Tag: Clark

Nevada Ed-Watch 2/13/20

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, February 13, 2020

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:

  • Support for continued funding of the AVID college readiness program 
  • Concerns about pay and benefits for substitute teachers 
  • Support for the unionization of substitute teachers
  • Requests to modify magnet school lottery weights– with more weight allocated to honor roll and GATE students 
  • Support of increased accountability for public schools 
  • Concerns about the decision to remove prayer from Trustee meetings
  • Concerns about honoring the rights of School Organization Team (SOT) members, and a report that 49% of SOT members are unsatisfied, according to climate survey responses

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda

The consent agenda included the Chinese guest teacher program.

A member of the public provided testimony to Trustees regarding barriers to obtaining teacher licensure.

Trustees Heard Updates on CCSD’s MAP Growth Assessment Results

NWEA MAP Growth is a formative assessment administered across all CCSD elementary and middle schools to measure student academic growth over time. A student’s MAP data can follow them to their feeder school or to other schools within CCSD they transfer to. MAP measures a student’s growth in comparison to similar peers, and is designed to help teachers identify instructional areas students are ready to tackle—whether they are on, above, or below grade level. 

The District is working with principals to phase other, less comprehensive formative assessments out of its Balanced Assessment model.

CCSD MAP Growth Assessment Results:

There were questions among Trustees about the validity of the MAP Assessment, and how it differs from the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC)– which measures student proficiency. 

Click here to see the presentation.

Public Comment

Members of the public provided testimony to Trustees regarding:

  • Concerns about CCSD over-emphasizing student data
  • Request to conduct evaluations of classroom instruction to measure effectiveness
  • Concerns about differentiating student learning

Trustees Approved an Agreement with CCSD and the Clark County Association of School Administrators and Professional Technical Employees 

The agreement updates the deadline for completion of college courses that impact salary. 

Click here to see the agreement. 

Trustees Heard Updates About Student Achievement at CCSD Innovative Middle Schools 

Trustees heard from principals at schools designated as Innovative Schools. Principals shared their strategies to improve student achievement, as well as their MAP Growth Assessment data for Math, English Language Arts, and Science. It was noted by principals that MAP data provides important information about how quickly students are growing towards proficiency.

Click here to see each school’s 2019-2020 Academic Plan– including detailed MAP assessment results and strategies to reduce achievement gaps among students. 

Innovative Schools Strategy Highlights:

  • Initiation of state standards training to ensure instruction is delivered at the appropriate grade level 
  • Development of teacher grading calibration training for reading and writing assessments 
  • Implementation of tiered interventions for students who need intensive academic supports
  • Implementation of block scheduling for Math and English Language Arts 
  • Implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
  • Implementation of instructional rounds 
  • Incorporation of families and students in academic goal setting 

Trustees shared their appreciation for the principals’ focus on improving student achievement in high-need schools. Trustees also discussed the importance of social-emotional support, teacher incentives, and family engagement. 

Click on an Innovative School below to see its school performance profile from the 2018-2019 school year:

Superintendent Communications
Superintendent Jara provided an update that the CCSD Equity Report Blue Ribbon Commission is currently under development. Additionally, Superintendent Jara announced that a similar commission will be launched to study issues related to teacher vacancies, substitute teachers, and long-term substitutes.

Requests for Future Agenda Items

  • Review policies for support animals in schools 
  • Request that Trustees are informed of CCSD partnership events occurring in their districts

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Nevada Ed-Watch 12/5/19

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, December 5, 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:

  • Concerns about leadership and culture at Clark High School
  • Concerns about inadequate services for students on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)

Trustees Unanimously Approve the Superintendent’s Evaluation  

Members of the public provided testimony to Trustees regarding: 

  • Support of a positive evaluation for Superintendent Jara
  • Concerns that the Superintendent’s evaluation does not adequately measure the progress of CCSD
  • Concerns that the Board of Trustees is not focused on student achievement

Trustees conducted a performance evaluation of Superintendent Jara’s first 18 months with school district. This is the first time a CCSD Superintendent evaluation has occurred in six years. 

Prior to the meeting, trustees completed individual evaluations of the Superintendent. Individual trustee evaluations were compiled into one comprehensive summary evaluation, which included rationale for the rating and recommendations for growth. For each evaluation category, the Superintendent was rated on a scale of 1-4. Trustees reviewed and discussed ratings under each evaluation category until a consensus was reached.

Superintendent Performance Ratings: 

  • Vision (maintaining focus on the District’s Vision): 3.25 out of 4
  • Student Success Targets (creation of student success targets, maintaining focus on student success, and monitoring results): 3.39 out of 4
  • Core Values (promoting a culture aligned to established core values): 2.58 out of 4
  • Theory of Action (adhering to established Theory of Action): 2.39 out of 4

Click here to see Superintendent Jara’s Self Evaluation.

Click here to see a summary of Trustee Evaluations. 

Click here to read about this in The Nevada Independent. 

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

Trustees Submitted their Individual Evaluations of the Board of Trustees

In addition to evaluating the Superintendent, prior to the meeting, trustees completed individual evaluations of the Board of Trustees performance. Individual trustee evaluations were compiled into one comprehensive summary evaluation.

Trustees will conduct and in-depth review of the board evaluation summary during a board meeting in January. 

Click here to see the Trustees self-evaluation summary. 

Requests for Future Agenda Items:

  • Updates to Trustee briefing policies  

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Nevada Ed-Watch 9/26/19

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, September 26, 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:

  • Concerns about students not getting enough physical activity, recess, and restroom breaks throughout the school day
  • Concerns about school safety and controlled access to school buildings
  • Appreciation for the district from a representative of the Education Support Employees Association (ESEA) for hearing support staff concerns while a Memorandum of Understanding was developed
  • Concerns about a student getting expelled for bringing foam toy nunchucks to school
  • Concerns about the process for hiring educators
  • Difficulty accessing pre-K for students who are not English Language Learners 
  • Concerns about a lack of training and professional development for support staff

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).

Click here to see CCSD’s Focus 2024 online dashboard.

Teachers, Principals and Staff: Human Resources

  • Objective 1: Increase the percentage of licensed teachers in the classroom. 
    • Goal (2019-20): 100% 
    • Actual (2018-19): 95.4%
    • By 2024: 100%
  • Objective 2: Increase the number of qualified teachers recruited for the selection pool. 
    • Goal (2019-20): 3,649
    • Actual (2018-19): 3,098
    • By 2024: 3,649
  • Objective 3: Increase the percentage of Critical Labor Shortage support professionals hired and decrease the number of vacancies.
    • Goal (2019-20): 0
    • Actual (2018-19): 145
    • By 2024: 0

Click here to see the Human Resources presentation.

Members of the public provided testimony regarding funding for teacher pay and benefits to attract and retain teachers. Trustees discussed capturing teacher attrition data through an exit survey process. Trustees also discussed focusing on areas like school culture and professional development to support educator retention. 

Sound Fiscal Management: Out-of-Service Buses and Bus Driver Absenteeism

  • Objective 1: Reduce number of buses placed out-of-service to reduce service delays.
    • Goal (2019-20): 21%
    • Actual (2018-19): 19% 
    • By 2024: 3%
  • Objective 2: Reduce bus driver absenteeism to improve service to students and ensure full instructional minutes.
    • Goal (2019-20): 10%
    • Actual (2018-19): 14.3% 
    • By 2024: 8%

Click here to see the Bus Service & Driver Absenteeism presentation. 

Approaches to prevent chronic absenteeism of bus drivers included:

  • Recognizing employees quarterly for perfect attendance
  • Educating drivers and staff about how student achievement is impacted by their attendance.
  • To reduce driver absenteeism caused by health-related matters, the transportation department also implemented health and prevention initiatives, such as partnering with Medicine on the Move (over 118 transportation employees received treatment so far). 

Sound Fiscal Management: Purchasing

  • Objective 1: Decrease processing time, reduce costs, and increase the competitive procurement ratio. 
    • Goal (2019-20): 80%
    • Actual (2018-19): 91%
    • By 2024: 95%
  • Objective 2: Reduce requisition processing time by increasing SAP catalog utilization to 70% within the next five years.
    • Goal (2019-20): 60%
    • Actual (2018-19): 71%
    • By 2024: 70%

Click here to see the Purchasing presentation.

Trustees discussed direct, school-level purchasing versus centralized purchasing. Centralizing purchasing for the district tends to be more cost-effective.

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent agenda highlights:

Trustees Heard a Presentation on the Eide Bailly Internal Controls Exam Report

A representative of Eide Bailly’s forensic department presented an overview of its report of CCSD’s Internal Controls examination. 

The primary examination method used was holding interviews with 409 CCSD employees within various business and finance units as well as some schools. 

Following the interviews, 13 recommendations were made for the district. 

Click here to see an executive summary outlining the 13 recommendations.

Click here to see the full report.

Trustees discussed staff training to ensure school-level compliance with updated policies and procedures. A request was made for Trustees to receive regular updates on each recommendation.

Trustees Heard a Presentation on Open Book Website

Open Book makes CCSD financial information easily accessible to the public. 

The Open Book website includes access to external audit results, the final budget of the fiscal year, and videos explaining topics related to the District’s finances. The site also has tools that show strategic budgets by school and accounts payable (payments to vendors).

There will be a Facebook Live video walk-through of Open Book on October 8th from 4:00-6:00 PM. 

Click here to see the presentation.

Click here to go to Open Book.

Trustees Approved a Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) Between CCSD and the Education Support Employees Association (ESEA)

One member of the public provided testimony in support of increased pay for support staff.

The agreement includes a 3% salary increase and a waiver for required fingerprinting costs.

The ESEA requested time to communicate the contract terms to the employees that will be impacted. Trustees approved the 2019-2021 MOU pending ratification. Once the ratification vote is made, it was requested that the pay increases be reflected in pay checks as soon as possible.

Click here to see the tentative agreement. 

Trustees Approved Changes to Food Service Programs Regulations

Trustees approved minor language updates to the Food Service Programs regulations. 

Click here to see the regulations.

Trustees Approved Changes to the School Facilities Naming Regulations (6-1 vote)

Trustees approved updates to the School Facilities Naming policy regulations. An eligible school that chooses to be renamed must conduct a survey of employees and families. At least 50% of the surveys must be returned, and greater than 50% of the surveys returned must agree to renaming the school.

Trustees approved the changes with a request for clarification that additional community input outside of the school community can be gathered for consideration, but will not be counted towards the 50% survey requirement. It was also requested to include examples of types of stakeholders that input could be gathered from. 

Click here to see the regulations.

Trustees Approved Changes to the 2021-2022 School Year Calendars for Students and Staff (5-2 vote)

The most significant change was related to how professional development is accounted for. Beginning in the 2016-2017 school year, schools were permitted to bank time for professional development in more flexible and frequent increments. Site-based collaboration was able to be banked and later utilized as time off during the week of Thanksgiving. This approach was approved by the Department of Education through the 2019-2020 school year. 

For the 2021-2022 school year, the Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week are now in-school days, and there are four days spread out throughout the year that are dedicated to professional development.

Members of the public expressed concerns about:

  • Student absenteeism the week of Thanksgiving due to travel schedules
  • Students and staff having the full week of Thanksgiving dedicated to spending time with families.
  • A disproportionate amount of work days being taken away from 9-month support staff. 

Contingency days were also set for March 9th, April 13th, and May 21st. 

The calendar was informed by a committee consisting of over 25 stakeholders including principals, counselors, and other staff from other departments such as transportation and HR.

Click here to see the draft calendar for students and staff.

Trustees Approved Renaming Lomie G. Heard Elementary School, A Marzano Academy, to Lomie G. Heard Elementary School

The name change was to remove the “Marzano Academy” component of the name, since the school’s contract with Marzano is no longer active. 

Trustee Reports:

  • Trustee Wright hosted a Facebook Live parent meeting as a way to be more accessible to parents who cannot attend meetings at set times in person. 
  • Trustee Young announced an upcoming Cultural Food Festival for families in partnership with Vegas PBS this Fall. Additionally, October 18-19th is the Las Vegas Book Festival.
  • Trustee Ford holds monthly parent meetings and live stream videos on topics such as navigating meeting agendas. 
  • Cepeda announced that FAFSA releases on October 1st. 
  • NABSA strategic planning Friday and Sat to discuss collaboration throughout the stat and advocating for common sense policies.
  • Trustee Brooks served on a panel for Opportunity 180 that also included Superintendents Ebert and Jara, J.T. McWilliams Principal Womack, Caryne Shea from HOPE for Nevada– to talk about what it would take to make some systemic changes to focus on student outcomes. 
  • Trustee Young expressed concerns about 3 school principals that were removed for not meeting student growth benchmarks. 

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Nevada Ed-Watch 9/12/19

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, September 12, 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:

  • Praise for the new CCSD Parent Advisory Committee 
  • School Organizational Team (SOT) elections 
  • School funding
  • Raises for Support Staff 
  • Diversifying school administrators

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent agenda highlights:

  • School facility upgrades
  • Grant to hire 35 new school police officers and 5 sergeants
  • Contract with the NWEA to provide school-based supports and services related to the NWEA MAP growth assessment

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):

Chronic Absenteeism 

The way chronic absenteeism is calculated changed in the 2018-2019 school year. Initially, a student who missed more than 18-days of school was considered chronically absent. Under the 2019 Nevada School Performance Framework (NSPF), a student that is absent 10% or more of the total days enrolled will be identified as chronically absent. A student would have to be enrolled in a school for at least 91 days of the current school year to be included in this calculation, according to the NSPF Guidebook.

Overall Chronic Absenteeism Rates:

  • 2018-2019 Target: 19.7%
  • 2018-2019 Actual: 17.3%
  • 2019-2020 Target: 17.7%

Chronic Absenteeism Gaps Between Subgroups:

  • 2018-2019 Target: 17.6% between the highest and lowest subgroups
  • 2018-2019 Actual: 17.8% between the highest and lowest subgroups

Click here to see the presentation about Chronic Absenteeism.

Parent and Community Support Goals:

  • Leverage internal resources to help parents/guardians support student achievement and attendance.
  • Secure strategic external resources and community partners
  • Improve trust in and perception of the Clark County School District
  • Click here to see metrics on the above Parent and Community Support goals

Student Success Goals:

  •  Decrease the number of student suspensions
  •  Decrease the disproportionality in the rate of student suspensions
  •  Decrease the number of student discretionary expulsion referrals
  •  Decrease the disproportionality in the rate of student discretionary expulsion referrals
  • Click here to see metrics on the above Student Success goals

Sound Fiscal Management Goals:

  • Provide effective and reliable network connectivity for schools
  • Improve business process efficiency related to human capital management
  • Reduce “on-hold” wait time for calls to user support desk
  • Click here to see metrics on the above Fiscal Management goals

Trustees Discussed an Agreement Between CCSD and the County Commission for the Open Schools Open Doors Policy

Trustees discussed a proposed contract between CCSD and the Clark County Commission to allow the use of school property for non-school activities outside of school hours.

The proposed agreement would include approving an initial 9 participating schools,  plus up to 10 more schools to be selected by CCSD by the end of the year. It would also require Clark County to cover any expenses related to damages that occur during county-scheduled events.

Considerations for the selection of participating school sites included:

  • Bureau of Land Management agreement restrictions
  • Associate Superintendent recommendations
  • Willingness of principals to participate
  • Ensuring each CCSD trustee and each Clark County Commissioner has a participating school within their district boundary lines

The proposed agreement did not have support from all Trustees present. Some Trustees questioned the County’s willingness to sign the agreement, and expressed concerns about safety and property damage. Rather than approving the item with a split vote, Trustees requested updates to the agreement as well as the planning and implementation of the policy– which included:

  • Gathering input from principals and the community about the policy
  • Transparency in the school selection process
  • Regular updates from principals regarding implementation

Public Comment: Members of the public expressed concerns about safety, liability, and making Open Schools Open Doors a funding priority.

Trustees Approved the Police Union Contract

Trustees approved an agreement with the Police Administrators Association of the Clark County School District Police Department.

The agreement includes the following for the CCSD Police Department lieutenants and captains:

  • 3% salary increase
  • 4% insurance contributions increase
  • Step increases for eligible employees

Click here to see the agreement.

 Trustees Approved the Amended Teachers Union Contract

Trustees approved an amendment to the negotiated agreement between CCSD and the Clark County Educators Association (CCEA), which includes step increases for teachers who completed the professional growth program.

The annual estimated CCSD teacher salary cost is $3.15 billion.

Click here to see the CCEA Contract Amendment.

Click here to read about this in the Nevada Independent.

Trustee reports:

  • 18 out of 18 students contacted participated in the 2019-2020 Student Advisory Committee. This year, the structure of the Student Advisory Committee has shifted from a formal board structure (subject to open meeting law) to a roundtable model. 

Superintendent Reports:

  • An agreement with the Education Support Employees Association (ESEA) was reached. Click here to read about this on CCSD Newsroom.
  • Fingerprinting fees have been revised for volunteers and employees. 
  • Budget
    • The district forecasts closing the fiscal year in better standing than originally anticipated. An amended final budget is being developed.  A deficit is still anticipated for the 2020-2021 school year.
  • Recognition for Triggs Elementary School for preliminary data that indicates the school improved from a 2-star to a 5-star rating in 1-year.

Potential Future Agenda Items:

  • Review of current wellness policy related to recess

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Nevada Ed-Watch 8/8/19

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, 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: 

  1. Vision & Goals
  2. Values & Constraints
  3. Accountability & Monitoring
  4. Communication & Collaboration
  5. Unity & Trust
  6. 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:

  1. Process for electing SOT members
  2. Number of applicants who applied to serve on the SOT
  3. Number of votes cast by the school community to elect SOT members
  4. Names of SOT members
  5. Number of years served by SOT members
  6. The process for making budget cuts (plus, what cuts were made)
  7. Average class size
  8. Staff to administrator ratio
  9. Student to administrator ratio
  10. 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.
  • 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.

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.

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Nevada Ed-Watch 7/18/19

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, July 18, 2019

Clark County School District Board of Trustees + County Commission Special Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

This special meeting was called to facilitate collaboration between CCSD Trustees and the Clark County Commission on decisions that affect both bodies.

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Members of the public provided testimony to Trustees and Commissioners regarding:

  • Funding for Pre-K programs
  • Support for the Open Schools Open Doors Program 
  • Encouraging accountability and transparency throughout the process of allocating program funds
  • Concerns about school funding

Trustees & Commissioners Discussed Open Schools Open Doors Program 

The Open Schools Open Doors Program allows the broader community to use school property after hours. 

Trustees and Commissioners were informed about a number of barriers to launching the program, including complications with federal regulations for public land use. Commissioners and CCSD Staff expressed a commitment to navigate any challenges necessary to launch the program. 

A pilot to test this program with five schools was approved at the February 14, 2019 board meeting. The pilot has been discontinued– shifting the focus to launching the program at full scale with all CCSD schools.

Click here to read about this in the Nevada Independent.

Trustees and Commissioners Discussed Utilizing AB309 Tax Dollars

Assembly Bill (AB) 309 authorizes the county to impose a .25 percent increase to sales and use tax. The money can be used by districts to address early childhood education, adult education, truancy reduction, homelessness reduction, affordable housing, recruitment and retention of licensed teachers for high-vacancy schools, and workforce training programs. 

The increase in sales and use taxes is estimated to bring $108,000,000 per year. Commissioners noted their belief that the intent of AB309 was for 50% of new tax dollars to be allocated to the following education initiatives:

  • Early Childhood Education
  • Adult Education
  • Truancy Reduction
  • Recruitment and Retention of Licensed Teachers for High-Vacancy Schools 

Trustees presented program ideas for potential allocation of the funds, including ideas proposed by community members at the Special Board Meeting on July 12, 2019. 

Trustees expressed a commitment to ensure funded programs are properly vetted and aligned to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). 

This discussion will be continued at the next regular Trustee board meeting, as well as at the next County Commission meeting. CCSD Staff will also provide the County Commission a report in 2-weeks regarding the status of their progress. 

Click here to read about this in the Nevada Independent.

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Nevada Ed Watch 7/11/19

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, July 11, 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 both in support and opposition of the decision to eliminate the dean position in the Clark County School District.

Trustees Unanimously Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent agenda highlights:

Trustees and CCSD leadership also discussed accountability and a plan to scale the success of the eight middle schools that were designated as Innovative Schools.

Click here to learn more and see a full list of Innovative Schools.

Trustees Approved CCSD’s Annual Membership with the Nevada Association of School Boards

Trustees approved the annual fee for the Clark County School District to be a member of the Nevada Association of School Boards. Total membership cost was $29,874.23.  

Trustees Heard a Presentation on the Qualitative Budget Forecast

The presentation, led by CCSD’s Chief Financial Officer, covered the current budget forecast and a review of recent financial information.

Click here to see the presentation. 

Trustees Discussed the Decision to Eliminate the Dean Position

Trustees heard from members of the public both in support and in opposition of the decision to eliminate the dean position.

Specifically, members of the public provided testimony regarding:

  • Calling for teachers and administrators to work together to advocate for more funding at the county and state level
  • Requesting a forensic audit of the CCSD budget
  • Looking for other ways for the district to acquire more money

Trustees clarified that money could not come from the ending fund balance, and that they could not postpone the cuts until next year. 

Trustees did not vote on this decision because they do not have the authority to overrule, per board policy. However, Superintendent Jara committed to working with his cabinet and principals, with public input in mind, to identify alternative cost saving strategies. 

Click here to read about this in the Nevada Independent.

Trustees Approved a Partnership with Acceleration Learning

Acceleration Learning provides academic programming and support for students who have dropped out, so they can receive a high school diploma. Board discussion addressed concerns about staffing the program with out-of-state personnel, ensuring funding transparency, and getting clarification on enrollment expectations.

Click here to learn more about Acceleration Learning. 

Trustees Heard a Presentation on the CCSD K-12 Student Code of Conduct

The Equity and Diversity Education Department provided information to Trustees related to student discipline and an analysis of cultural inclusivity in schools. 

Click here to view the presentation

Click here to see the Culturally Inclusive School Analysis.

Trustees Heard a Presentation About Food Service 

The presentation was about increased participation and improved quality in meal services, which is part of the CCSD Focus 2024 strategic plan.

Click here to see the presentation.

Trustees Approve a Customer Service Agreement with Nevada Energy

Trustees approved a customer service agreement with NV Energy, who proposed an incentive program to retain CCSD as a full service customer over a five year term.

Click here to see the agreement.

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Nevada Ed Watch 7/12/19

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.

Friday, July 12, 2019

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Special Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

About 80 members of the public attended this interactive special board meeting, including community advocates, parents, principals, teachers, and support staff. 

Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick provided opening remarks about the need to adequately fund education. She requested that Trustees present a plan to the County Commission regarding the use of potential new tax funds, as legislated through AB309. AB309 authorizes the county to impose a .25 percent increase to sales and use tax. The money can be used by districts to address early childhood education, adult education, truancy reduction, homelessness reduction, affordable housing, recruitment and retention of licensed teachers for high-vacancy schools, and workforce training programs. 

Attendees Participated in Working Groups on Chronic Absenteeism, Workforce Development, and Pre-K Programs. 

Click here to see Superintendent Jara’s overview presentation on the three working group topics.

The working groups, led by Trustees, were tasked with identifying goals and strategies that could be proposed to the County Commission. 

The summaries below outline the ideas each working group proposed:

Workforce Development Working Group

  • Create Career and Technical Education (CTE)  “hubs” to expand access to workforce development programs for students. 
  • Initiate a nontraditional school schedule to allow flexibility for students to attend workforce development courses.

Pre-K Working Group

  • Expand Pre-K to all schools to address inequities and increase the overall number of students served.
  • Provide training for early childhood professionals.

Chronic Absenteeism Working Group

  • Decrease chronic absenteeism by 10% per year for the next 5 years. 
  • Scale Communities in Schools services to all Title I schools by 2020. 
  • Add one truancy officer to every high school feeder pattern.

Next, the Trustees will synthesize the results of these working groups, and will present the individual topics at the joint meeting with County Commissioners on July 18th. That meeting will take place at the County Commission Chambers (500 S Grand Central Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89155).

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Nevada Ed Watch 6/27/19

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, June 27, 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 regarding the decision to eliminate the dean position in the Clark County School District.

Trustees Unanimously Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent agenda highlights:

  • Approval of a settlement for $500K (click here to read about this in the Las Vegas Review-Journal). 
  • Grant applications and Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), including:
    • Immunize Nevada
    • NSHE participation in FAFSA
    • English Language Learner programs

Trustees Approved Members of the Sex Education Committee

The Sex Education Committee is charged with reviewing the content and materials to be used in units of instruction on the human reporductive system, STDs/STIs, and sexual responsibility. The committee also makes recommendations to the Superintendent, who then makes recommendations to Trustees. 

The approved committee members are:

  • Medicine/Nursing: Diane Elmore (District A)
  • Counseling: Laura Deitsch (District E)
  • Religion: Dr. S. S. Rogers (District C)
  • Teacher: Jessica Maleskey (District A)
  • Parents: 
    • Erin Bilbray Kohn (District F)
    • Jodi Thornley (District B)
    • Bonnie Pruneda (District B)
    • Stephanie Valdez (District E)
    • Stephanie Zinna (District G)
  • Pupil: Arianna Ophir (District E)

Trustees Heard Updates from the Superintendent

Superintendent Jara provided a presentation to Trustees about recent budget changes. In addition to the $17 million savings from the removal of the dean position– a total of $7.4 million dollars will be reduced from the 2019-2020 budget from the following departments:

  • College, Career, Equity and School Choice Office 
  • Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Unit 
  • Legal Services

Click here to see the presentation

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

Alternative options (in lieu of cutting the dean positions) were to eliminate:

  • Magnet programs
  • Performing arts
  • Athletics and athletic transportation
  • Transportation for secondary schools
  • Transportation for all students except those who the district is federally required to transport  

Superintendent Jara also provided information on school safety initiatives that will take effect following the removal of all dean positions. Student safety efforts for the 2019-2020 school years include:

  • 4 new canine officers 
  • An additional Resource Office for all high schools
  • A reserve officer program
  • Two staff training programs: Trauma 101 and De-escalation 

Additionally, two new student support positions have been introduced:

  1. Student Success Project Facilitator 
  2. Student Success Coordinator

These positions will be posted on June 28th, and principals can begin interviewing on July 3rd.

Trustees Approved Updates to CCSD Construction Bids Policy (7210) and the Purchasing Authority Policy (3311)

The construction bids policy addresses major differences that have occurred between construction bids and the final costs.

The following updates were made to the construction bids policy:

  • Changing the designee from Assistant Superintendent to the Chief of Facilities
  • Construction change orders cannot cumulatively exceed 3 percent of the original contract for new construction
  • Changes in services cannot cumulatively exceed 5% of the original contract.

Click here to see the policy.

Corresponding changes were made to the Purchasing Authority Policy. 

Board Approved Contract for COO and Chief of Staff

The new CCSD Chief Operating Officer is Michael Casey. Click here to see the contract. 

The new CCSD Chief of Staff is Christopher Bernier. Click here to see the contract.

Potential Future Agenda Items:

  • Feasibility of creating an Advisory Committee made up of in-school staff to advise the Superintendent.

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Nevada Ed Watch 6/13/19

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, June 13, 2019

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Many members of the public provided testimony to Trustees regarding the recent decision to cut 170 Dean positions at the Clark County School District. Click here to read about this in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Trustees Heard a Presentation About the Removal of the Dean Position

Superintendent Jara provided a statement and brief presentation about his decision to eliminate the Dean role and displace current Deans. The Superintendent assured the public that school safety will continue to be a priority for the District.

Trustees Unanimously Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent agenda highlights:

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Local Plan
  • IDEA: Early Childhood Project
  • Airforce Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Unit (JROTC)
  • Grant Submissions:
    • Victory Schools Authorization
    • Funds to continue to the Youthful Offender Program at High Desert State Prison
    • Nevada Ready 21 Technology Grant
    • Tesla Career & Technical Education Grant
  • Gifted and Talented Education (GATE)
  • Books for School Libraries
  • New members of Bond Oversight Committee: Al Davis & Eugene Lazaroff
  • Repairs & updates to a number of school buildings and playground facilities
  • Annual Membership to Council of Great City Schools

Trustees Repealed the CCSD Governance Policy E-2: Student Learning

The E-2: Student Learning policy relates to identifying strategies to improve student learning. This policy is being repealed because the active Focus 2024 strategic plan addresses this.

Click here to see the policy.

Trustees Approved Updates to CCSD Construction Bids Policy (7210) and the Purchasing Authority Policy (3311)

The construction bids policy addresses the major differences that have occurred between construction bids and the final costs.

The following updates were made to the construction bids policy:

  • Changing the designee from Assistant Superintendent to the Chief of Facilities
  • Construction change orders cannot cumulatively exceed 3 percent of the original contract for new construction
  • Changes in services cannot cumulatively exceed 5% of the original contract

Click here to see the policy.

Corresponding changes were made to the Purchasing Authority Policy.

Trustees Heard a Legislative Report

CCSD Staff provided a report to recap the end of the 2019 legislative session. The presentation focused on bills and priorities that were part of CCSD’s legislative platform, which include:

  • Modernizing the K-12 Funding Formula (SB543)
  • Preserving Ending Fund Balance (SB543)
  • Increasing Funding for School Safety (SB89, SB551, SB528)
  • Incentives for Title I Teachers (AB196)
  • Additional Resources for Read by Grade 3 (AB289)
  • Preserving an Elected School Board (Failure of AB491, AB57, SB105)
  • Continuation of Early Childhood Education (SB84, SB555)
  • Separate Revenue Stream to Support Vegas PBS (SB501)

Click here to see the presentation.

Potential Future Agenda Items:

  • Information about School Safety funding
  • Information about learning strategist placement
  • Review the decision to remove the Dean role, including the options that were considered, and how the decision was made.
  • Budget updates
  • Revisit governance policies

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