferred to the SPCSA
  • There are 4 new schools launching in Fall 2020
  • Community stakeholders can provide input on Senate Bill 441 regulations, which will ultimately be submitted to the Department of Education for a final decision
  • SPCSA launched an online platform for community stakeholders to share concerns or feedback 
  • Under the SPCSA Performance Framework, current school year data will be collected to assess  the academic, organizational, and financial performance of each school

Board Heard Mid-Year Updates from Schools that have Received a Notice of Breach

Freedom Classical Academy Elementary School, Legacy North Valley Elementary School, and Somerset North Las Vegas Elementary School provided updates to the board on their mid-year assessment results and progress against performance plans.

Click here to see Freedom Classical Academy’s presentation.

Click here to see Legacy North Valley’s presentation.

Click here to see Somerset’s presentation.

Board Heard Updates on Schools under Receivership or Previously under Receivership

Highlights: 

  • Ardent Prep sold its property to settle final debts. 
  • Discovery Charter School was removed from receivership and had its board reconstituted at the end of the 2018-19 school year. 
  • Quest Academy, which was placed under receivership for financial mismanagement, showed improvements under its receivership. Quest staff shared a plan to remove the school from receivership and reconstitute the school’s board by next school year. 

Board Heard Updates on Beacon Academy’s Performance

The Board heard updates on Beacon Academy’s performance aligned to the Alternative Performance Framework. Beacon Academy shared information on student demographics for Alternative Education and at-risk students, specifically credit deficient students. School staff also shared updates on the school’s academic growth, college and career readiness, credit deficiency rates, graduation rates, and student engagement data. 

Beacon Academy has submitted a letter of intent to open a second campus in Clark County.

Click here to see the presentation.

Board Heard Updates from Pinecrest Academy of Northern Nevada Following its Conditional Approval

SPCSA staff reviewed the completion of the conditions for the Pinecrest Academy of Northern Nevada’s approval. 

The conditions were met related to the National School Lunch program, Weighted Lottery Policy, revised budget, and the waiver of academic fees for students eligible for Free and Reduced-Price Lunch. 

The board approved the school’s targeted student enrollment marketing plan. The school’s draft transportation plan will come back to the board for a vote during the April board meeting– pending zip code data and weighted lottery updates. The board also requested enrollment updates broken down by student demographics. 

Board Reviewed Resubmitted New Charter School Applications

The following schools’ initial applications were denied during the December 17th, 2019 board meeting. SPCSA staff provided applicants with feedback on application deficiencies, and the schools had 30 days to improve and resubmit their application. 

Alaka’i Heritage Academy  – DENIED

  • Meeting the Need: Meets the Standard
  • Academic Plan: Approaches the Standard
  • Operations Plan: Approaches the Standard
  • Financial Plan: Approaches the Standard

Click here to see the SPCSA staff’s recommendation memo.

Nevada Strong Academy – DENIED

  • Meeting the Need: Approaches the Standard
  • Academic Plan: Approaches the Standard
  • Operations Plan: Approaches the Standard
  • Financial Plan: Does not meet the standard

Click here to see the SPCSA staff’s recommendation memo.

Sage Collegiate – DENIED

  • Meeting the Need: Approaches the Standard
  • Academic Plan: Approaches the Standard
  • Operations Plan: Approaches the Standard
  • Financial Plan: Approaches the Standard

Click here to see the SPCSA staff’s recommendation memo.

Pahrump Valley Academy – DENIED

  • Meeting the Need: Meets the Standard
  • Academic Plan: Approaches the Standard
  • Operations Plan: Approaches the Standard
  • Financial Plan: Does not meet the Standard

Click here to see the SPCSA staff’s recommendation memo.

Board Approved Charter School Contract Amendment for Explore Academy

The board approved SPCSA staff’s recommendation regarding Explore Academy’s amendment request for a location change. Explore Academy was initially approved under the Achievement School District for 2019 launch, but delayed opening until 2020 under an SPCSA contract.

Staff presented information on the request to occupy a temporary facility outside of the originally approved  zip codes. The proposed temporary facility will be vacant as of June 2020. School staff and a partner realtor shared obstacles to locating a facility within the approved zip codes. The board shared concerns about increased traffic, enrollment, and lease details. 

Click here to see the amendment application.

Board Received Biennial Review of Statutes and Regulations

SPCSA staff shared information about recommendations to propose to the Legislative Committee on Education on legislation that would assist charter schools in achieving their academic, fiscal and organizational goals.

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