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.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
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 the Perkins V State Plan for strengthening Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Nevada
- Support for teacher incentive funds to be distributed this fiscal year
Board Approved the Consent Agenda
Consent Agenda Highlights:
- Approval of the quarterly report on class size ratios and variances requested by school districts
- Approval of a Dual Credit Request from Leadership Academy of Nevada for offering courses at the College of Southern Nevada (CSN)
President’s Report
The President congratulated two Nevada teachers who were recognized with Milken Educator Awards– Ben Nguyen (Clark County School District) and Nicolas Jacques (Carson City School District).
Milken Educator Awards honor early- to mid-career educators with strong potential for professional and policy leadership– as evidenced by effective and innovative instructional practices, student learning results, and other criteria.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Ebert provided the following updates:
- Acknowledgment of Nevada Department of Education Staff members for helping districts and schools implement the Nevada Educator Performance Framework.
- Gratitude for those who have been involved in the statewide listening tours, including students.
- Acknowledgment of the National Board Certification program for strengthening teacher skills.
Board Heard a Presentation on the 2018-2019 Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF)
The Teachers and Leaders Council presented the results of the 2018-2019 Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF). Board members discussed ways to ensure the NEPF is a true representation of teacher and administrator performance, and that the tool continues to be used as a growth and development tool.
2018-2019 Teacher Evaluation Results:
- Ineffective: 0.16%
- Developing: 1.62%
- Effective: 69.92%
- Highly Effective: 27.06%
2018-2019 Administrator Evaluation Results:
- Ineffective: 0%
- Developing: 0.73%
- Effective: 73.92%
- Highly Effective: 25.35%
The presentation also included results for Other Licenced Education Professionals (OLEP), which includes Audiologists, School Counselors, School Nurses, School Psychologists, Speech-Language Pathologists, and Teacher Librarians.
The board voted to update exigent score ranges for school audiologists in the 2019-2020 school year. All other score ranges will remain the same.
Click here to see the presentation
Board Approved the Fund Distribution Process and Amounts for Teacher Incentives
Senate Bill 555 (SB555) allows for districts to apply to the Department of Education to receive funding for incentivising teachers to teach in Title 1 schools. The board approved the process for fund distribution.
Below is an outline of the incentives.
New Hire Teacher Incentives:
New hire teachers are employed for the first time at a District or State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) Title I or underperforming school for the 2019-2020 school year.
- Total number of teachers districts requested funds for: 1,270.5
- Total available funds for the biennium: $2,500,000
- Total available funds for Fiscal Year 2020: $1,250,000
- Total amount of funds requested by districts: $3,295,000
- Actual teacher incentive amount for FY20: $983 per teacher
Transfer Teacher Incentives:
Transfer teachers were employed at a District or SPCSA non-Title I or underperforming school (for the 2018-2019 year) and TRANSFERRED to a District or SPCSA Title I or underperforming school for the 2019-2020 school year.
- Total number of teachers districts requested funds for: 834
- Total available funds for the biennium: $2,500,000
- Total available funds for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20): $1,250,000
- Total amount of funds requested by districts for FY20: $2,102,500
- Actual teacher incentive amount for FY20: $1,498 per teacher
Current Teacher Incentives:
Current teachers were employed at a District or SPCSA Title I or underperforming school (for the 2018-2019 school year) and are CURRENTLY employed at a District or SPCSA Title I or underperforming school for the 2019-2020 school year.
- Total number of teachers districts requested funds for: 7,559
- Total available funds for the biennium: $5,000,000
- Total available funds for Fiscal Year 2020: $2,500,000
- Total amount of funds request: $7,644,966
- Actual teacher incentive amount for FY20: $330 per teacher
The board approved a request to the Interim Finance Committee to move Transfer funds to Current funds. This request, if approved, would bring the total Current teacher incentive amount from $330 to $382 (an additional $52).
Click here to see the presentation.
Board Heard a Presentation on the Perkins V State Plan
Staff from the Office of Career Readiness, Adult Learning & Education Options provided an overview of the structure of the Nevada Perkins V State Plan to strengthen Career and Technical Education (CTE). The plan emphasizes access for all students to high-quality CTE programs, employer engagement, high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations and industries, and state and local flexibilities.
Click here to see the structure outline.
Board Heard an Update on the Commission on School Funding
Updates included:
- Election of Guy Hobbs as Vice Chair of the Commission
- Two new administrative positions for the Commission have been filled
- The Interim Finance Committee approved a request of $900,000 to contract with subject matter experts to assist the Commission. Click here to read about this in the Nevada Independent.
The State Board of Education is required to establish regulations for the methodology of setting funding weights, cost adjustment factors, and administrative caps.
Click here to learn more.
Upcoming Commission meetings:
- December 19-20, 2019
- January 9-10, 2020
- February 20-21, 2020
- March 19-20, 2020
- April 16-17, 2020
- May 14-15, 2020
- June 11-12, 2020
Board Heard a Presentation on the Status of the Nevada Ready Pre-K program
Presentation highlights:
- The Preschool Development Grant has served 8,055 children across 11 counties from 2016 to 2019. In 2018-2019, about 10% of those children served have disabilities.
- Out of the 89 preschool centers rated via the Quality Rating Improvement System, there were:
- 5 one-star centers
- 23 two-star centers
- 13 three-star centers
- 28 four-star centers
- 20 five-star centers
- 41 individuals received TEACH Nevada grants for their higher education studies in Early Childhood Education
- The Brigance Screening Assessment is being implemented in all early childhood centers.
Click here to see the presentation.
Potential Future Agenda Items:
- Discuss the Census 2020 Complete Count and its impact on the education system
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