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, August 8, 2019
Clark County School District Board of Trustees Meeting
Click here to see the meeting agenda
What happened at this meeting?
Public Comment
Members of the public provided testimony to Trustees regarding:
- Alleged bullying and harassment between employees
- Concerns with the number of teacher vacancies
- Teacher salary increases
- Concerns about changes to bus routes
Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda
Consent agenda highlights:
- Facilities improvements
- $100,000 settlement to the family of a teen that was shot at Canyon Springs High School
- MOU with Fulfillment Fund to support students at Chaparral High School
Trustees Discussed Silver State Governance Training
Silver State Governance (SSG) is an operating framework and coaching system that orients school board members to a framework that puts student achievement at the forefront of decision-making.
The Silver State Governance Accountability Framework is built around six research-inspired competencies that correlate with improvements in student outcomes:
- Vision & Goals
- Values & Constraints
- Accountability & Monitoring
- Communication & Collaboration
- Unity & Trust
- Continuous Improvement
Trustees did not vote on this item, as it was changed to be discussion only. Trustees chose not to bring this topic back before the board as an action item.
Click here to see the Silver State Governance proposal.
Trustees Discussed Concerns with the Implementation of School Organizational Teams
To ensure they are conducting the appropriate level of oversight and fulfilling their fiduciary responsibilities, Trustees are requesting the following information from schools:
- Process for electing SOT members
- Number of applicants who applied to serve on the SOT
- Number of votes cast by the school community to elect SOT members
- Names of SOT members
- Number of years served by SOT members
- The process for making budget cuts (plus, what cuts were made)
- Average class size
- Staff to administrator ratio
- Student to administrator ratio
- Confirm all SOT meeting agendas and minutes are posted online in a central location (including budgets and a master calendar)
In the future, schools are to survey SOT members to learn how to improve the process and experience.
Public Comment: Members of the public expressed concerns about:
- How parents are being selected to serve on SOT boards
- Lack of transparency and fidelity in the implementation of the work of the SOTs
Trustees Approved Medium-Term Obligations
This bond money will be used for new and replacement school buses, special education, general education, and new schools. CCSD is proposing up to $35,000,000 to finance all or a portion of the cost of acquiring, improving, and equipping school facilities.
Click here to see the resolution.
Trustees Heard Updates on CCSD Focus 2024 Priorities
Below is a summary of the updates presented to Trustees related to the priorities of the CCSD strategic plan (Focus 2024):
- Employee Morale: Improve employee morale and engagement, and increase retention rates.
- Measure 1: Individuals (employees, parents, community members or others) engage in recognizing employees
- 2018-2019 Target: 2,000 Engagements
- 2018-2019 Actual: 6,426 Engagements
- 2019-2020 Target: 2,000 Engagements
- Measure 2: Employees are recognized
- 2018-2019 Target: 1,600 Employees
- 2018-2019 Actual: 7,171 Employees recognized
- 2019-2020 Target: 1,600 Employees
- Trustees discussed focusing on outcomes for a greater sense of whether morale is improving.
- Public Comment: A member of the public expressed a need to consider morale among support staff.
- Click here to see the presentation.
- Measure 1: Individuals (employees, parents, community members or others) engage in recognizing employees
- Fiscal Transparency: Improve the quality, communication, and understanding of financial information of the district
- Measure: Increase the percentage of financial survey respondents noting at least a 4 (on a scale of 1-5) on understanding the quality of financial information
- 2019-2020 Target: 71%
- 2018-2019 Actual: 66% of respondents noted at least a 4.
- Click here to see the presentation.
- Measure: Increase the percentage of financial survey respondents noting at least a 4 (on a scale of 1-5) on understanding the quality of financial information
Trustees Heard an Update on Facilities Improvements
The CCSD Chief of Facilities discussed the need to respond to maintenance emergencies and focus on preventative maintenance, rather than being reactive.
A pilot program to address facilities issues is launching– with 11 Building Engineer positions filled.
Other highlighted topics included:
- Air Handler Coil Cleaning
- Air Filter Replacement
- Water Treatment for HVAC systems
- Mobile maintenance – Paint, carpentry, and plumbing
- Energy and Sustainability
- Evaluation of New Construction to reduce school footprints and associated costs
- Allocation of CIP funds to modernization
- Third party cost estimates when construction bids exceed budgeted amount
Click here to see the presentation.
Trustees Approved an Employment Contract for New Chief Negotiator and Assistant General Counsel Position
The position will be filled by Luke Puschnig, the former counsel for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
Click here to see the employment contract.
Click here to read about this in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Potential Future Agenda Items:
- Discuss a secure hotline for CCSD staff to report workplace bullying
- The Executive Director of the State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) is attending the next CCSD work session– related to the SPCSA’s plan to manage the growth of public charter schools.
- Superintendent Jara requested that Trustees review the draft agreement between CCSD and Clark County (the Open Schools Open Doors policy), and to provide feedback during their one-on-one meetings. This item will be on the next board agenda, contingent upon successful negotiations with the County Commission.