Tag: settlement

Nevada Ed-Watch

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, November 14, 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:

  • Concerns about the new collective bargaining contract for support staff
  • The need for mental health services for students, and a taskforce to reduce student-to-school psychologist ratio
  • Support for School Organizational Teams (SOTs)
  • The need for more black male CCSD principals

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent Agenda highlights:

Trustees Heard a Presentation on Focus 2024 Student Success Measures 

The board heard a presentation on progress made towards student success goals outlined in the Focus 2024 Plan (summarized below). The priority areas include student achievement, closing achievement gaps between student sub-groups, and chronic absenteeism. 

Click here to see a data summary.

Click here to see the presentation.

Click here to see this portion of the Focus 2024 plan.

Presentation Summary: 

Student Success Priority Area 1: Increase student achievement in English language arts, mathematics, and science. 

Priority Area 2: Decrease student proficiency gaps in ELA, mathematics, and science 

Priority Area 3: Increase access and equity to rigorous curriculum and instruction for all students. 

  • Increase and diversify student enrollment and achievement in advanced coursework in all subgroups at the district level and at each middle and high school 
    • Enrollment in dual-credit classrooms:
      • January 2019 Baseline: 2,753 students
      • 2019-2020 Actual: 4.409 students 
      • 2019-2020 Goal: 3,028 students
    • Average variance between subpopulation enrollment rates in dual-credit classrooms and subpopulation enrollment rates in CCSD:
      • 2018-2019 Baseline: 6.25 percentage points 
      • 2019-2020 Actual: 5.91 percentage points 
    • Enrollment in Advanced Placement (AP) classrooms: 
      • January 2019 Baseline: 13,955 students
      • 2019-2020 Actual: 13,759 students 
      • 2019-2020 Goal: 14,653 students
    • Average variance between subpopulation enrollment rates in AP classrooms and subpopulation enrollment rates in CCSD:
      • January 2019 Baseline: 4.97 percentage points
      • 2019-2020 Actual: 4.3 percentage points  
    • AP tests taken as a percentage of AP enrollments:
      • 2018-2019 Baseline: 78%
      • 2019-2020 Actual: 74.1%
    • Algebra I and Geometry participation in middle school:
      • 2018-2019 Baseline: 6,834 students
      • 2019-2020 Actual: 7,197 students
      • 2019-2020 Goal: 7,381 students
    • Students scoring greater than a 3 on the summative AP exam in all subgroups: 
      • 2018-2019 Baseline: 12,202 students
      • 2019-2020 Actual:12,333 students
      • 2019-2020 Goal: 12,812 students 

Priority Area 4: Ensure students and staff are safe students are engaged at school. 

  • Decrease chronic absenteeism and chronic absenteeism gaps 
    • Chronic absenteeism rate: 
      • 2017-2018 Baseline: 20.7%
      • 2018-2019 Actual: 21.9%
      • 2018-2019 Goal: 19.7%
    • Gap between the highest and lowest subgroups in chronic absenteeism:
      • 2017-2018 Baseline: 23.1 percentage points
      • 2018-2019 Actual: 24.1 percentage points
      • 2018-2019 Goal: 17.6 percentage points 

Trustees Approved Policy Updates 

The board approved updates to the following policies:

Trustees Approved the Naming of the Cheyenne High School Baseball Field 

Cheyenne High School baseball field is now named The Chad W. Parque Memorial Baseball Field. Detective Parque is a fallen member of North Las Vegas Police, a Cheyenne High School graduate, and a mentor for students at Cheyenne High School. 

Click here to learn more.

Trustees Approved Updates to the Capital Improvement Plan (5-2)

Trustees approved updates to the 2015 Capital Improvement Plan. The CCSD Facilities Service Unit stated that district schools need significant building improvements. To address all these needs, the district would need approximately $2 billion. Trustees discussed the most appropriate use of buildings, as well as concerns about overcrowding.

The approved updates to the Capital Improvement Plan were:

  1. Construct a new building addition at Gragson Elementary School.
  2. Construct a new building addition at Petersen Elementary School.
  3. Remove classroom additions and reallocate funds to Comprehensive Renovation Program.
  4. Remove Comprehensive High School and High School additions. Build two new Career and Technical Academies.
  5. Recommend to increase budget from $10 Million to $30.5 Million and to construct a new school (Global Community High School) at Maryland Parkway and Oakley Boulevard.
  6. Recommend to increase Sandy Valley budget from $10.7 Million to $32 Million.
  7. Recommend to approve additional positions as recommended by staff to execute the Capital Improvement Program.

Following site visits and a review of data, the Facilities Division will present the Strategic Comprehensive Renovation Program to the Bond Oversight Committee on December 19, 2019. The Division is requesting an additional 12 staff members to implement the improvement project.

Click here to see the Capital Improvement Plan.

Members of the public provided comment about adding a Career and Technical Academy in North Las Vegas, plus expressing support for a new building for Global Community High School.

Trustees Approved the Contract for School Administrators & Professional Technical Employees

The contract extends the negotiated agreement between the Clark County School District and the Clark County Association of School Administrators and Professional Technical Employees through 2021. 

Major updates to the contract include: 

  • 3% raise for all employees covered under this contract 
  • 4% increase in insurance coverage
  • Step increases
  • Procedures for extended leave 
  • Revisions to banked hours  
  • Non-substantive date and language updates to align to CCSD policies

Click here to see the contract.

Trustees Approved a Notice of Intent to Update District Regulations

The following regulations will be presented to the board for final approval at the December 12th board meeting:

Trustee Reports:

Trustees participated in Principal for a Day,  Sun Youth Forum, and a middle school Honor Choir concert. 

Requests for Future Agenda Items:

  • A presentation on professional development programs
  • Review and possible revision of policies related to school libraries and instructional materials

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Nevada Ed-Watch 8/8/19

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.

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, August 8, 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:

  • Alleged bullying and harassment between employees
  • Concerns with the number of teacher vacancies 
  • Teacher salary increases
  • Concerns about changes to bus routes

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent agenda highlights:

  • Facilities improvements
  • $100,000 settlement to the family of a teen that was shot at Canyon Springs High School
  • MOU with Fulfillment Fund to support students at Chaparral High School

Trustees Discussed Silver State Governance Training 

Silver State Governance (SSG) is an operating framework and coaching system that orients school board members to a framework that puts student achievement at the forefront of decision-making.

The Silver State Governance Accountability Framework is built around six research-inspired competencies that correlate with improvements in student outcomes: 

  1. Vision & Goals
  2. Values & Constraints
  3. Accountability & Monitoring
  4. Communication & Collaboration
  5. Unity & Trust
  6. Continuous Improvement

Trustees did not vote on this item, as it was changed to be discussion only. Trustees chose not to bring this topic back before the board as an action item.

Click here to see the Silver State Governance proposal.

Trustees Discussed Concerns with the Implementation of School Organizational Teams

To ensure they are conducting the appropriate level of oversight and fulfilling their fiduciary responsibilities, Trustees are requesting the following information from schools:

  1. Process for electing SOT members
  2. Number of applicants who applied to serve on the SOT
  3. Number of votes cast by the school community to elect SOT members
  4. Names of SOT members
  5. Number of years served by SOT members
  6. The process for making budget cuts (plus, what cuts were made)
  7. Average class size
  8. Staff to administrator ratio
  9. Student to administrator ratio
  10. Confirm all SOT meeting agendas and minutes are posted online in a central location (including budgets and a master calendar)

In the future, schools are to survey SOT members to learn how to improve the process and experience.

Public Comment: Members of the public expressed concerns about:

  • How parents are being selected to serve on SOT boards
  • Lack of transparency and fidelity in the implementation of the work of the SOTs

Trustees Approved Medium-Term Obligations

This bond money will be used for new and replacement school buses, special education, general education, and new schools. CCSD is proposing up to $35,000,000 to finance all or a portion of the cost of acquiring, improving, and equipping school facilities.

Click here to see the resolution.

Trustees Heard Updates on CCSD Focus 2024 Priorities

Below is a summary of the updates presented to Trustees related to the priorities of the CCSD strategic plan (Focus 2024):

  • Employee Morale: Improve employee morale and engagement, and increase retention rates.
    • Measure 1: Individuals (employees, parents, community members or others) engage in recognizing employees
      • 2018-2019 Target: 2,000 Engagements
      • 2018-2019 Actual: 6,426 Engagements 
      • 2019-2020 Target: 2,000 Engagements
    • Measure 2: Employees are recognized
      • 2018-2019 Target: 1,600 Employees
      • 2018-2019 Actual: 7,171 Employees recognized
      • 2019-2020 Target: 1,600 Employees
    • Trustees discussed focusing on outcomes for a greater sense of whether morale is improving. 
    • Public Comment: A member of the public expressed a need to consider morale among support staff.
    • Click here to see the presentation.
  • Fiscal Transparency: Improve the quality, communication, and understanding of financial information of the district
    • Measure: Increase the percentage of financial survey respondents noting at least a 4 (on a scale of 1-5) on understanding the quality of financial information
      • 2019-2020 Target: 71%
      • 2018-2019 Actual: 66% of respondents noted at least a 4.
    • Click here to see the presentation.

Trustees Heard an Update on Facilities Improvements

The CCSD Chief of Facilities discussed the need to respond to maintenance emergencies and focus on preventative maintenance, rather than being reactive.

A pilot program to address facilities issues is launching– with 11 Building Engineer positions filled.

Other highlighted topics included:

  • Air Handler Coil Cleaning
  • Air Filter Replacement
  • Water Treatment for HVAC systems
  • Mobile maintenance – Paint, carpentry, and plumbing
  • Energy and Sustainability
  • Evaluation of New Construction to reduce school footprints and associated costs
  • Allocation of CIP funds to modernization
  • Third party cost estimates when construction bids exceed budgeted amount

Click here to see the presentation.

Trustees Approved an Employment Contract for New Chief Negotiator and Assistant General Counsel Position

The position will be filled by Luke Puschnig, the former counsel for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Click here to see the employment contract.

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

Potential Future Agenda Items:

  • Discuss a secure hotline for CCSD staff to report workplace bullying
  • The Executive Director of the State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) is attending the next CCSD work session– related to the SPCSA’s plan to manage the growth of public charter schools.
  • Superintendent Jara requested that Trustees review the draft agreement between CCSD and Clark County (the Open Schools Open Doors policy), and to provide feedback during their one-on-one meetings. This item will be on the next board agenda, contingent upon successful negotiations with the County Commission.

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Nevada Ed Watch 6/27/19

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.

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, June 27, 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 regarding the decision to eliminate the dean position in the Clark County School District.

Trustees Unanimously Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent agenda highlights:

  • Approval of a settlement for $500K (click here to read about this in the Las Vegas Review-Journal). 
  • Grant applications and Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), including:
    • Immunize Nevada
    • NSHE participation in FAFSA
    • English Language Learner programs

Trustees Approved Members of the Sex Education Committee

The Sex Education Committee is charged with reviewing the content and materials to be used in units of instruction on the human reporductive system, STDs/STIs, and sexual responsibility. The committee also makes recommendations to the Superintendent, who then makes recommendations to Trustees. 

The approved committee members are:

  • Medicine/Nursing: Diane Elmore (District A)
  • Counseling: Laura Deitsch (District E)
  • Religion: Dr. S. S. Rogers (District C)
  • Teacher: Jessica Maleskey (District A)
  • Parents: 
    • Erin Bilbray Kohn (District F)
    • Jodi Thornley (District B)
    • Bonnie Pruneda (District B)
    • Stephanie Valdez (District E)
    • Stephanie Zinna (District G)
  • Pupil: Arianna Ophir (District E)

Trustees Heard Updates from the Superintendent

Superintendent Jara provided a presentation to Trustees about recent budget changes. In addition to the $17 million savings from the removal of the dean position– a total of $7.4 million dollars will be reduced from the 2019-2020 budget from the following departments:

  • College, Career, Equity and School Choice Office 
  • Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Unit 
  • Legal Services

Click here to see the presentation

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

Alternative options (in lieu of cutting the dean positions) were to eliminate:

  • Magnet programs
  • Performing arts
  • Athletics and athletic transportation
  • Transportation for secondary schools
  • Transportation for all students except those who the district is federally required to transport  

Superintendent Jara also provided information on school safety initiatives that will take effect following the removal of all dean positions. Student safety efforts for the 2019-2020 school years include:

  • 4 new canine officers 
  • An additional Resource Office for all high schools
  • A reserve officer program
  • Two staff training programs: Trauma 101 and De-escalation 

Additionally, two new student support positions have been introduced:

  1. Student Success Project Facilitator 
  2. Student Success Coordinator

These positions will be posted on June 28th, and principals can begin interviewing on July 3rd.

Trustees Approved Updates to CCSD Construction Bids Policy (7210) and the Purchasing Authority Policy (3311)

The construction bids policy addresses major differences that have occurred between construction bids and the final costs.

The following updates were made to the construction bids policy:

  • Changing the designee from Assistant Superintendent to the Chief of Facilities
  • Construction change orders cannot cumulatively exceed 3 percent of the original contract for new construction
  • Changes in services cannot cumulatively exceed 5% of the original contract.

Click here to see the policy.

Corresponding changes were made to the Purchasing Authority Policy. 

Board Approved Contract for COO and Chief of Staff

The new CCSD Chief Operating Officer is Michael Casey. Click here to see the contract. 

The new CCSD Chief of Staff is Christopher Bernier. Click here to see the contract.

Potential Future Agenda Items:

  • Feasibility of creating an Advisory Committee made up of in-school staff to advise the Superintendent.

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