07.30.21

Nevada Ed-Watch 7/30/21

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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? Considered one of Nevada’s school districts, the SPCSA sponsors and oversees public charter schools. The Authority consists of seven 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? The SPCSA typically meets one a month, generally on Fridays. 

Click here for SPCSA meeting schedule and materials.

Can community members engage at SPCSA Board Meetings? While all meetings of the SPCSA are typically 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), all meetings are now held virtually due to the COVID-19 crisis. Members of the public may view the meeting online via the link on the SPCSA’s Public Notice web page and the agenda and any supporting materials can be found here. Public comment may be given on any agenda item at the beginning of the meeting, or public comment regarding any matter that is SPCSA-related may be given at the conclusion of each Board meeting. Members of the community giving public comment can utilize the following conference call line: 1-312-584-2401; extension 3952176# with a time limit of three minutes per speaker. Alternatively, public comment may be submitted in writing to 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, July 30, 2021

State Public Charter School Authority Special Board Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting? 

Public Comment #1

Members of the public provided comment regarding: 

  • Concerns about cuts to federal charter school funding and charter schools that utilize for-profit services not being eligible to receive federal funding.
  • CSAN is planning a best practices seminar on September 24th, and they are looking for presenters who would like to share about any topic they feel their school does well.
  • Concerns over rising COVID-19 cases and students returning to school.
  • Concerns over distance learning program options for students who do not want to return to in-person learning. 
  • Concerns over masking mandate.  

Click here to view public comments submitted online.

Consent Agenda Highlights: 

SPCSA Executive Directors’ and SPCSA Staff Report:

Report highlights:

  • Over the past year, the Authority has worked to support schools in their efforts to serve all students equitably and uphold the SPCSA’s values of equity and diversity. Some of the steps taken to date include: 
    • updates to Site Evaluations,
    • updates to the charter school contract amendment & renewal application, 
    • increased accessibility to equity data 
    • Meetings and discussions around 1) efforts to increase access to quality professional development on restorative justice, culturally responsive practices, and diversity, equity and inclusion; 2) opportunities to reduce information and access barriers for historically underserved student groups; and 3) data regarding the demographics of staff in comparison to demographics of the student body.
    • SPCSA-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion training 
  • The Authority received nine complete new charter school applications. These applications should be posted to the SPCSA website next week and will likely be discussed at the November meeting. Click here to view applications. 
  • SPCSA staff and Authority board welcomed a new member, Erica Mosca 
  • The SPCSA has outlined their Annual Initiatives for the 2021-22 school year. 
    • Annual Reporting and Document Management 
      • Reevaluate and re-tool the SPCSA’s processes and systems for collecting and disseminating data, information and reports to meet statutory and regulatory requirements as a charter school sponsor and local educational agency. 
    • Library of Resources 
      • The SPCSA will develop a library of resources that is constantly accessible to schools, which includes guidance documents, manuals, FAQs and training videos. 
      • Five new staff will be added to the SPCSA: two staff members will be site evaluators, two staff members will be education programs (one for grants and one for fiscal), and one staff member will be a grant project analyst.
      • A newsletter explaining best practices for educators was mentioned as the initial steps to better connect charter schools. 
    • Click here to see initiatives. 
  • Governance Standards for Sponsored Charter Schools.
    • Per Assembly Bill 419, the SPCSA must establish governance standards for their sponsored charter schools and provide training on the governance of charter schools. Each member of the governing body of a charter school must also complete training before the opening of the school and every three years thereafter. 
      • Research is currently underway to develop governance standards. Focus groups will be held during the end of July and early August to gather input. The standards will be brought forward at the August 27, 2021 board meeting and brought back to the authority for final approval in October. Click here to see governance standards. 

Board Heard COVID-19 Update

SPCSA staff provided the Authority with an update regarding issues related to COVID-19, including COVID-19 mitigation measures for the 2021-22 school year.

  • COVID-19 mitigation measures are delegated to charter school sponsors. The SPCSA recommends that schools follow all CDC guidance and any guidance from local health officials. 
  • On July 27, the CDC released guidance, recommending that both fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people wear masks in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission. In accordance with Emergency Directive 045, Nevada automatically adopts the latest CDC guidance. 
  • As of now, mask requirements for students nine years of age and younger are not required to wear masks, although there may be changes to these requirements. 
  • All charter school employees in Clark County are required to wear face coverings while at school regardless of vaccination status. 
  • There are distance education options for students. The minimum requirements state that schools are required to provide distance education for students who have medical conditions that keep them from participating in person and students who have to quarantine. 
  • Testing: antigen rapid testing may possibly be used for screening this year, as well as a mobile testing unit. 
    • The funding for this testing comes from the federal government and will be implemented by the Department of Health and Human Services. 
  • Click here to see the update. 

Board Approved Charter School Contract Amendments

  • TEACH Las Vegas has been approved to reduce enrollment from 325 to 150 for the 2021-22 school year. 16 classrooms at their location will be subleased to Explore Academy. Additionally, the school will postpone their transportation plan until the 2022-23 school year. Click here to view the staff recommendation memo.  
  • Girls Athletic Leadership School has been approved for  the use of a short-term contingency facility at the Boys and Girls Club in the event that GALS does not have a Certificate of Occupancy for their new school site at 4220 South Maryland Parkway by August 3, 2021. This request was made to ensure GALS is able to maintain their August 9th start date. Click here to view the staff recommendation memo. 

Board Heard Update from Nevada Connections Academy

Aligned to their charter agreement, Nevada Connections Academy provided an update on their progress to improve their Star Rating from one to three stars in three years. NCA has invested in reading, math, and ACT prep and are implementing a new grading framework. NCA is also offering three graduation pathways aligned to college and career readies, including AP/Honors courses, CTE pathways, and dual enrollment with Truckee Meadow Community College.

Click here to view the full presentation.

Board Heard Updates from Quest Academy

Quest Academy provided a brief update regarding their governing board, academic performance, and financial performance. Moving forward, Quest Academy will shift to quarterly board updates. 

Click here to see the full update. 

Board Heard Updates from Discovery Charter 

Discovery Charter currently has 538 enrolled students and no current staff vacancies. They have implemented ACE and GATE programs and have a reopening plan in place. Moving forward, Discovery Charter School will shift to quarterly board updates. 

Board Heard Updates from CIVICA Nevada Career & Collegiate Academy

CIVICA Nevada Career and Collegiate Academy has 546 students registered and no staff vacancies. Construction on their school building is almost complete, and they will soon be able to receive their certificate of occupancy. 

Click here to see the presentation. 

Board Heard Overview of Charter School Renewal Process

SPCSA staff provided the Authority with an overview of the charter school renewal process

Click here to see the full presentation, including information and data used to make renewal recommendations and the SPCSA staff approach to recommendations. 

Board Heard Proposed Regulatory Changes to Charter School Applications

SPCSA staff is considering shortening the length of notice for Letters of Intent from 120 days to 90 days. Additionally, staff is considering moving from two application windows to a single application window each year. Prior to any formal regulatory changes, the SPCSA would hold a regulatory workshop as well as a regulatory hearing, and any regulatory changes approved by the Authority would ultimately be subject to approval by the Legislative Commission.

Click here to see proposed regulatory changes. 

Long-Range Calendar

  • August meeting: proposed changes to site evaluation process, proposed governance standards presented 
  • October meeting: review of academic performance, discussion of how ESSER funds are being used 
  • November meeting: new charter school applications reviewed 

Click here to see the long-range calendar.

Sign up to receive a notification when a new Ed-Watch post is published:

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? Considered one of Nevada’s school districts, the SPCSA sponsors and oversees public charter schools. The Authority consists of seven 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? The SPCSA typically meets one a month, generally on Fridays. 

Click here for SPCSA meeting schedule and materials.

Can community members engage at SPCSA Board Meetings? While all meetings of the SPCSA are typically 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), all meetings are now held virtually due to the COVID-19 crisis. Members of the public may view the meeting online via the link on the SPCSA’s Public Notice web page and the agenda and any supporting materials can be found here. Public comment may be given on any agenda item at the beginning of the meeting, or public comment regarding any matter that is SPCSA-related may be given at the conclusion of each Board meeting. Members of the community giving public comment can utilize the following conference call line: 1-312-584-2401; extension 3952176# with a time limit of three minutes per speaker. Alternatively, public comment may be submitted in writing to 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, July 30, 2021

State Public Charter School Authority Special Board Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting? 

Public Comment #1

Members of the public provided comment regarding: 

  • Concerns about cuts to federal charter school funding and charter schools that utilize for-profit services not being eligible to receive federal funding.
  • CSAN is planning a best practices seminar on September 24th, and they are looking for presenters who would like to share about any topic they feel their school does well.
  • Concerns over rising COVID-19 cases and students returning to school.
  • Concerns over distance learning program options for students who do not want to return to in-person learning. 
  • Concerns over masking mandate.  

Click here to view public comments submitted online.

Consent Agenda Highlights: 

SPCSA Executive Directors’ and SPCSA Staff Report:

Report highlights:

  • Over the past year, the Authority has worked to support schools in their efforts to serve all students equitably and uphold the SPCSA’s values of equity and diversity. Some of the steps taken to date include: 
    • updates to Site Evaluations,
    • updates to the charter school contract amendment & renewal application, 
    • increased accessibility to equity data 
    • Meetings and discussions around 1) efforts to increase access to quality professional development on restorative justice, culturally responsive practices, and diversity, equity and inclusion; 2) opportunities to reduce information and access barriers for historically underserved student groups; and 3) data regarding the demographics of staff in comparison to demographics of the student body.
    • SPCSA-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion training 
  • The Authority received nine complete new charter school applications. These applications should be posted to the SPCSA website next week and will likely be discussed at the November meeting. Click here to view applications. 
  • SPCSA staff and Authority board welcomed a new member, Erica Mosca 
  • The SPCSA has outlined their Annual Initiatives for the 2021-22 school year. 
    • Annual Reporting and Document Management 
      • Reevaluate and re-tool the SPCSA’s processes and systems for collecting and disseminating data, information and reports to meet statutory and regulatory requirements as a charter school sponsor and local educational agency. 
    • Library of Resources 
      • The SPCSA will develop a library of resources that is constantly accessible to schools, which includes guidance documents, manuals, FAQs and training videos. 
      • Five new staff will be added to the SPCSA: two staff members will be site evaluators, two staff members will be education programs (one for grants and one for fiscal), and one staff member will be a grant project analyst.
      • A newsletter explaining best practices for educators was mentioned as the initial steps to better connect charter schools. 
    • Click here to see initiatives. 
  • Governance Standards for Sponsored Charter Schools.
    • Per Assembly Bill 419, the SPCSA must establish governance standards for their sponsored charter schools and provide training on the governance of charter schools. Each member of the governing body of a charter school must also complete training before the opening of the school and every three years thereafter. 
      • Research is currently underway to develop governance standards. Focus groups will be held during the end of July and early August to gather input. The standards will be brought forward at the August 27, 2021 board meeting and brought back to the authority for final approval in October. Click here to see governance standards. 

Board Heard COVID-19 Update

SPCSA staff provided the Authority with an update regarding issues related to COVID-19, including COVID-19 mitigation measures for the 2021-22 school year.

  • COVID-19 mitigation measures are delegated to charter school sponsors. The SPCSA recommends that schools follow all CDC guidance and any guidance from local health officials. 
  • On July 27, the CDC released guidance, recommending that both fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people wear masks in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission. In accordance with Emergency Directive 045, Nevada automatically adopts the latest CDC guidance. 
  • As of now, mask requirements for students nine years of age and younger are not required to wear masks, although there may be changes to these requirements. 
  • All charter school employees in Clark County are required to wear face coverings while at school regardless of vaccination status. 
  • There are distance education options for students. The minimum requirements state that schools are required to provide distance education for students who have medical conditions that keep them from participating in person and students who have to quarantine. 
  • Testing: antigen rapid testing may possibly be used for screening this year, as well as a mobile testing unit. 
    • The funding for this testing comes from the federal government and will be implemented by the Department of Health and Human Services. 
  • Click here to see the update. 

Board Approved Charter School Contract Amendments

  • TEACH Las Vegas has been approved to reduce enrollment from 325 to 150 for the 2021-22 school year. 16 classrooms at their location will be subleased to Explore Academy. Additionally, the school will postpone their transportation plan until the 2022-23 school year. Click here to view the staff recommendation memo.  
  • Girls Athletic Leadership School has been approved for  the use of a short-term contingency facility at the Boys and Girls Club in the event that GALS does not have a Certificate of Occupancy for their new school site at 4220 South Maryland Parkway by August 3, 2021. This request was made to ensure GALS is able to maintain their August 9th start date. Click here to view the staff recommendation memo. 

Board Heard Update from Nevada Connections Academy

Aligned to their charter agreement, Nevada Connections Academy provided an update on their progress to improve their Star Rating from one to three stars in three years. NCA has invested in reading, math, and ACT prep and are implementing a new grading framework. NCA is also offering three graduation pathways aligned to college and career readies, including AP/Honors courses, CTE pathways, and dual enrollment with Truckee Meadow Community College.

Click here to view the full presentation.

Board Heard Updates from Quest Academy

Quest Academy provided a brief update regarding their governing board, academic performance, and financial performance. Moving forward, Quest Academy will shift to quarterly board updates. 

Click here to see the full update. 

Board Heard Updates from Discovery Charter 

Discovery Charter currently has 538 enrolled students and no current staff vacancies. They have implemented ACE and GATE programs and have a reopening plan in place. Moving forward, Discovery Charter School will shift to quarterly board updates. 

Board Heard Updates from CIVICA Nevada Career & Collegiate Academy

CIVICA Nevada Career and Collegiate Academy has 546 students registered and no staff vacancies. Construction on their school building is almost complete, and they will soon be able to receive their certificate of occupancy. 

Click here to see the presentation. 

Board Heard Overview of Charter School Renewal Process

SPCSA staff provided the Authority with an overview of the charter school renewal process

Click here to see the full presentation, including information and data used to make renewal recommendations and the SPCSA staff approach to recommendations. 

Board Heard Proposed Regulatory Changes to Charter School Applications

SPCSA staff is considering shortening the length of notice for Letters of Intent from 120 days to 90 days. Additionally, staff is considering moving from two application windows to a single application window each year. Prior to any formal regulatory changes, the SPCSA would hold a regulatory workshop as well as a regulatory hearing, and any regulatory changes approved by the Authority would ultimately be subject to approval by the Legislative Commission.

Click here to see proposed regulatory changes. 

Long-Range Calendar

  • August meeting: proposed changes to site evaluation process, proposed governance standards presented 
  • October meeting: review of academic performance, discussion of how ESSER funds are being used 
  • November meeting: new charter school applications reviewed 

Click here to see the long-range calendar.

Sign up to receive a notification when a new Ed-Watch post is published:

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