Tag: reopening

Nevada Ed-Watch 4/8/2021

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 5 pm both virtually and at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts High School, Lowden Theater: 875 E. Clark Avenue Las Vegas, Nevada, 89101

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. Currently, members of the public can submit comments on agenda and non-agenda items through email or voice recording. Public comment can be submitted by email to Boardmtgcomments@nv.ccsd.net. To submit a voice recording on items listed on the meeting agenda, call 702-799-1166. Voice recorded public comment is limited to 1 minute 30 seconds.

Thursday, April 8, 2021

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 commented in-person, through voice recorded messages, and written public comment on non-agenda items regarding: 

  • Concerns about the ongoing impact of distance and hybrid learning on student mental health, and calls to immediately open schools at 100% capacity
  • Concerns about distance learning class sizes in elementary schools
  • Requests for communications regarding 5th-grade celebrations 
  • Concerns about rules only allowing spectators at certain types of student athletics events 
  • Requests for the Open Schools Open Doors agreement to be reinstated to allow for community use of school buildings 
  • Support for fully reopening school buildings for all students starting in the 2021-2022 school year 

Click here & here to view public comments submitted online.

Trustees Approved Consent Agenda 

Trustees approved the consent agenda (6-0), with one trustee not present to vote.

Consent Agenda Highlights: 

  • Grant application to Governor’s Emergency Education Recovery Funds for the of purchase Chromebooks, iPads, and technology kits for teachers, totaling $5,700,745.46
  • Purchase awards totaling $16,633,977.15, including $7,400,000 for beverages for student meals and $73,482.00 for equipment to be used by police services to issue citations and warnings. 

Trustees Approved 2021-2022 Tentative Budget 

The tentative budget is required to be submitted to the Nevada Department of Taxation. Trustees were provided with an overview of the 2021-2022 tentative budget, presented by CCSD’s Chief Financial Officer. Currently, there are still significant uncertainties that could impact the District’s tentative budget, including student enrollment, plans for the return to school buildings, and state and federal legislation directed towards public school funding in Nevada. 

The District is early in the planning process for the allocations of the second round of federal stimulus funding approved in 2020 and is anticipating approximately $800M through the third stimulus via the American Rescue Plan. 

Trustees were also provided with an overview of the proposed phased approach to implementating the Pupil Centered Funding Plan, the updated funding formula that was passed during the 2019 NV Legislative Session. Under the current proposal, starting in the 2022-2023 school year, the State of Nevada would longer guarantee the funding that districts and local education agencies receive from local revenue sources.

The final budget will come before Trustees for approval at the May 20, 2021 meeting.

Click here to see the 2021-2022 Tentative Budget. 
Click here to see the presentation. 

Trustees Approved Notices of Intent for Policy & Regulation Changes 

Four policies related to student discipline and expulsion will come before the board at the March 13, 2021 meeting for final approval. Members of the public can submit comments or feedback on the policies prior to or during that meeting. 

Each of the policies includes general language updates to align with current district titles and names as well as legislation related to student discipline.  

Board Heard Update on 2021 Legislative Session 

CCSD staff provided Trustees with an overview of education-related bills that were heard at the Nevada Legislature. Highlights from the presentation include an update on AB255, which would change the composition of boards of trustees (CCSD does not anticipate the bill to move forward) and SB120, providing for additional accountability measures for principals and requiring associate superintendents and above to reapply for their positions every 5 years.

Additionally, Trustees were informed that legislators are considering the implementation of the Pupil Centered Funding Plan and that the District believes schools that receive Zoom and Victory funding sources should continue to be funded at that same level through the 2022-2023 school year in order to fully minimize the impact of the consolidation of categorical funding sources. Superintendent Jara shared that he is working with the legislators to ensure they do not receive less funding while the new formula is implemented. 

Click here to read about this in the Nevada Independent.

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Nevada Ed-Watch 1/14/21

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 5 pm. While all meetings are typically held at the Edward A. Greer Education Center (Board Room): 2832 E. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89121, all meetings are now held virtually due to the COVID-19 crisis. 

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.

Monday, January 14, 2021

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, rather an oral summary of each comment was provided to Trustees.

  • Click here & here to view public comment on agenda items.

Trustees Approve Consent Agenda

Consent Agenda Highlights: 

Trustees Approve Resolution in Support of iNVest Priorities 

iNVest was created in 2003 by the Nevada Association of School Superintendents to align Nevada school districts’ priorities for Nevada Legislative Sessions.  The group worked in collaboration to develop the following priorities for 2021 Nevada Legislative Session: Funding, Connecting, and Streamlining. Trustees discussed the need to ensure that CCSD’s legislative priorities are aligned to the InVest Priorities. 

Click here to view the resolution.
Click here to view the overview.

Trustees Hear Nevada Educator Performance Framework Results 

The annual performance of teachers and school administrators is measured by the Nevada Educator Performance Framework. Performance is measured against the three (3) categories listed below, varying by “weight,” or how much a category will impact the overall rating. 

  • Instructional Practice Standards and Indicators weight: 65%
  • Professional Responsibilities Standards and Indicators weight: 20%
  • Student Performance weight: 15%

Based on total scores in the above categories, teachers and school administrators are ranked overall as:

  • Highly Effective
  • Effective
  • Developing
  • Ineffective

Teachers and school administrators that have already received a rating of Highly Effective for the two previous consecutive years are exempt from evaluation (in accordance with NRS 391.690).

Teacher 2019-2020 NEPF Results 

  • Exempt: 2% (338)
  • Highly Effective: 14%  (2,000)
  • Effective: 83% (11,574)
  • Developing: <1% (47)
  • Ineffective: <1% (11)

School Administrator 2019-2020 NEPF Results 

  • Exempt: 3% (14)
  • Highly Effective: 28% (157)
  • Effective: 69% (387)
  • Developing: <1% (2)
  • Ineffective: 0% (0)

Click here to see the presentation.

Trustees Approve Memorandum of Agreement with CCEA (4-2-1)

The Memorandum of Agreement outlines the agreement with the Clark County Educators Association regarding the transition to full-time in-person learning for grades K-3. At this time, there is no timeline for returning to school buildings for in-person learning. 

Upon the return of licensed teachers to school buildings for in-person learning, teachers will be required to follow specific health and safety guidelines.  Highlights of the agreement include mandatory random symptom testing in addition to daily symptom monitoring, and participation in contract tracing if tested positive for COVID-19. The district agrees to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for all teachers. 

Trustees discussed the need to ensure that all educator voices are represented when agreements are made with collective bargaining units. Two trustees voted nay, with one trustee abstaining from the vote due to a conflict of interest. 

Click here to view the agreement. 

Trustees Approve Voluntary Reopening of School Buildings  

Trustees unanimously approved a voluntary reopening proposal that provides all school building principals with the autonomy to decide whether to open their school buildings to students. Schools that open will still engage in the current distance learning model. Principals can decide the configuration of their return, however, their plan must be approved by their region superintendent. Principals will work with their school community to prioritize students with high needs based on student achievement data, social-emotional factors, access to reliable technology, and attendance. Staff and students will return on a voluntary basis aligned to the approved plan, though transportation will not be available for students.

Trustees discussed the need to ensure staff and student health is prioritized. Additionally, trustees expressed concerns that students may not be equitably served with this model. Trustees were also provided with an overview of the shift in academics and grading, improvements to distance learning, and social-emotional supports. Presentation highlights: 

  • 90.4% of comprehensive schools assigned more F grades than last year. 
  • 11.2% of students who received an F earned only A’s and B’s in Fall 2019. 
  • Within the Lifeline social-emotional support pilot program, staff conducted 4,359 virtual wellness checks, 1,403 in-person wellness checks, and 30 suicide protocols. 
  • Improvements to distance learning included professional development courses for all educators, live support hours, and content area distance education leader sessions.

Click here to view the presentation. 

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

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Nevada Ed-Watch 10/08/2020

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, October 8, 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 to view public comment submitted on agenda items.
  • Click here and here to view public comment submitted on non-agenda items.

Trustees Approved Consent Agenda 

Highlights:

  • Amendment of the Interlocal Contract to allow CCSD to bill for the maximum amount of services allowed in the newly expanded School Health Services program
  • Approval of purchase awards totaling nearly $3 million, including $1 million for K-12 reading programs and $350,000 for school ventilation equipment
  • Approval to enter into a professional services agreement for test and balance services in support of an unnamed elementary school
  • Approval of CCSD Regulation and Policy updates outlined at the September 10th Board meeting

Trustees Approved Title IX Resolution 

At the September 10th board meeting, Trustees voted to postpone the vote on the Title IX Resolution over Trustees’ concerns with the implications of the changes. At the request of one of the Trustees, language has been added in the second resolution which now requires the Board of Trustees to approve policy to implement Title IX regulations and includes policies based on sexual orientation and gender identity.  

The resolution does not change any regulations; rather, the resolution states the District’s compliance with federal law and the Board fulfillment of all requirements with the exception of amending or modifying the regulations in due time.

Click here to read the resolution.

Trustees Heard Update on the CCSD’s COVID-19 Response

Health Information: The Board heard a presentation on the COVID-19 response 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. Along with the COVID-19 positivity rate for CCSD students and staff, factors include the 14-day community infection rate. As of October 1, 2020, the Clark County community transmission rate indicates higher risk of transmission in schools.

Between September 27 to October 1, 172 children in Clark Country between the ages of 0-17 years have been diagnosed with COVID-19. SNHD is considering the implications of this data as it relates to sending children back to school in close contact.

Following Emergency Directive 033, which adjusts the limitation on public gatherings from 50 to 250 people (or 50% of occupancy, whichever is less), SNHD will continue to monitor the behavior of COVID-19 and its potential to impact transmission in schools. At this time, there is no recommendation for schools to reopen.

Task Force Initiative for Educators’ Safety and Screening: CCSD staff will have access to free COVID-19 testing through the Task Force for Educator’s Safety & Screening (TIES) program. CCSD General Council is considering a contract with emocha Health to monitor TIES. Following concerns Trustees expressed at the September 24 board meeting with regard to requiring employees to get tested and the implications on confidentiality, the TIES program will be provided on a voluntary basis for participating staff. Staff would also be required to complete the ongoing CCSD required health checks while they are on campus. Student testing was not discussed.

Mental Health: Trustees heard a presentation on the mental health supports in place by CCSD personnel, mental health data points, the complexities of dealing with mental health through the supports, and the need to be agile to prepare for a scenario where distance education continues for a longer period of time. 

  • CCSD personnel involved in mental health supports:
    • Wraparound Services: CCSD has a total of 254 social workers–100 full-time CCSD staff and 154 contracted social workers through Progressus. The ratio of CCSD social workers is 1 to 1,174 students.
    • Guidance & Counseling: The ratio of counselors is 1 to 400 high school students, 1 to 500 middle school students, and 1 to 640 elementary school students.
    • Psychological Services: There is 1 psychologist to 1,850 students; the national recommendation is 1 to 700. 
    • Health Services: School nurses are part of the teams at school sites involved in suicide ideation and supports.
  • Data Points: Trustees heard data on a number of mental health areas, including: 
    • Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (SISP) referrals increased from 10,667 in August/September 2019 to 15,641 in August/September 2020.
    • CCSD experienced decreases in Department of Family Services (DFS) submissions by staff and community members.
    • Student suicide ideation reports decreased, potentially due to a lack of face-to-face contact with psychologists and counselors that would normally lead to ideation reports.
    • From June 2020 to October 1, 2020, CCSD police made 81 home visits in response to suicide ideations.
    • CCSD safe school professionals, social workers, and mental health professionals conducted 23,825 wellness checks
  • Supports for CCSD staff: CCSD staff engaged with social-emotional professional learning via Canvas in August, which included Trauma 101 professional learning, suicide protocol training, and self-care for educators. Virtual webinars will soon be made available to support CCSD staff on subjects such as coping with anxiety during COVID-19. CCSD staff will continue to have access to the Life Connection Employee Assistance Program, provided through Behavioral Healthcare Options.
  • Student Enrollment & Attendance: 
    • Funded enrollment: As of October 1, enrollment is down 4% (or 12,622 students) from prior year. According to CCSD, the majority of the decline can be attributed to the White/Caucasian student population, which was down 7,222 students (or 9.5%) from prior year. Pre-K through 3rd grade enrollment is down 8,167 students (or 8.5%) from prior year.
    • Withdrawals from the district: Compared to the prior year, private school withdrawals are up over 1,000 and charter school withdrawals are up over 2,000. Homeschool withdrawals are up approximately 2,000 from prior year. 
    • Intent to homeschool: Intents to Homeschool were submitted for 2,122 CCSD students as of September 16.
    • For the week ending September 18, overall attendance was 90.6% as compared to 94.8% during the comparable 4th week of instruction in the prior year.

Lesson Learned: Trustees heard a presentation on lessons learned from current instructional models and telecommuting responsibilities by other school systems and districts.  In a review of 10 representative sample districts, seven are currently operating with full-time distance education, three are currently in transition to a hybrid model, and none currently reporting a full-time face-to-face for the majority of their students.

In a number of districts with plans to transition from full-time distance to hybrid models in January 2021, supervisors will have the discretion to direct staff to return to work locations. Other districts may consider requiring staff to return to work locations to deliver online instruction even though students will not be present. Districts will revisit employee-work expectations prior to transitioning to hybrid models.

Staff Transition to Face-to-Face Instruction Questionnaire: 

Last week, CCSD conducted a survey to find out how CCSD school staff feel about returning to work. Responses were received from approximately 80% of CCSD school staff.

Survey results:

  • 55% said ‘Yes’ when asked if they were planning to return to work locations if the option to telecommute in a hybrid or full-time model remains available.
  • 17% indicated that they would return to work locations only if the District resumes within the full-time face-to-face model.
  • 28% indicated that they did not want to return to work. 

The Board interprets this data as the staff’s desire to continue to telecommute due to concerns around community health data or a number of staff members with young children at home who would not have supervision. CCSD will need the majority of staff to return to work to implement a hybrid or full-time face-to-face model.

Click here to see the presentation.
Click here to see supplemental student enrollment and attendance data.

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

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Nevada Ed-Watch 9/25/20

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, 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: 

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. 

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Nevada Ed-Watch 8/14/20

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.

State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA)

What is the SPCSA & what are they responsible for? The SPCSA sponsors and oversees public charter schools across the State of Nevada. The Authority consists of nine appointed members responsible for overseeing educational and operational standards, and holding sponsored schools accountable to the academic achievement of students.

How often does the SPCSA Board meet? SPCSA members meet once monthly– on Fridays.

Click here for SPCSA meeting schedule and materials.

Can community members engage at SPCSA Board Meetings? All meetings are held publicly at the Nevada Department of Education building in Carson City and the Nevada Department of Education building in Las Vegas (1st floor boardroom). Members of the public are invited to attend at either location. A time for public comment is provided at the conclusion of each agenda item and at the conclusion 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.

Alternatively, public comment may be submitted in writing at publiccomment@spcsa.nv.gov, and any such public comment received prior to the meeting will be provided to the Authority and included in the written minutes of the meeting.

Click here for a list of all SPCSA Members.

Click here for a list of all SPCSA sponsored schools.

Friday, August 14, 2020

State Public Charter School Authority Board Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting? 

Members of the public provided comment regarding: 

  • Dissatisfaction with the SPCSA Reopening Plan Requirements which would require most SPCSA approved charter schools to open with distance learning only. 

Board Approved Reopening Plan Requirements and In-Person Learning for 2020-2021 School Year (6-3)

SPCSA board members heard from SPCSA Executive Director Feiden on the proposed school opening requirements related to in-person learning for the 2020-2021 school year. 

The recommendations from SPCSA staff can be found at SPCSA Recommendation to Issue COVID-19 In-Person Learning Guidance. This recommendation was in follow-up to  Recommendation and Guidance for School Re-Opening and based on Road to Recovery: Moving to a New Normal from the Governor and Nevada Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 Update. There were some areas of contention, including  whether the guidance should be a recommendation or a requirement.  

A motion was made to approve the guidance as a recommendation rather than a requirement.  This motion failed  5 to 4. 

The board moved to approve the guidance as a requirement, with the addition of a fast-response process for SPCSA to consider an appeal by schools. 

Board Heard Update on Open Meeting Law

Governor Sisolak’s Emergency Directive 029 extended Nevada’s State of Emergency status. The extension provides allowance for public meetings, including the SPCSA board, to continue to occur virtually. 

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