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A member of the public expressed concerns about an outdated process for renewing teacher licenses.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:
- Update the Educational Audiologist Performance Framework performance levels
- Update the School Nurse Performance Framework performance levels
- Update the weights for measuring teacher and administrator performance
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
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