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 2021 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, June 3, 2021
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 comment regarding:
- Concerns about the implementation of AB 469 and its impacts on student achievement, vulnerable student populations, and school funding
- Concerns about the implementation of and ongoing training for School Organizational Teams
- Call for support on efforts to create well-informed parent groups
President’s Report
- President Ortiz congratulated the 2021 National Teacher of the Year, Juliana Urtubey, NBCT. Juliana is the first National Teacher of the Year from Nevada.
- Click here to read about this in the Nevada Independent
- President Ortiz welcomed Christina Nguyen as the new State Board of Education Student Representative.
- Two Nevada students were among 161 high school seniors announced by the U.S. Department of Education Secretary, Dr. Miguel Cardona, as the 57th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars. The Presidential Scholars program recognizes students for their accomplishments in academics, the arts, and career and technical education fields.
- Nevada’s 2021 Presidential Scholars are:
- Derek Lin Chien, Davidson Academy of Nevada, Reno
- Priyanka Senthil, Davidson Academy of Nevada, Reno
- Nevada’s 2021 Presidential Scholars are:
- Two Southern Nevada schools have been designated as Purple Star Schools, a new honor recognizing schools for their outstanding commitment to military families and their unique needs.
- Nevada’s Purple Star Schools are:
- Robert O. Gibson Leadership Academy
- Ernest A. Becker, Sr. Middle School
- Nevada’s Purple Star Schools are:
Superintendent’s Report
- COVID-19 Update
- Beginning in the 2021-2022 school year, some districts will continue to provide distance learning options for students.
- The Department of Education has met with more than 12 community stakeholder groups to gather information from communities across Nevada to determine the most effective use of $1.5 billion dollars of the American Rescue Plan funds, in support of recovering from the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on education. After gathering additional feedback, a plan will be drafted and publicly posted for public input for 30 days. The plan will then be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education in July. Superintendent Ebert instructed members of the public to contact snick@doe.nv.gov if they would like to be involved in a stakeholder meeting. Once the plan is drafted, it will be publicly posted with a 30-day window for public input. The plan will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education in July.
- Nevada Digital Learning Collaborative Symposium
- 300 educators attended the Nevada Digital Learning Collaborative Symposium to learn about distance learning in the digital age, and how to most effectively adapt to distance learning methods as they become more prevalent.
Board Approved Consent Agenda
Consent agenda highlights:
- Approval of White Pine County School District Dual Credit Courses
- Approval of Private School Licensing
- Approval of Commission on Professional Standards in Education Regulations
- Adoption of a Temporary Regulation related to the emergency employment of substitute teachers 6D2
- Adoption of professional standards regulation R026-20, Introductory Computer Science and Jobs for America’s Graduates Endorsements (One Board member abstained due to a professional conflict of interest.)
Board Heard Presentations on Clark County School District’s Implementation of AB-469 (2017)
At the April State Board of Education meeting, Board members were provided with a presentation from department staff regarding an analysis of the implementation of Assembly Bill 469 (2017). The following priorities were identified for further information:
- Complying with the requirement to grant principals control of teacher selection and placement; cases still exist where the central office assigns teachers to schools.
- Negotiating collective bargaining agreements with CCEA and ESEA that are consistent with the law (SB 224)
- Complying with the requirement to grant principals the freedom to determine which services, suppliers, and equipment to acquire; cases still exist where the central office is unacceptably constraining the range of principal choice with respect to certain services, suppliers, and equipment
- Providing schools precincts with access to carry forward funds early enough for schools to purchase additional personnel positions and instructional supports.
Members of various school communities, including principals and members of School Organizational Teams and representatives from collective bargaining units provided presentations on their experiences with their concerns about the implementation of the above-stated priorities.
Clark County School District personnel also provided information regarding collective bargaining agreements, specific legal findings, and precedent to support their perspective on the implementation of the reorganization.
Board members directed CCSD staff to further investigate the appropriate implementation of the Nevada Educator Performance Framework, provide a feedback system for rural schools to have more flexibility with Service Level Agreements, and improve processes and communication related to school budget carryover money. Board members requested this item come back before the board at a future meeting.
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