Tag: commission on school funding

Nevada Ed-Watch 8/27/20

Posted on by Opportunity 180

The Ed-Watch series is designed to increase access to information on decisions being made regarding public education in Clark County and Nevada.

Nevada State Board of Education

What is the State Board of Education & what are they responsible for? The Nevada State Board of Education adopts regulations based on Nevada laws, which are passed down to individual school districts in Nevada to implement. The Board has 11 total (7 appointed and 4 publicly elected) members.

How often does the State Board meet? The Nevada State Board of Education meets once per month on Thursdays at 9:00AM. Click here to see the 2020 Board Meeting Schedule. Click here to visit Hope For Nevada’s #NVEd Calendar.

Can community members engage at State Board Meetings? A time for public comment is provided at the beginning (for agenda items) and at the conclusion (on any matter) of each Board meeting. There is a time limit of three minutes per speaker. Members of the community providing testimony must fill out a visitor card, available on-site the day of the meeting.

Click here for a list of all State Board Members.

Thursday, August 27, 2020
Nevada State Board of Education Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Members of the public provided testimony regarding: 

  • Concerns about the implementation of the Pupil Centered Funding Formula 
  • Concerns about health and safety related to reopening school buildings 

President’s Report

President Wynn provided an update on the Connecting Kids Nevada initiative:

Under the Governor’s COVID-19 Taskforce, Connecting Kids Nevada was launched which provides a central statewide platform to connect all Nevada students in need with resources to receive devices and internet connectivity. Additionally, a Family Support Center hotline has been created for qualifying Clark County students to receive internet for school. The Family Support Center can be reached at  888-616-2476 and is open Monday-Saturday 7am-6pm. 

Currently, four Nevada school districts have 100% of students connected to devices and the internet for learning. 

Click here to visit Connecting Kids Nevada

Superintendent’s Report

State Superintendent Ebert report highlights:

  • Due to shifting public health conditions, multiple school districts pivoted from their planned model for reopening. In order to implement those adjustments, opening timelines for some districts have changed. Currently, 10 school districts have begun the school year, with three beginning the week of August 31st, and four districts opening on September 8th. 
  • The majority of Nevada school districts are implementing some form of hybrid learning. Two school districts are implementing full time distance learning for at least the first quarter. Three school districts are implementing in person learning. 
  • The Department of Education received 71 applications from 45 applicants for their ESSER competitive grant. Funding priorities for this grant are wraparound services, high quality professional development, and digital instruction materials. The department is expediting the grant review process and have compressed their reviewing timeline from 6 weeks to 2 weeks. 

Board Heard Update on School Reopening Implementation 

Superintendents of three school districts and the Director of the State Public Charter School Authority each provided updates to the Board on the implementation of school reopening. 

Clark County School District (CCSD): 

  • Three schools have opened under hybrid learning, four schools have opened fully in person, with all other schools opening with distance learning only. 
  • CCSD has expanded elementary lessons for Nevada Learning Academy and has implemented professional development for substitute teachers. 
  • Approximately 63,000, or 8%, of CCSD students are still in need of a device and connection to the internet.
  • 300 food distribution sites have been deployed throughout the district. Food distribution has trended upward since the first day of school, with approximately 40,000 meals being distributed August 26th.
  • Schools are establishing multi-disciplinary teams to provide social-emotional supports to educators and students. 

Click here to see the CCSD presentation.

Washoe County School District (WCSD): 

  • Elementary schools have opened fully in person. Middle and high schools have opened with a hybrid model. All families have the option to engage in distance learning only, including temporarily. Approximately 8,500 elementary students are engaged in distance learning only.
  • Approximately 12,000 students are still in need of devices. WCSD has purchased 25 devices for buses to become internet hubs, along with receiving 6,000 hotspots. 
  • WCSD students receive breakfast and lunch to-go. Students may also take meals for multiple days. Additionally, WSCD has implemented a partnership to provide dinner to-go for students as well. 
  • WCSD is implementing health safety protocols, as well as multiple social-emotional initiatives to support educators, students, and families. 

Click here to see the WCSD presentation.

Churchill County School District: 

  • All Churchill CSD schools will open for in-person instruction, with the option for any K-12 student to engage in distance learning. In person school will be conducted Monday through Friday with morning and afternoon student cohorts.  
  • All students are connected with a device. Some students are still in need of internet connectivity. 
  • Student meals will be provided at the end of each day for children to take home for the following day. Full time distance learning students will pick up meals for multiple days twice per week.
  • The district has hired additional school counselors and is implementing multiple strategies to support the social-emotional needs of the school communities. 

Click here to see Churchill CSD’s presentation

State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) 

  • SPCSA authorizes schools in multiple counties throughout the state. Aligned to the Emergency Directive 030 and the Governor’s Roadmap to Recovery framework, charter schools within counties that are designated at the Baseline Mitigation Level may reopen in person but are not required to. Schools in counties categorized as Mitigation Levels 1 or 2 must open with distance-learning, although there are limited allowances for in-person learning for students who meet specific need-based criteria. 
  • Approximately 7,500 students are still in need of a device. This number is inclusive of students who have access to a shared device. 1,700 students are still in need of access to reliable internet. The SPCSA is supporting schools to connect students with hotspots and internet service.  
  • SPCSA is identifying supports for schools to mitigate learning loss that has occurred as well as social emotional supports for school communities. 

Click here to see SPCSA’s presentation 

Board Approved Consent Agenda

Consent agenda highlights:

Board Heard Update on Commission on School Funding

The Commission on School Funding will be recommending to the Board an alternative definition for the “at-risk” student weight within the new school funding formula. Based on legislation, “at-risk” may be defined as students eligible for free or reduced lunch, or an alternative definition may be adopted. The commission recommends adopting an alternative definition that is inclusive of factors related to academic risk, attendance, behavior, and home and enrollment stability. This would be tracked through Infinite Campus, however one barrier is the ability of Infinite Campus to meet the specific functionality necessary to identify students under a definition that includes multiple variables. 

A specific recommendation for adoption will come before the board at a future meeting. 

Board Heard Update on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Workgroup 

The workgroup held its second meeting on August 20th, where they had the opportunity to hear about access to devices and internet connectivity for students. Additionally, the group heard about the state of the education system for American Indian and Alaskan Native students in Nevada. Moving forward, Member Hudson will lead the workgroup.  

Click here to see the Indian Education presentation

Board Heard Update on Work of Digital Engineers 

The mission of the Digital Engineers is to ensure educators, families, and students receive equitable access to and support with digital learning across Nevada. 70 resources have been posted for access by the public on the Digital Engineers website, with the majority of resources focused on educator preparation. Additional resources for families and students can also be accessed on the website.  The board discussed a need to ensure that the website is intuitive for all users.

Click here to see the presentation

Requests for Future Agenda items: 

  • Ongoing reports from school districts on the implementation of the school year, including lessons learned

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

Nevada Ed-Watch 3/12/20

Posted on by Opportunity 180

The Ed-Watch series is designed to increase access to information on decisions being made regarding public education in Clark County and Nevada.

Nevada State Board of Education

What is the State Board of Education & what are they responsible for? The Nevada State Board of Education adopts regulations based on Nevada laws, which are passed down to individual school districts in Nevada to implement. The Board has 11 total (7 appointed and 4 publicly elected) members.

How often does the State Board meet? The Nevada State Board of Education meets once per month on Thursdays at 9:00AM. Click here to see the 2020 Board Meeting Schedule. Click here to visit Hope For Nevada’s #NVEd Calendar.

Can community members engage at State Board Meetings? A time for public comment is provided at the beginning (for agenda items) and at the conclusion (on any matter) of each Board meeting. There is a time limit of three minutes per speaker. Members of the community providing testimony must fill out a visitor card, available on-site the day of the meeting.

Click here for a list of all State Board Members.

Thursday, March 12, 2020
Nevada State Board of Education Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Members of the public provided testimony regarding: 

  • Support for updates to the Nevada Educator Performance Framework for evaluating Speech Language Pathologists 
  • Support for increased investments in adequate school psychologist staffing
  • Support for completing the 2020 Census

President’s Report

Board President Wynn shared the following updates: 

  • Participation in Nevada Reading Week 
  • Preparation for the COVID-19 virus, including online resources available for school administrators and nurses, as well as discussion about distance education 

Superintendent’s Report

State Superintendent Ebert shared the following updates:

  • The Commission on School Funding: 
    • Met with Department of Taxation to gather revenue sources included in the State Education Fund
    • Is developing a budgeting program and discussing revisions to budget templates used by districts 
    • Is determining the categorical weights for pupils and establishing benchmarks for monitoring the implementation of the new funding structure during the March 20th meeting.
    • Is conducting a comparative analysis of district budgets under the new budgeting process during the April meeting.
    • Is identifying final recommendations for the governor and legislature during the May meeting. Committee recommendations are due by July 15th. 
  • ACT Fee Waiver Participation: In 2019, 35,000 students took the ACT. Of those students, 21,000 were eligible for fee waivers, but only 2,059 students (about 6%) used waivers. The Department is working with districts to expand the number of students who access fee waivers.

Board Approved the Consent Agenda:

Consent Agenda Highlights:

Board Heard Updates on the Development of the Statewide Plan for the Improvement of Pupils (STIP)

The STIP outlines goals and values related to the Nevada Department of Education’s role in improving student outcomes. Department staff presented updated goals, each of which will have 2-4 strategies with defined inputs, outputs, and outcomes. 

The board provided guidance related to advocating for additional funding at the legislature to allow for the implementation of STIP with fidelity. 

The final STIP will be presented to the board during the April board meeting. 

Click here to see the presentation.

Board Approved Recommended Revisions to the Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF) 

The approved recommended revisions to the Nevada Educator Performance Frameworks (NEPF) for School Counselors, School Nurses, and Speech-Language Pathologists. The recommendations will help ensure the NEPF aligns with national best practices and accurately reflects the work of professional practice in Nevada. 

Click here to see updated NEPF standards for school counselors 

Click here to see updated NEPF standards for school nurses 

Click here to see updated NEPF standards for speech language pathologists

The board approved a recommendation that Student Learning Goals (SLGs) be modified by a workgroup. The workgroup will remove requirements for the use of standardized assessments to track student progress against their individual SLG’s. Department staff stated that this change will allow tracking of SLG progress to be more closely aligned with content standards. The final changes will be presented before the board for approval at a future meeting. 

Click here to see the presentation.

The Board Heard Non-binding Recommended Ratios for Specialized Instructional Support Personnel 

Senate Bill 89 requires the State Board of Education to develop non-binding recommendations for the ratio of pupils to specialized instructional support personnel. 

Specialized support personnel includes: 

  • School counselors
  • School psychologists
  • School social workers
  • School nurses
  • Speech-language pathologists
  • School library media specialists
  • Any other qualified professional

The board is not approving the recommended ratios until more research is available to inform the most appropriate ratios for Nevada’s student population.

Click here to see the presentation. 

Board Heard a Presentation about the Implementation of Financial Transparency Requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

ESSA requires State Report Cards to include per-pupil expenditure data beginning with FY19. Currently, the Nevada Report Card reports total expenditure per pupil at the school, district, and state levels, but does not differentiate between personnel and non-personnel expenses. 

The Department is reporting personnel and non-personnel expenses in Spring 2020.  By September 15, 2020, the Department will have more interactive graphics and data comparison capabilities that will be available to the public on the Nevada Report Card website.  

The board requested budget data on the Nevada Report Card website to include actual costs for teacher salaries at the school level. 

Click here to see the presentation.

Requests for future agenda items: 

  • Presentation from Teach Plus on an analysis of teachers leaving the profession

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

Nevada Ed-Watch 11/14/19

Posted on by Opportunity 180

The Ed-Watch series is designed to increase access to information on decisions being made regarding public education in Clark County and Nevada.

Nevada State Board of Education

What is the State Board of Education & what are they responsible for? The Nevada State Board of Education adopts regulations based on Nevada laws, which are passed down to individual school districts in Nevada to implement. The Board has 11 total (7 appointed and 4 publicly elected) members.

How often does the State Board meet? The Nevada State Board of Education meets once per month on Thursdays at 9:00AM. Click here to see the 2019 Board Meeting Schedule. Click here to visit Hope For Nevada’s #NVEd Calendar.

Can community members engage at State Board Meetings? A time for public comment is provided at the beginning (for agenda items) and at the conclusion (on any matter) of each Board meeting. There is a time limit of three minutes per speaker. Members of the community providing testimony must fill out a visitor card, available on-site the day of the meeting.

Click here for a list of all State Board Members.

Thursday, November 14, 2019
Nevada State Board of Education Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Members of the public provided testimony regarding:

  • Support for the Perkins V State Plan for strengthening Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Nevada
  • Support for teacher incentive funds to be distributed this fiscal year 

Board Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent Agenda Highlights:

President’s Report

The President congratulated two Nevada teachers who were recognized with Milken Educator Awards– Ben Nguyen (Clark County School District) and Nicolas Jacques (Carson City School District).

Milken Educator Awards honor early- to mid-career educators with strong potential for professional and policy leadership– as evidenced by effective and innovative instructional practices, student learning results, and other criteria.

Superintendent’s Report

Superintendent Ebert provided the following updates:

  • Acknowledgment of Nevada Department of Education Staff members for helping  districts and schools implement the Nevada Educator Performance Framework.
  • Gratitude for those who have been involved in the statewide listening tours, including students. 
  • Acknowledgment of the National Board Certification program for strengthening teacher skills. 

Board Heard a Presentation on the 2018-2019 Nevada Educator Performance Framework  (NEPF)

The Teachers and Leaders Council presented the results of the 2018-2019 Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF). Board members discussed ways to ensure the NEPF is a true representation of teacher and administrator performance, and that the tool continues to be used as a growth and development tool. 

2018-2019 Teacher Evaluation Results:

  • Ineffective: 0.16% 
  • Developing: 1.62%
  • Effective: 69.92%
  • Highly Effective: 27.06%

2018-2019 Administrator Evaluation Results: 

  • Ineffective: 0%
  • Developing: 0.73%
  • Effective: 73.92%
  • Highly Effective: 25.35%

The presentation also included results for Other Licenced Education Professionals (OLEP), which includes Audiologists, School Counselors, School Nurses, School Psychologists, Speech-Language Pathologists, and Teacher Librarians.

The board voted to update exigent score ranges for school audiologists in the 2019-2020 school year. All other score ranges will remain the same.

Click here to see the presentation

Board Approved the Fund Distribution Process and Amounts for Teacher Incentives

Senate Bill 555 (SB555) allows for districts to apply to the Department of Education to receive funding for incentivising teachers to teach in Title 1 schools. The board approved the process for fund distribution. 

Below is an outline of the incentives.

New Hire Teacher Incentives:

New hire teachers are employed for the first time at a District or State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) Title I or underperforming school for the 2019-2020 school year. 

  • Total number of teachers districts requested funds for: 1,270.5
  • Total available funds for the biennium: $2,500,000
  • Total available funds for Fiscal Year 2020: $1,250,000
  • Total amount of funds requested by districts: $3,295,000
  • Actual teacher incentive amount for FY20: $983 per teacher 

Transfer Teacher Incentives: 

Transfer teachers were employed at a District or SPCSA non-Title I or underperforming school (for the 2018-2019 year) and TRANSFERRED to a District or SPCSA Title I or underperforming school for the 2019-2020 school year.

  • Total number of teachers districts requested funds for: 834
  • Total available funds for the biennium: $2,500,000
  • Total available funds for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20):  $1,250,000
  • Total amount of funds requested by districts for FY20: $2,102,500 
  • Actual teacher incentive amount for FY20:  $1,498 per teacher 

Current Teacher Incentives: 

Current teachers were employed at a District or SPCSA Title I or underperforming school (for the 2018-2019 school year) and are CURRENTLY employed at a District or SPCSA Title I or underperforming school for the 2019-2020 school year.

  • Total number of teachers districts requested funds for: 7,559
  • Total available funds for the biennium: $5,000,000
  • Total available funds for Fiscal Year 2020: $2,500,000
  • Total amount of funds request: $7,644,966
  • Actual teacher incentive amount for FY20: $330 per teacher

The board approved a request to the Interim Finance Committee to move Transfer funds to Current funds. This request, if approved, would bring the total Current teacher incentive amount from $330 to $382 (an additional $52). 

Click here to see the presentation.

Board Heard a Presentation on the Perkins V State Plan

Staff from the Office of Career Readiness, Adult Learning & Education Options provided an overview of the structure of the Nevada Perkins V State Plan to strengthen Career and Technical Education (CTE). The plan emphasizes access for all students to high-quality CTE programs, employer engagement, high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand occupations and industries, and state and local flexibilities. 

Click here to see the structure outline. 

Board Heard an Update on the Commission on School Funding 

Updates included:

  • Election of Guy Hobbs as Vice Chair of the Commission 
  • Two new administrative positions for the Commission have been filled 
  • The Interim Finance Committee approved a request of $900,000 to contract with subject matter experts to assist the Commission. Click here to read about this in the Nevada Independent. 

The State Board of Education is required to establish regulations for the methodology of setting funding weights, cost adjustment factors, and administrative caps. 

Click here to learn more.

Upcoming Commission meetings: 

  • December 19-20, 2019
  • January 9-10, 2020
  • February 20-21, 2020
  • March 19-20, 2020
  • April 16-17, 2020
  • May 14-15, 2020
  • June 11-12, 2020

Board Heard a Presentation on the Status of the Nevada Ready Pre-K program

Presentation highlights: 

  • The Preschool Development Grant has served 8,055 children across 11 counties from 2016 to 2019. In 2018-2019, about 10% of those children served have disabilities. 
  • Out of the 89 preschool centers rated via the Quality Rating Improvement System, there were:
    • 5 one-star centers
    • 23 two-star centers
    • 13 three-star centers
    • 28 four-star centers
    • 20 five-star centers
  • 41 individuals received TEACH Nevada grants for their higher education studies in Early Childhood Education 
  • The Brigance Screening Assessment is being implemented in all early childhood centers. 

Click here to see the presentation.

Potential Future Agenda Items:

  • Discuss the Census 2020 Complete Count and its impact on the education system

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

Nevada Ed-Watch 9/27/19

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.

Nevada Department of Education Commission on School Funding  

What is the Commission on School Funding and what are they responsible for? The Commission on School Funding is an appointed board created in compliance with Senate Bill 543 (2019) that oversees the development of Nevada’s new K-12 public school funding formula. The Commission is responsible for providing guidance to school districts and the Department of Education on the implementation of the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan. The Commission must present their recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature by December 1, 2020. 

Click here to learn more and see current Commission Members. 

Can community members engage at Commission Meetings? Community members can sign up to speak at the Commission meetings. Members of the public can comment on agenda items during the first public comment period, and non-agenda items during the final public comment period. 

Friday, September 27, 2019
Commission on School Funding Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Members of the public provided testimony to the commission regarding:

  • The necessity of the commission to advance education funding in Nevada 
  • Appreciation for Commission members’ dedication to the Pupil-Centered Funding Formula
  • Ensuring that the commission’s processes remain transparent 

The Commission Committed to Four (4) Operating Rules of Engagement
Commission members committed to the following four Rules of Engagement for the operation of all Commission on School Funding meetings:

  1. Honor our time
  2. Respect the work
  3. Value each other
  4. Focus on improvement

Click here  to read more about the Rules of Engagement.

The Commission Heard an Overview of Open Meeting Law Responsibilities 

Highlighted Open Meeting Law responsibilities:

  • Any commission deliberation must occur transparently and in public. 
  • Technology can be used as a supplemental tool to convene a meeting, however there must still be a physical location for the public to participate in the meeting.
  • No more than five (5) members (quorum) may deliberate on a topic outside of an open meeting.

The Commision Elected Guy Hobbs as Vice-Chair 

Guy Hobbs was elected by commission members to serve as Vice-Chair of the Commission.  

The Commission Heard an Overview of the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan

Nevada Department of Education staff presented an overview of the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan, including the roles and responsibilities of the Commission, the department, and the Governor’s finance office (summarized below).

Responsibilities of the commission include:

  • Compare the original Nevada Plan to the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan
  • Project 2019-2021 funding distribution using the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan
  • Review 2019-2021 school district budgets that were prepared using the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan 
  • Make recommendations for needed changes to the Governor and Legislature 
  • Recommend revisions to the Nevada Department of Education, which could include:
    • Cost adjustment factors
    • Necessarily Small School Adjustment
    • Small District Equity Adjustment
    • “Average School” reports

Click here to see the presentation 

The immediate next steps for the commission include: 

  • Determine how to fulfill their mission within established timeframes
  • Identify information needed to facilitate the decision-making process
  • Propose recommendations to improve the implementation of the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan
  • Propose statutory changes to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public education funding

The Commission Established Two (2) Work Groups 

Work groups were established to manage the workload and meet critical timelines of the commission. Work groups must be comprised of five (5) members each. Each group must include one (1) Chief Financial Officer of a district with 40,000 or fewer pupils, and one (1) Chief Financial Officer of a district with 40,000 or MORE pupils. 

Two (2) work groups have been identified based on the key responsibilities and deliverables outlined in Senate Bill  543.

Work Group 1: Formula and Distribution

This work group reviews base funding, the weights for categories of pupils, cost adjustment factors, and the distribution processes.

Members: 

  • Dr. David Jensen (Work Group Lead)
  • Mark Mathers
  • Guy Hobbs
  • Paul Johnson 
  • Punam Mather

Work Group 2: Reporting and Monitoring 

This work group identifies the evidence required to monitor the implementation of the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan (PCFP) and determines recommendations to address any deficiencies.
Members: 

  • Jim McIntosh (Work Group Lead)
  • Jason Goudy
  • A.J. Feuling 
  • Dr. Lisa Morris Hibbler 
  • Dusty Casey 

Click here to learn more about the structure of the work groups.

Requests for Future Agenda Items:

  • See a presentation on the basic definitions of SB 543 terms 
  • Hear insights from the Applied Analysis data team regarding the original inception of the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan

Click here to read about this meeting in the Nevada Independent.

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

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

Nevada Ed-Watch 8/29/19

Posted on by Opportunity 180

The Ed-Watch series is designed to increase access to information on decisions being made regarding public education in Clark County and Nevada.

Nevada State Board of Education

What is the State Board of Education & what are they responsible for? The Nevada State Board of Education adopts regulations based on Nevada laws, which are passed down to individual school districts in Nevada to implement. The Board has 11 total (7 appointed and 4 publicly elected) members.

How often does the State Board meet? The Nevada State Board of Education meets once per month on Thursdays at 9:00AM. Click here to see the 2019 Board Meeting Schedule. Click here to visit Hope For Nevada’s #NVEd Calendar.

Can community members engage at State Board Meetings? A time for public comment is provided at the beginning (for agenda items) and at the conclusion (on any matter) of each Board meeting. There is a time limit of three minutes per speaker. Members of the community providing testimony must fill out a visitor card, available on-site the day of the meeting.

Click here for a list of all State Board Members.

Thursday, August 29, 2019
Nevada State Board of Education Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Members of the public provided testimony regarding the following:

  • Parent support for a teacher who is potentially facing licensure suspension. 
  • Education stakeholders continuing to focus on critical issues like class size reduction and increasing public education funding. 

Board Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent Agenda Highlights:

  • Licensure approval for new and renewing private schools
  • Approval of instructional materials for the Carson City School District
  • Approval of Dual-Credit courses for various school districts 
  • Approval of Beacon Academy’s Work-Based Learning application

President’s Report

The President’s Report included:

  • Recognition of Mrs. Gail Hudson of Hummell Elementary School (CCSD), who was named Nevada Teacher of the Year (Click here to read about this in the Las Vegas Review-Journal)
  • Recognition of Diana Hollander, the department’s Director for Pupil Transportation, who received the Peter J. Grandolfo Memorial Award of Excellence (Click here to read about this in School Transportation News)

Superintendent’s Report

Superintendent Ebert provided the following updates:

  • SB543 (Funding Formula) 
    • Dr. Karlene McCormick-Lee was appointed to chair the Commission on School Funding by the Governor.
    • The other nominated members of the Commission on School Funding (in alphabetical order) are:
      • Dusty Casey, Oasis Academy (nominated by assembly Minority Leader Titus)
      • A.J. Feuling, Carson City School District (nominated by the Nevada Association of School Superintendents)
      • Jason Goudie, Clark County School District (nominated by the Nevada Association of School Superintendents)
      • Guy Hobbs, Hobbs Ong & Associates, Inc. (nominated by Majority Leader Cannizzaro)
      • Dr. David Jensen, Humboldt County School District (nominated by Senate Minority Leader Settelmeyer)
      • Paul Johnson, White Pine School District (nominated by the Nevada Association of School Superintendents) 
      • Punam Mather, Punam Mather LLC (nominated by Majority Leader Cannizzaro)
      • Mark Mathers, Washoe County School District (nominated by the Nevada Association of School Superintendents)
      • Jim McIntosh, City of Henderson (nominated by Speaker Frierson)
      • Dr. Lisa Morris-Hibbler, City of Las Vegas (nominated by Speaker Frierson)
    • The Interim Finance Committee recently approved two new positions at the Department of Education to support Commission on School Funding. The commission must hold its first meeting by October 1, 2019.
    • Click here to read about this in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
    • Click here to read about this in the Nevada Independent.
  • Statewide Listening Tour
    • Superintendent Ebert and members of the Department team will be touring all 17 Nevada school districts and the State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) to understand their barriers and successes. Feedback heard from district and SPCSA stakeholders will inform the new State Plan for Student Improvement (STIP).
  • New Office Announcement: Office of Inclusive Education
    • This office includes the Special Education, Indian Education, and Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) departments. 

Board Heard Updates from the English Mastery Council

The Board heard a presentation about the progress the English Mastery Council (EMC) has made since its inception in 2015. The purpose of the EMC is to make recommendations to the Superintendent, State Board of Education, and the Commission on Professional Standards to ensure students learning English receive a high-quality, equitable education. Board members requested an executive summary that outlines the impact of the EMC’s recommendations on student achievement. Additionally, the board and EMC representatives agreed to increase the frequency of updates on the EMC at State Board meetings. 

During the 2019 legislative session the following updates were made to the EMC: 

  • The council meeting timeline was extended through June 2022.
  • The EMC now also focuses on students who score at or below the 25th percentile in English Language Arts proficiency (in addition to students who are learning the English language).

Click here to see the presentation. 

The Board Approved Appointees to the State Public Charter School Association Board 

The two appointees to the State Public Charter School Association board are Donald Soifer and Dr. Tanya Holmes Sutton.

The Department screened SPCSA board member applications for the board’s consideration based on the following criteria:

  1. Local public charter school board experience
  2. National public charter school board experience
  3. Instructional or administrative experience in the public charter school sector
  4. Instructional or administrative experience in the traditional public school sector
  5. Experience serving students most in need of school options

Board Heard Updates on Read by Grade 3 Initiative

The board heard a presentation on the history and most recent updates to the Read By Grade 3 initiative following the 2019 legislative session. 

Substantive updates to the Read by Grade 3 policy:

  • Grade 3 retention requirements have been removed and replaced with mandatory intervention and intensive instruction for all students who are not on grade level in reading.
  • Student reading plans will be regularly assessed to measure reading growth and efficacy of interventions.
  • Reading intervention services and intensive instruction are expanded to include all grades in an elementary school.

New appropriations:

  • Read by Grade 3 dollars will no longer be competitive. Rather, funds will be allocated across the entire state through the weighted funding formula.
  • $31.7 million is allocated in each year of the biennium (2019-2021), which is a 54.5% increase from the previous biennium.
  • Ensures that all Nevada elementary schools have an assigned literacy specialist who will work with the school principal and teachers, serve as a resource for professional development, and strengthen the skills of reading teachers to improve student achievement.

Click here to download the presentation. 

Board Approves 3rd Quarter Class Size Reduction Waivers

Currently, state law prescribes pupil-to-teacher ratios (17:1 for grades 1-2, and 20:1 for grade 3). However, due to a lack of available financial support for pupil-to-teacher ratios and other good causes, some schools were approved for variances.

In order to address the class size overages, rather than continue to approve waivers, members of the board suggested a sub-committee to address these overages and ensure that the most at-risk students are receiving quality instruction. Member Newburn will identify criteria for sub-committee participants and propose a timeline at a future board meeting.

Click here to see the report.  

Board Heard Educator Licensure Updates

The board heard from the Educator Licensure Department regarding the online licensure approval system and new licensure regulations following the 2019 legislative session.  

  • The current processing timeframe for licensure application review and approval is four weeks, a significant reduction from 2018.
  • Parent Involvement and Family Engagement Course requirement for licensure:
    • The state has developed a standardized course approval process, with 24 approved courses offered through 12 higher education institutions
    • The state is distributing a voluntary survey to teachers to understand how the course impacted their practice.
  • Expedited application processing available for spouses of active duty military members
  • Now accepting ARL programs from outside Nevada
  • Awardees of the Teach Nevada Scholarship must obtain an endorsement to teach English as a second language
  • Licensure reciprocity in Nevada for foreign teachers who have completed an equivalent program of preparation in their home country

Click here to see the presentation.

Board Heard a Presentation About School Improvement

The board heard a presentation about options within their legal authority to hold chronically underperforming schools accountable for their performance. The Nevada Department of Education has a federal mandate to hold schools accountable under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). 

Schools that receive a Comprehensive Support Intervention (CSI) designation are eligible for interventions. Schools that meet any of the following criteria will receive a CSI designation:

  • Schools performing in the bottom 5%, based on their Nevada School Performance Framework (NSPF) Index Score
  • 1-star schools
  • High schools with an average 4-year graduation rate below 67%
  • Schools that did not exit Targeted Support Intervention (TSI) designation after a three-year improvement plan 

For schools that receive the CSI designation, the following “More Rigorous Options”, or interventions, were approved in Nevada’s ESSA Plan. They are listed in order of increasing intensity: 

  • Additional State Support
  • Innovation Zones and Managed Partnerships
  • Receivership and Extraordinary Authority Districts
  • Charter Conversion
  • Closure

The board noted that though the Achievement School District is no longer in statute, there are still other avenues for charter conversion to occur. The board expressed their desire to keep all options available, but prefer to implement intervention options in order of increasing intensity.

The board will hear the final part of the presentation at the October board meeting, focusing on specific CSI designated schools.

Click here to download the presentation.

Click here to see the Nevada Ed-watch summary of the July 17th meeting, when the first part of this discussion took place (an overview of the state’s accountability system and school designations).

The Board Approved Teacher Licensure Revocation and Suspension

The board approved license revocation for one educator who was found guilty of sexual misconduct with students. The board also approved a 30-day suspension for one educator who provided inappropriate coaching for students during testing.

Potential Future Agenda Items:

  • A report to address the distribution of student scores for Read by Grade 3
  • Continued updates on SB543, including an invitation for members of the commission to the next board meeting

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

Nevada Ed-Watch 7/17/19

Posted on by Opportunity 180

The Ed-Watch series is designed to increase access to information on decisions being made regarding public education in Clark County and Nevada.

Nevada State Board of Education

What is the State Board of Education & what are they responsible for? The Nevada State Board of Education adopts regulations based on Nevada laws, which are passed down to individual school districts in Nevada to implement. The Board has 11 total (7 appointed and 4 publicly elected) members.

How often does the State Board meet? The Nevada State Board of Education meets once per month on Thursdays at 9:00AM. Click here to see the 2019 Board Meeting Schedule. Click here to visit Hope For Nevada’s #NVEd Calendar.

Can community members engage at State Board Meetings? A time for public comment is provided at the beginning (for agenda items) and at the conclusion (on any matter) of each Board meeting. There is a time limit of three minutes per speaker. Members of the community providing testimony must fill out a visitor card, available on-site the day of the meeting.

Click here for a list of all State Board Members.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Nevada State Board of Education Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

A member of the public expressed concerns about an outdated process for renewing teacher licenses.

President’s Report: 

The President’s Report included:

  • The Nevada Department of Education is working on implementing of public education related bills that came out of the 2019 legislative session. 
  • Well wishes to all educators, administrators, and staff members going into the start of the 2019-2020 school year.

Superintendent’s Report

Superintendent Ebert provided the following updates:

  • Jessica Todtman is the new Chief Strategy Officer for the Nevada Department of Education (NDOE).
  • About one-third of all NDOE staff members attended a legislative debrief meeting to review each bill that the department is implementing or supporting.
  • As a mandate of SB543, the state must form a Commission on School Funding. The commission will provide guidance to school districts and the department on the implementation of the plan for funding public schools. Members of the commission are appointed by the Governor and several members of the Legislature. The commission must hold its first meeting by October 1, 2019. 
  • The State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) is working on a Demographic Needs Assessment and a Growth Management Plan to be implemented by January 1, 2020.

Board Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent Agenda highlights:

  • Appointing members to the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC).
  • Approving instructional materials for the Carson City School District. 

Board Approved the Addition of Mission High School to the Alternative Performance Framework (APF)

The board heard a presentation overview of the Nevada Alternative Performance Framework (APF), and a proposed recommendation to add Mission High School to be measured under the APF.

Generally, schools qualified for the APF fall into one of four categories:

  • Schools offering credit recovery programs
  • Schools offering behavioral/continuation programs
  • Juvenile detention facilities serving adjudicated youth
  • Special education schools serving students with multiple and severe cognitive disabilities

The APF measurement indicators include Academic Achievement, Attendance, Academic progress, Graduation, Student Engagement, and Planning for success. 

Click here to download the presentation. 

Board Conditionally Approved the Application Document for State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) Board Positions

The State Board is required to appoint two members to the SPCSA Board by October 2019, as mandated by AB78. For individuals interested in applying, the application will be available on the department’s website. 

Click here to see the draft application document that was presented at the meeting. 

Board members discussed concerns and proposed changes to the application questions to ensure applicant privacy and protection of personal information. The application document was approved with the condition that proposed updates are applied.

Board Heard a Presentation About the Current State of School Funding 

A review of the current state of school funding was requested by board members at the June 2019 board meeting. This presentation provided an overview of the current funding sources for schools.

Click here to download the presentation.

Board Heard a Presentation About Federal and State School Improvement

The board heard an overview of the state’s accountability system under the ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act). 

The presentation focused on the following low-performing school designations: 

  • Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) 
  • Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) 
  • Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) 

Board members requested information about how schools are held accountable for their performance. It was clarified that the designations above are the first step in the accountability process. Additional information will become available at a later time.

Click here to download the presentation.

Board Approved Changes to the NEPF Recommended by the Teachers and Leaders Council 

The Teachers and Leaders Council presented their recommended changes to the Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF).

The board approved the following recommendations:

Click here to see the presentation.

Potential Future Agenda Items:

  • A review of the teacher licensure renewal process
  • A presentation about Read by Grade 3
  • Updates on teacher vacancies and class size reduction
  • A report on teacher shortage

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