Nevada Ed Watch 4/25/19

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, April 25, 2019

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Members of the public provided testimony to Trustees regarding:

  • Request for support of infrastructure improvements at the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts.
  • Concerns about the CCSD budget and request for more public input.
  • Concerns about student proficiency levels in reading and writing.
  • Advocacy for more funding for schools.
  • Concerns about overcrowding in classrooms and pay rates for teachers and support staff.
  • Concerns about replacing the vacant positions of CCSD staff who have retired.
  • Concerns about achievement gaps, disproportionate disciplinary action, and implicit racial bias district-wide.
  • Teachers at Decker Elementary provided testimony opposing the nonrenewal of their contracts. They shared concerns about school leadership, school culture, and lack of professional development opportunities. It was noted that Trustees do not have the ability to overrule nonrenewal decisions. Click here to read about this in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Trustees Unanimously Approve the Consent Agenda

Consent Agenda Highlights:

  • Application for a NoVo Foundation Innovation in Social and Emotional Learning Grant to continue to partner with community-based organizations to help students foster socio-emotional skills through creative expression.
  • Nonrenewal of probationary unified contracts and licensed contracts
  • Nevada Department of Transportation funded a four-year project to supplement the School-Community Partnership Program Office’s existing Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program, which focuses on educating students and parents on pedestrian safety while encouraging more students to bicycle to and from school.

Trustees Hear Updates from the Student School Board Advisory Committee

At the last Student Advisory Committee meeting on April 2nd, the following topics were discussed:

  • Teaching and learning reorganizing
  • CCSD’s legislative priorities and how students can engage in the legislative process
  • College and career readiness for high school students

Applications for new student Board members will be available to principals in May. Students interested in being on the Board can pick up applications from their school offices.

Trustees Unanimously Approve Revisions to the Sex Education Advisory Committee By-Laws

The revisions were related to the composition of the Recommending Committee. Each Trustee will now appoint one member to the Committee, and one non-voting liaison from the Curriculum and Professional Development division (recommended by the Superintendent). The Recommending Committee will then select the members of the Sex Education Advisory Committee.

Trustees Unanimously Approve a Chief of Facilities Employment Agreement

David P. McKinnis is the new Chief of Facilities for the District, beginning May 29th. Click here to see the employment agreement.

Trustees Heard an Update on the Qualitative Budget Forecast

CCSD’s Chief Finance Officer reported that the ending fund balance is still as projected at the beginning of the year.

Click here to see the presentation.


Potential Future Agenda Items

  • Address teacher concerns related to school and district culture
  • Information about Nevada Early Childhood Advisory Council’s On Strategy program, which could include a real-time dashboard to track goals outlined in CCSD’s strategic plan (Focus 2024)
  • Update on the Florence McClure educational program
  • Discuss potential modifications to dress code policies
  • Discuss potential marketing revenue opportunities (advertising and sponsorships)
  • A presentation on CCSD’s existing digital marketing platforms, and opportunities to leverage those platforms to promote additional support for schools.

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