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 once 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, January 24, 2025
State Public Charter School Authority Board Meeting
Access the meeting agenda and playback.
What happened at this meeting?
Public Comments
Public comments included:
- Information about the Nevada Youth Legislature
- School food waste
Board Approved the Consent Agenda
Consent agenda highlights included:
- December 13, 2024, meeting minutes
- Annual report to Nevada Department of Education
SPCSA Executive Director’s Report
Highlights from the report include:
- Introduction of new board member Roseanne Richards, with experience in teaching, education administration, and hospitality
- School Highlight: Nevada State High School ties its instruction back to its core pillars
- Delinquent Schools PERS Contributions: Nevada Prep and Equipo Academy both have approved payment plans from PERS.
- SPCSA Historic Enrollment Data: Historic enrollment data can be found here.
- Legislative Update: The SPCSA’s bill is AB39, and staff are actively tracking bills as they are filed and as bill language is released. The tracking sheet can be found here.
- TEACH and Eagle School Closure Updates: TEACH is working with Clifton Larson Allen to conduct the financial audit of the wind-down. The school has also satisfied its PERS obligation. Eagle received its final CSP payment, which it is using to pay vendors. The school has also satisfied its PERS obligation. It is also working with Clifton Larson Allen for its financial audit.
Board Took Action on Charter School Contract Amendment Applications
Amplus Academy’s request to increase its enrollment cap at its Durango Campus was approved, under the condition that the school works with SPCSA staff to complete the requirements pertaining to the expansion of the campus. Review the recommendation memo.
Leadership Academy of Nevada’s request to increase its enrollment cap and expand grade offerings to include grades 4-5 was approved. Review the recommendation memo.
Nevada Virtual Charter School’s request to reduce the school’s enrollment cap and change its enrollment policy to limit enrollment to students who reside in Clark County was approved. Review the recommendation memo.
Vegas Vista Academy’s request to reduce the school’s enrollment cap was approved. Review the recommendation memo.
Board Heard the SPCSA Annual Review and Overview of SPCSA-Sponsored Public Schools
SPCSA students comprise 13.1% of all public schools in Nevada, and is the third largest local education agency in the State. There are 80 charter school campuses sponsored by SPCSA across Churchill, Clark, Elko, Washoe, and White Pine counties. Seventy-nine percent of new charter school campuses (opened in the last five years) are Title I schools.
Seventy-three percent of SPCSA schools earn a 3-star or better on the SNPF, and SPCSA schools have a graduation rate of 83.3%, with 26 of 27 high schools exceeding the statewide graduation rate. SPCSA schools outperform other states in SBAC proficiency.
SPCSA schools also made progress with increasing the diversity of students served by SPCSA schools, with recently opened SPCSA schools more reflective of state enrollment rates in terms of student racial demographics, English Learners, economically disadvantaged students, and students with disabilities.
There are five schools scheduled to open in the 2025-26 school year, and six Clark County School District charter schools that will be in the SPCSA portfolio following today’s meeting.
Explore the presentation.
Board Took Action on Charter Sponsorship Transfer Applications
The Board approved transfer applications for the following schools, which were previously sponsored by Clark County School District:
- Delta Academy
- Explore Knowledge Academy
- FuturEdge Charter Academy
- Innovations International Charter School of Nevada
- Odyssey Charter Schools
- Rainbow Dreams Academy
Long-Range Calendar (next 3 months):
Agenda items over the next three SPCSA board meetings are anticipated to include:
- Financial Performance Framework ratings
- Legislative updates
- Revolving loan application recommendations
- Portrait of a Learner update
- Newly-sponsored schools’ updates
Explore the calendar.
The next Meeting of the SPCSA Board is scheduled for Friday, March 7, @ 9:00 a.m.
