Tag: Audit

Nevada Ed-Watch: 11/17/22

Posted on by Opportunity 180

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.

Clark County School District Board of Trustees 

What is the Board of Trustees & what are they responsible for? The CCSD Trustees are publicly elected decision-makers for the school district. They are responsible for providing oversight to the Superintendent and establishing District-wide policy. Trustees are accountable to work with their communities to improve student achievement.

Click here to learn more and see a list of current Trustees
Click here to find your Trustee District

How often does the Board of Trustees meet? Trustees meet twice per month (second and fourth Thursdays) at 5 pm both virtually and at the Edward A. Greer Education Center Board Room (2832 E Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89121).

Click here for a full list of Trustees meetings and agendas
Click here to visit Hope For Nevada’s #NVEd Calendar

Can community members engage at Trustee meetings? Decision-making bodies benefit greatly from hearing public input and multiple perspectives. Currently, members of the public can submit comments on agenda and non-agenda items through email or voice recording. Public comment can be provided in person, via email, or via voice recording. Email comments should be submitted to Boardmtgcomments@nv.ccsd.net. To submit a voice recording on items listed on the meeting agenda, call 702-799-1166. Voice recorded public comment is limited to 1 minute 30 seconds.

Thursday, November 17, 2022

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda.
Watch the meeting playback on CCSD EduVision.

What happened at this meeting?

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda (7-0)

Consent Agenda Highlights:

Explore consent agenda items here.

Joint Meeting with the Audit Advisory Committee

Trustees Received a Presentation of the Annual Independent Auditor’s Report for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2022

Representatives from Eide Bailly presented the annual Independent Auditor’s Report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2022. Highlights included:

  • Auditor’s issued an unmodified opinion, which is the highest level of assurance that financial materials are correct and can be relied upon.
    • The Government Auditing Standards report showed no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies.
    • The Compliance report did not find any non-compliance.
    • Uniform Guidance on Major Federal Programs report yielded an unmodified opinion and did not identify any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses.
    • The Schedule of Expenditures showed a healthier financial position trend year-over-year.
  • The reserves (fund balance) have increased to almost $113M, or 4% of expenditures and restricted funds now total around $207M.
  • Revenues were around $30M less than budget, due to decreases in enrollment and investment income. CCSD holds investments to maturity, however, and will not be selling them at a loss. It is expecting to earn about 2% on those investments.
  • Spend was about $191M less than budget, mostly due to staff vacancies and supply chain carry-over.
  • Total expenditures were around $260M lower in totality, again due to staff shortages and timing of spends that were delayed by supply chain backlogs.
  • CCSD is the largest employer in Clark County (over 40,000 employees), with most in the instructional unit.
  • Cost-per-pupil spend continues to trend upward, while student-to-teacher ratio is trending downward.

Explore the report and the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.

Trustees Approved the Independent Auditor’s Narrative Report of Recommendations and District Responses to Recommendations for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2022, and Independent Auditor’s Statements on NRS Compliance (7-0)

Trustees approved to accept CCSD’s responses to the independent auditor’s recommendations for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2022. The written responses and narrative will be incorporated by reference into the minutes, and the report will be filed as per NRS 354.625. Trustees also accepted the auditor’s statements on NRS compliance, including any necessary corrective actions. These will also be transmitted and filed. 

The report found CCSD to be fully compliant in all areas.

Explore the narrative report.

Trustees Approved the Authorization to Include the Recap of Budget Appropriation Transfers between Governmental Functions of all Funds for the Period from July 1, 2021 – June 20, 2022, in Official Board Minutes (7-0)

Trustees approved authorizing inclusion of the recap of budget appropriations transfers from fiscal year 2022 (July 1, 2021 – June 20, 2022), in official board minutes.

Explore the recap of budget appropriation transfers.

Public Comment on Items Not Listed on Action Items of the Agenda of the Joint Meeting

Members of the public shared comments on this item regarding: 

  • Suggestions on how to better shift spending to the staff level, and general comments on compliance

Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items

  • Changes to public comment and engagement with the Board
  • Issues with late busses and inability to track some busses
  • Suggestion on dress code compliance

The next Meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for December 8, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. 

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

Nevada Ed-Watch 11/16/20

Posted on by Opportunity 180

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.

Clark County School District Board of Trustees 

What is the Board of Trustees & what are they responsible for? The CCSD Trustees are publicly elected decision-makers for the school district. They are responsible for providing oversight to the Superintendent and establishing District-wide policy. Trustees are accountable to work with their communities to improve student achievement.

Click here to learn more and see a list of current Trustees

Click here to find your Trustee District

How often does the Board of Trustees meet? Trustees meet twice per month (second and fourth Thursdays) at 5 pm. While all meetings are typically held at the Edward A. Greer Education Center (Board Room): 2832 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89121, all meetings are now held virtually due to the COVID-19 crisis. 

Click here for a full list of Trustees meetings and agendas

Click here to visit Hope For Nevada’s #NVEd Calendar

Can community members engage at Trustee Meetings? Decision-making bodies benefit greatly from hearing public input and multiple perspectives. Community members can sign up to speak after the agenda has been posted– by calling the Board Office at (702) 799-1072 at least 3 hours before the scheduled meeting, or signing up in-person at the beginning of the meeting. Prior to each agenda item being voted on, speakers can share their perspective after the Board’s discussion and prior to the vote.

Monday, November 16, 2020

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Meeting Joint Meeting with Audit Advisory Committee

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

No members of the public submitted comments. 

Trustees Approved Independent Audit Report Responses 

Trustees and the Audit Advisory Committee held a joint meeting in order to review the completed annual audit of CCSD’s finances and financial controls for July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020. Following an overview of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report offered by CCSD Chief Financial Officer Jason Goudie, Trustees heard the independent auditor’s review. The audit, conducted by Eide Bailly, includes a review of financial statements, internal controls over financial reporting and compliance with laws, regulations, and grant agreements. There were no relevant issues or deficiencies identified by the auditors related to the management of funds or compliance by the district. 

Trustees approved the acceptance of the independent auditor’s statements as well as the  district’s response to the independent auditor’s informal recommendations. 

Click here to view the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. 
Click here to view the Independent Auditor Summary of Reports. 
Click here to view the Independent Auditor Report & CCSD’s responses. 

Trustees Approved Budget Appropriation Transfers Summary 

On a monthly basis throughout the year, Trustees approve budget appropriation transfers. Budget appropriation transfers are necessary when money designated for a category of funds is transferred to a different category of funds. Once per year, a summary of all transfers are combined to be submitted to the public record. Trustees approved the annual summary of transfers. 

Click here to view the summary of transfers.

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

Nevada Ed-Watch 6/11/20

Posted on by Opportunity 180

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.

Clark County School District Board of Trustees 

What is the Board of Trustees & what are they responsible for? The CCSD Trustees are publicly elected decision-makers for the school district. They are responsible for providing oversight to the Superintendent and establishing District-wide policy. Trustees are accountable to work with their communities to improve student achievement.

Click here to learn more and see a list of current Trustees

Click here to Find your Trustee District

How often does the Board of Trustees meet? Trustees meet twice per month (second and fourth Thursdays) at 5pm at the Edward A. Greer Education Center (Board Room): 2832 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89121.

Click here for a full list of Trustees meetings and agendas

Click here to visit Hope For Nevada’s #NVEd Calendar

Can community members engage at Trustee Meetings? Decision-making bodies benefit greatly from hearing public input and multiple perspectives. Community members can sign up to speak after the agenda has been posted– by calling the Board Office at (702) 799-1072 at least 3 hours before the scheduled meeting, or signing up in-person at the beginning of the meeting. Prior to each agenda item being voted on, speakers can share their perspective after the Board’s discussion and prior to the vote.

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Special Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Members of the public submitted comments online. Public comment was not read directly into the record, and rather an oral summary of each comment was provided to Trustees.

Click here to view public comment on agenda items. 

Click here to view public comment on non-agenda items. 

Board Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent Agenda Highlights: 

  • Amendments to Rainbow Dreams Academy charter contract to remove grades 1-8 and transition to a Pre-K and kindergarten only. Trustees and staff discussed ensuring accountability measures are in place for this new school configuration. 
  • Membership to the Council of Great City Schools. Trustees expressed their support for continuing the partnership and will be addressing communication concerns trustees have brought forward. (Vote: 6-0-1)

Board Appointed an Audit Advisory Committee Member

The board approved the reappointment of Joshua Robinson to the CCSD Audit Advisory Committee. The purpose of this committee is to advise the Board in strengthening accountability for the efficient stewardship of public funds; providing a communication link between external and internal auditors and the Board of Trustees; enhancing transparency of the District’s financial operations; and improving public trust in the honesty and integrity of public officials.

Board Approved Notices of Intent to Update Policies 

Final policies will be brought before the board at the July 25th CCSD Board of Trustees meeting. 

Policies that will be updated include:

GP-5: Board Officers 

GP-7 Vice President’s Role

GP-9 Meeting Planning

GP-10 Construction of Agenda 

Policy 6165: Programs and Services for English Language Learner Students 

Board Approved MOA with the Clark County Educators Association (CCEA)

The MOA is related to the implementation of school improvement grants,  and provides pay for additional teacher minutes at El Dorado HS and Bailey Middle school. 

Click here to view the MOA.

Board Reviewed the CCSD 2021 Legislative Platform 

CCSD Staff presented a draft legislative platform for the district, which includes topics specific to School Funding, Improved Learning Environments, and School Safety & Mental Health. Highlights from the platform include: 

  • Preserving the weighted funding formula  
  • Opposing all unfunded mandates 
  • Collaborating with the state to invest in digital learning 
  • Identifying opportunities to address and diversify the teacher pipeline 

Trustees discussed the necessity to ensure that public education is adequately funded in Nevada, including communication from the governor’s office on impacts to the budget due to revenue shortfalls from COVID. Other topics that trustees proposed for consideration in the platform include: adjustments to the reorganization of the district (AB469),  consideration of technology related to workforce and school building security.  

Trustees Heard Updates about the District’s Response to COVID-19

COVID response update highlights:

  • 3.5 million meals have been served, and USDA is extending waivers through the summer. 
  • From the time of school building closures through the end of the school year, 4,370 students were not successfully reached. Approximately 2/3 of those students not reached identify as Black or Hispanic. 
  • CCSD released a survey for the community to provide input on what should be prioritized for the reopening of schools. Approximately 94,000 responses were received from community members, teachers, students, and central office staff. 
  • Reopening Plan: Working groups have met and provided input to inform the initial school reopening plan. Currently, school department heads and subject matter experts are using input collected from the working groups to refine the plan. Unit chiefs will then present recommendations to the superintendent and cabinet for input. The final plan is expected to be presented to the board at the July 25th meeting, and is required to be available for the public no less than 20 days before the first day of school. 
    • Trustees discussed looking to other districts to understand how their reopening is impacting staff and students. Additionally, trustees discussed ensuring that feedback from educators is closely taken into consideration as plans are finalized. 
    • Trustees and Superintendent  Jara also discussed needing to connect with the Governor’s office and Nevada Department of Education to ensure  they are receiving information in a timely manner. 

Superintendent Jara’s prepared statement:

Click here to read about this in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. 

Superintendent Communications

Superintendent Jara welcomed Sarah Cyprus, the new principal of Treem Elementary.

Requests for Future Agenda Items:

  • Detailed presentation on data related to CCSD Police policies and data about excessive force, including the use of pepper spray on campus.
  • Information about how Trustees will be updated on the work of the Nevada Department of Education Reopening Committee.

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

Nevada Ed-Watch 5/16/19

Posted on by Opportunity 180

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.

Clark County School District Board of Trustees 

What is the Board of Trustees & what are they responsible for? The CCSD Trustees are publicly elected decision-makers for the school district. They are responsible for providing oversight to the Superintendent and establishing District-wide policy. Trustees are accountable to work with their communities to improve student achievement.

Click here to learn more and see a list of current Trustees

Click here to Find your Trustee District

How often does the Board of Trustees meet? Trustees meet twice per month (second and fourth Thursdays) at 5pm at the Edward A. Greer Education Center (Board Room): 2832 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89121.

Click here for a full list of Trustees meetings and agendas

Click here to visit Hope For Nevada’s #NVEd Calendar

Can community members engage at Trustee Meetings? Decision-making bodies benefit greatly from hearing public input and multiple perspectives. Community members can sign up to speak after the agenda has been posted– by calling the Board Office at (702) 799-1072 at least 3 hours before the scheduled meeting, or signing up in-person at the beginning of the meeting. Prior to each agenda item being voted on, speakers can share their perspective after the Board’s discussion and prior to the vote.

Thursday, May 16, 2019

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Trustees honored the late Assemblyman Tyrone Thompson by presenting a proclamation to his family. The proclamation honored Mr. Thompson’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in Nevada, as well as his advocacy for quality education for every student.

Public Comment

Members of the public provided testimony to Trustees regarding:

  • A new reading program that is being developed
  • Diversity and representation in school leadership
  • Concerns about employment decisions

Trustees Unanimously Approved the Consent Agenda

The Consent Agenda included an agreement between CCSD and The Smith Center for the Performing Arts that will provide professional learning opportunities for integrating the arts into academic instruction.

Click here to see the agreement.

Trustees Announced the Recipient of the Board of Trustees Scholarship

This is the sixth year the Board has provided a $1,000 scholarship to a student that serves on the School Board Advisory Committee. Coronado High School student, Olivia Yamamoto, was awarded the scholarship this year.

Trustees Heard Updates from the Student Advisory Committee

At the last Student Advisory Committee meeting on May 7th, the following topics were discussed:

  • Dress code policies
    • Student concerns about how dress code is enforced in high school
    • Proposed that different ages have different dress code policies
  • Ways the Student Advisory Committee could be improved in the future

Trustees Updated the Board Meeting Calendar

Trustees voted to revise the calendar of work session and regular Board meetings, including meeting locations while the usual location is undergoing technology updates.

Those changes include:

  • June 27 and July 11 meetings will take place in the Clark County Commissioner Chambers, and will begin at 6pm. 500 S Grand Central Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89155
  • Work Sessions scheduled for July 3 and August 7 will take place in the CCSD Administrative center (room 243), and will begin at 8am. 5100 W Sahara Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89146
  • Regular Board meetings scheduled for August 8 and August 22 will take place in the Theater at Valley High School at 5pm. 2839 Burnham Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89169

Click here to see the updated Board Calendar.

Trustees Approved a Proposal to the Oversight Panel for School Facilities

Trustees approved a proposal submission to the Oversight Panel for School Facilities. The Oversight panel for school facilities addresses whether CCSD should issue bonds.

Click here to see the proposal.

Trustees Review American Indian/Alaska Native Policies and Procedures of Federal Impact Aid

Trustees approved an application for Impact Aid (Section 7003), which provides basic operation and maintenance funds needed to educate and transport federally-connected  student eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Click here to learn more.

Trustees Heard a Presentation on School Audits

Auditors completed school audits, which focus on looking for good internal controls to make sure that the district’s assets are protected.

82 regular school audits were conducted as of March 31. The following results came out of the internal audits for this fiscal year:

  • 70% Normal (standard findings)
  • 14% Clean Audits (no reportable findings)
  • 13.4% Priority (these are re-audited within 9-12 months)
  • 1.5% At-Risk (these are re-audited within 6-9 months)

If a school is given Priority or At-Risk status twice in a row, the Regional and School Associate Superintendents get involved to go over results and work with the schools to correct key controls and operations.

Click here to see the presentation.

Trustees Heard Legislative Updates

Trustees heard the following updates on legislation that CCSD is tracking:

  • SB453: Revises the Nevada education Funding Formula. Click here to read about SB453 in the Nevada Independent.
  • AB309: Streamlines accounting of state education funds and authorizes counties to raise sales tax to fund education.  Click here to read about AB309 in the Nevada Independent.
  • SB469: Revises  the reorganization of large school districts
  • AB88: Revises the way school districts allocate funds to schools

Additionally, Superintendent Jara made a statement regarding the recent vote by 4,000 Clark County Education Association members to strike in the 2019-2020 school year. He stated that although CCSD continues to advocate for additional school funding, that they will continue do so through legal, constitutional means (a strike would be against Nevada law).

Click here to read about this in the Nevada Independent.

Potential Future Agenda Items:

  • Coordination of monthly community Trustee meetings
  • Review the procedure for providing responses to public comment
  • Updates on implicit bias training

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

Nevada Ed-Watch 11/8/18

Posted on by Opportunity 180

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.

Clark County School District Board of Trustees 

What is the Board of Trustees & what are they responsible for? The CCSD Trustees are publicly elected decision-makers for the school district. They are responsible for providing oversight to the Superintendent and establishing District-wide policy. Trustees are accountable to work with their communities to improve student achievement.

Click here to learn more and see a list of current Trustees

Click here to Find your Trustee District

How often does the Board of Trustees meet? Trustees meet twice per month (second and fourth Thursdays) at 5pm at the Edward A. Greer Education Center (Board Room): 2832 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89121.

Click here for a full list of Trustees meetings and agendas

Click here to visit Hope For Nevada’s #NVEd Calendar

Can community members engage at Trustee Meetings? Decision-making bodies benefit greatly from hearing public input and multiple perspectives. Community members can sign up to speak after the agenda has been posted– by calling the Board Office at (702) 799-1072 at least 3 hours before the scheduled meeting, or signing up in-person at the beginning of the meeting. Prior to each agenda item being voted on, speakers can share their perspective after the Board’s discussion and prior to the vote.

Thursday, November 8, 2018
Clark County School District Board of Trustees Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda 

What happened at this meeting?

Joint Meeting with Audit Advisory Committee

Budget Appropriation Transfers

Trustees approved a set of budget appropriation transfers for the 2017-18 amended budget (approved December 14, 2017).  The transfer moves funds from one governmental function to another without impacting the end fund balance. Click here to see the Recap of Appropriations Transfers

Presentation of Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

Jason Goudie, CCSD’s Chief Financial Officer, gave a presentation on the financial report of the complete 2017-18 audit. Click here to see the report.

Audit Committee Approves Auditor’s Narrative Report

The CCSD Audit Committee heard a report on the review and recommendations made by Eide Bailly, the third party financial auditor who conducted a review of CCSD’s 2017-18 financial reports and procedures.  The full narrative report, including the district’s response, was approved by the Audit Committee as final. Click here to see the full narrative.

Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees

Trustees Approve Consent Agenda

The consent agenda included authorization to contract with the Nevada Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) for registration and lodging for students and advisors to attend the State Career Development Conference (SCDC).

The consent agenda also included the approval to accept funds to maintain current and establish new school gardens in Title I schools across the District.  Schools that are designated Title I are those schools that have 40% of more of their student population that qualifies for free and reduced lunch. Click here to see a list of schools identified for the garden program.

Discussion: Florence McClure Women’s Correctional Center Cultural Enrichment Program

Trustees discussed the Cultural Enrichment Program that will be provided at the Women’s Correctional Center for  female inmates. “The program’s goal is to provide an outlet for interested women to redirect negative energy in a positive way through the performing arts.” The program runs for 16 weeks, will be facilitated by expert volunteers and will offer participants the chance to earn a high school elective credit. Click here to learn more about the WCC cultural enrichment program.

Trustees Receive Briefing on the Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Forecast

Jason Goudie, Chief Financial Officer for CCSD, provided an update on the current year (School Year 2018-19, Fiscal Year 2019) budget.  The forecast shows an anticipated end of year fund balance of $45.5 million. It was noted that enrollment will continue to be the biggest variable in the District’s budget forecast; CCSD enrolled 2,600 fewer students this year than anticipated.

Trustees Adopt the 2019 Legislative Platform

Trustees reviewed and approved the Clark County School District’s priorities for the 2019 legislative session.  The main focus is on the K-12 funding formula and related sources of additional money. The school district will be working with 360 Strategies to lead their lobbying efforts during the legislative session.  Click here to see an overview of the full Legislative Platform.

Public comment on this topic included concerns that there is not  alignment among the unions’ and the District’s priorities; and, concerns that student equity was not mentioned in the legislative platform, including specifically targeted funding to reduce proficiency gaps.

Click here to read more about this in The Nevada Independent

Click here to read more about this in The Review Journal

Trustees Approve agreements with Police Officers and Police Administrators

The approval of these agreements go through the end of 2019.  The approval of the Police Administrators contract is the first agreement reached between the District and the PAA and includes retroactive pay increases back to 2015.

Presentation on Facility Construction Methods

The presentation reviewed the positives and negatives of both the Design-Bid-Build method and the Construction Manager-at-Risk method of facility construction.  While no formal action was taken, it was recommended that both methods remain available as options to the District for various projects.

Superintendent Shares Update on Student Searches

Two searches have been completed to date, one occurred at Las Vegas Academy and one at Foothill High School.  There were no incidents as a result of the searches.

Public Comment

During the final public comment period a number of current CCSD bus drivers shared their personal experiences related to working conditions, having too few drivers to complete the routes and the impact this is having on students who are regularly late getting to and from school.

Potential Future Items:

  • Presentation on student transportation, and an action plan to address concerns related to transportation.

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