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.
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 9:00 AM or 2:00 PM. Click here to see the 2022 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. Members of the public may provide public comment in writing via email; public comment will be accepted via email for the duration of the meeting and shared with the State Board of Education during the public comment periods. Public comment may be emailed to NVBoardED@doe.nv.gov.
Click here for a list of all State Board Members.
Thursday, March 16, 2023
Nevada State Board of Education Meeting
Click here to see the regular SBOE meeting agenda.
Click here to watch the meeting playback.
What happened at the regular meeting?
Public Comment #1
Public comment at this time included:
- School start time workshops
- College and career readiness (CCR) task force suggestions on evaluating cost criteria
- State sponsored testing for underserved children
- Merits of different CCR tests
- Bid process for the CCR test
President’s Report
- Update on School Start Times Workshop: Two of three workshops are complete. The next is April 15 at 9:00 a.m. at Desert Pines High School. It will be a deeper dive and will be evaluating potential options. Attendance is highly encouraged. Comments, thoughts, and ideas are welcome to be submitted via email if you cannot attend.
- Portrait of a Learner Update: Strides have been made towards a competency model of instructions. The competency fellowship has been launched to the public and work has begun. Feedback is expected in the beginning of next school year. Students are asking for a life-skills curriculum rather than one solely focusing on core subjects. More info at portrait.nvfutureoflearning.org
Superintendent’s Report
- Dr. Silvana Gorton received the State Leadership Award for the National Association of Federal Education Program Administrators.
- Dr. Summer Stevens also received this award, as did Sarah Nix from CCSD.
Board Approved the Consent Agenda
Highlights included:
- Approval of Instructional Materials for Fine Arts
- Approval of Instructional Materials for Science
Board Approved Regulations to Recommend to the Governor’s Office, Pursuant to Executive Order 2023-003
Staff presented several recommendations to send to the Governor’s Office to be in compliance with Executive Order 2023-003, which requires state agencies to provide a report on what regulations can be streamlined or reduced. There are 39 recommendations in total, with all other recommendations currently being reviewed and presented to the board prior to the public hearing scheduled for Saturday, April 15.
These recommendations include updates to current practices and removal of outdated practices.
Explore the presentation.
Board Heard an Update on the College and Career Readiness (CCR) RFP, Rubric, and Committee
The Board approved changes to the RFP and rubric for the CCR assessment RFP process. The new criteria and rubric will be reflected on the RFP. These changes include:
- The goal is to honor the public commentary, as well as federal guidelines, and is only reflective of the RFP evaluation process.
- The weight of the cost criteria (currently at 20%) was discussed to potentially be weighted at 10%, per public comment.
- Items with “Yes/ No” answers were also discussed (items #3 and #8)
Explore the CCR RFP committee entities, applicable regulations governing procurement, and the proposed rubric.
Board Received an Update on the 2023 Legislative Session
Current legislative items tracked by the State Board of Education include:
- Senate Bill (SB) 251: Adds policies for the transfer and reassignment of employees of a school district who are not teachers to the mandatory scope of collected bargaining for a local government employer
- SB 282: Requires the principal of a school in Clark County School District to select staff in accordance with the applicable collective bargaining agreement.
- SB 148: Prohibits a local school precinct from employing or otherwise procuring the services of a person to carry out any responsibility that has not been transferred to the local school precinct.
- Assembly Bill (AB) 241: Requires high school pupils to enroll in courses that satisfy the CCR diploma.
- AB 335: Proposes to remove requirements for State Board to regulate max pupil-teacher ratios for each grade other than K, 1, 2 and 3.
- AB 420: Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to create the Rural Northeastern Clark County Regional School District and hire a superintendent and administrative staff for that District
- SB 210: Declares public policy of the state that appointments made by the Governor to boards, commissions or similar bodies must, to the extent practicable and except as otherwise required by law, represent the diversity of the State.
- SB347: Deconsolidates the Nevada System of Higher Education.
- AB 400: Makes various changes regarding early childhood literacy, charter school transportation, the Commission on School Funding, school attendance zones, CTE programs, charter school sponsorship, the Office of School Choice, increasing the scholarship donation tax credit, local school precinct carry over dollars, Teach Nevada scholarship, Nevada Teacher Advancement scholarships, Read by Grade 3, and PERS critical labor shortage
- Introductory testimony has occurred on:
- AB 42- Requires the submission of class size reporting from district and charter schools
- AB 54 – Local school districts review educational transition plans for hospitals providing educational services and serve as the financial steward
- AB 65 – Educators may receive a summative evaluation during a third, waiver year at the request of the employee or supervisor.
- SB 9 – Eliminates End of Course exam
- AB 330 (Governor’s Education Bill – Safer and Supportive Schools Act) – Removes the statewide framework for restorative justice
Explore the presentation.
Board Approved the Proposed New Meeting Schedule and Start Times for Its Meetings
The proposed schedule, taking effect at the May board meeting is:
- Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. (during the summer) or 2 p.m. (during the school year) will be the new day and times of meetings.
- A press release and new calendars will be released.
Review the options presented.
Board Received a Presentation on the Month of the Military Child and the Nevada Purple Star School Award Program
Highlights from the presentation include:
- The purpose of this program is to increase educator awareness of challenges facing military-connected children.
- Support the cause by wearing purple or using a purple background during virtual meetings.
- This is a relatively new program, with most programs launching less than four years ago, but research shows that 77% of survey respondents reporting Purple Star Schools have had a positive impact on students.
- Purple Star Schools increase the self-reporting of military-connected students, and provide more accurate evaluation of the population and potential eligibility for grant funds.
- In order to be designated a Purple Star School, there are six required components outlined in the full presentation.
- In 2021, seven schools were awarded the designation. 18 schools were designated in 2022, along with two school districts.
Explore the presentation.
Board Discussed Future Agenda Items
The board reviewed the following items for inclusion in the 2023 calendar:
- School start time workshop outcomes
- Approval of temporary regulations for provisional licensing and international teachers
- Legislative highlights
- Graduation rates
Public Comment #2
- Additional school start time input.
The next regular Board of Education meeting is scheduled at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7, 2022.
