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 24, 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 submitted comments online. Public comment was not read directly into the record, and rather an oral summary of each comment was provided to Trustees.
- Click here & here to view public comment submitted on agenda items.
- Click here & here to view public comment submitted on non-agenda items.
Trustees Approved Consent Agenda
Highlights:
- Adoption of 2020-2021 Test Administration & Test Security Plan.
- Approval of purchase awards totaling approximately $11 million, including $9.5 million for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and $530,000 for cloth masks for students.
- Item 3.01, Approval of Meeting Minutes for the Special Board Meeting on July 29, 2020 and Worksession on August 5, 2020, was removed from the agenda for additional review.
Trustees Approved Contract for Professional Learning and Coaching Services
The contract with the National Center on Education and the Economy Center on System Leadership provides for the purchase of National Institute of School Leadership programming, which provides professional learning and coaching services for schools. Trustees discussed the critical need to ensure that teachers and administrators are representative of the diverse student population, including the need to prioritize educators of color for leadership opportunities.
Click here to view the contract reference material.
Trustees Heard Presentation on 2020 SPCSA Charter School Applications
In accordance with Assembly Bill 462 of the 2019 Legislative Session, the State Public Charter School Authority notified the Clark County School District of charter school applications under consideration in the Clark County geographic footprint. The potential schools reviewed by CCSD staff included Eagle Charter School of Nevada, Las Vegas Montessori Charter School, Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy, Sage Collegiate Academy, and Wallace Stegner Academy. CCSD staff contended that none of the potential schools meet standards for approval.
Click here to view the presentation.
Trustees Approved Notice of Intent For Changes to District Zoning Policy
Changes to Regulation 7111, District Attendance Zoning will come before the board for approval at the meeting on October 22.
Trustees Approved Employment Agreement
Trustees approved an employment agreement with Fikisha Miller as Chief Negotiator and Assistant General Counsel for the district. Trustees welcomed Fikisha Miller and expressed that they would like the needs of Trustees to be prioritized by Counsel.
Click here to view the agreement.
Trustees Heard Update on the CCSD’s COVID-19 Response
Health Information: The COVID-19 response update included a presentation from Dr. Fermin Leguen, Acting Director of the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD). Dr. Leguen outlined the factors SNHD is tracking with regards to opening schools, based on CDC recommendations and guidance. Factors include both the COVID-19 positivity rate for CCSD students and staff and the 14-day community infection rate. A memo provided by Superintendent Jara stated that though positivity rates continue to decline, there is still high risk present with regards to reopening school buildings for face to face instruction. Trustees requested ongoing updates of positivity rates and other health-related factors that contribute to the decision to reopen school buildings. At this time, there is no recommendation for schools to reopen.
COVID-19 Testing: Educators will have access to free COVID-19 testing through the Task Force for Educator’s Safety & Screening (TIES). Trustees discussed concerns about requiring employees to participate in testing and the implications related to confidentiality. CCSD General Counsel is finalizing program details, but does not anticipate that participation in testing will be required. Student testing was not discussed.
Connectivity & Participation: According to CCSD, 226,093 devices have been distributed to students and 13,443 families have been connected to the internet via the Family Support Center. With regards to enrollment, CCSD is at 97% of expected enrollment, approximately -9,300 students.
Student Online Safety & Mental Health: CCSD has launched increased controls on GoGuardian, the IT security program connected to all CCSD distance learning accounts and devices. The program includes content firewalls and the ability for educators to monitor web pages students are accessing while logged in to their CCSD account. Additionally, Beacon, a suicide prevention tool, has been incorporated to GoGuardian to support student mental health. Trustees requested additional detailed information on student and employee mental health be presented at an upcoming board meeting.
Student Instruction: For the first three weeks of school, between 300,100 and 305,000 students have accessed Canvas, the district’s Learning Management System (LMS). CCSD staff outlined challenges related to Canvas implementation, including information continuity for families and training for teachers on uploading grades. With regards to special populations, students with disabilities are being provided with assistive technology and learning supports on a case by case basis. English Language Learners (ELLs) are receiving additional support with interactive Google Classrooms, and educators are being provided with coaching and resources to support students learning English. Trustees requested additional information on ELLs and the accommodations being provided to students.
Assessments: Students in grades 3-10 are participating in the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) formative assessment from home. CCSD staff encouraged teachers to utilize MAP results as one of multiple data points for tailoring instruction for students. Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) assessments are being conducted for qualifying third graders in person, and Child Find (special education assessments) are occurring in person on an appointment basis. ELL assessments are also being conducted by appointment at school sites — approximately 3,000 students are left to be tested.
Trustees directed the Superintendent to ensure that the update at the next board meeting includes information on how the central office is being responsive to concerns of employees, students, and parents. Additionally, Trustees would like to review information on other districts’ school building reopenings and to revisit the details of the hybrid plan for the return to school buildings.
This was not an action item.
Click here to see the presentation.
Click here to read about this in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.