Tag: Strategic Planning

Nevada Ed-Watch: 2/28/23

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 Nevada.

Washoe County School District Board of Trustees 

What is the Board of Trustees & what are they responsible for? The Washoe County School District Board of 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.

How often does the Board of Trustees meet? Trustees meet twice per month (second and fourth Tuesdays) at 2 pm both virtually and at the Central Administration Building Board Room, 425 E. 9th St., Reno, NV 89512.

Click here for a full list of Trustees meetings.

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 provided in person or via email. Email comments should be submitted to publiccomments@washoeschools.net. 

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Washoe County School District Board of Trustees Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda.
Watch the meeting playback.

What happened at this meeting?

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent agenda highlights include:

Explore the consent agenda here.

Trustees Received a Presentation on the Progress and Schedule of the Facility and Modernization Plan

Trustees discussed the progress and schedule of the Facility Modernization Plan. Highlights from the presentation include:

  • Discussing possible trade-up consolidations to improve equity and programming; challenges for this option include transportation time and expense and limits on the annual number of consolidations possible
  • Discussing repurposing facilities for district use (early chilhood/Pre-K centers, education hubs, Family Resource Centers, etc.) and community use (parks and recreation, community centers, health centers, elder care, etc.)
  • Updates on the timeline to include developing scenarios through March, community engagements in March and April, and stakeholder vetting in May; community forums are planned for September and October

Explore the presentation.

Trustees Received a Presentation on the Progress and Schedule of the District-Wide Strategic Planning Process

Trustees received an update on the District’s Student-Centered Strategic Planning process. Highlights from the presentation include:

  • An overview of the student body: out of every 20 students, 3 have disabilities, 3 are English learners, and 11 are economically disadvantaged.
  • An overview of student demographics: out of every 20 students, 1 identifies as Asian, 8 identify as Hispanic, 1 identifies as multiple races, 9 identify as White, and 1 identifies as “other.”
  • An overview of survey responses from elementary, middle, and high school students
  • An overview of the strategic planning process moving forward, with the final plan scheduled to be reviewed by the Board on June 13, 2023. Several alignment team meetings and community forums are scheduled between now and then.
  • An overview of key deliverables, including goals, a comprehensive strategy map, and reports.

Explore the presentation.

Trustees Received a Presentation on Academic Outcomes for Emerging Bilingual Students

Trustees received a quality of education report on academic outcomes for students who are learning English. Highlights from the presentation include:

  • Achievement gaps persist with English learners, including SBAC performance and graduation.
  • Models used include EL teachers as well as ELD site facilitators. This model is supposed to coach the teachers in teaching content-specific language, as well as the content itself.
  • There are four designated Newcomer high schools and three designated Newcomer middle schools.
  • The District is trying to develop tests and assessments in the native languages, as well as in English.
  • Next steps include utilizing new weighted funding for ELs to develop and implement new staffing guidelines, growing the ELD Site Facilitator model, and continuing to work with Family and School Partnerships to encourage family engagement and voice.

Explore the presentation.

Student Representative’s Report

The Student Representative Report highlights included:

  • Meeting scheduled with student representatives on the strategic planning process
  • Tip sheets for parents about how to address meetings
  • Career fair hosted at AACT (Academy of Arts, Careers, and Technology)

Trustee reports highlights included:

  • School visits and staff appreciation events
  • Attending school athletic events
  • High school program for Pre-K education certifications
  • Guest speaking roles
  • School leadership encouraging family and parent engagement

Superintendent’s Report

The Superintendent did not provide a report.

Public Comment

  • Family concerns over the recent death of a student
  • Concerns about crosswalks and traffic safety
  • Concerns about gangs and violence in schools, with requests for data on the topic to be presented at a future meeting

The next Meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for March 14, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. 

Sign up to receive a notification when a new Ed-Watch post is published:

Nevada Ed-Watch 9/13/19

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.

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 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 SPCSA Members.

Click here for a list of all SPCSA sponsored schools.

Friday, September 13, 2019
State Public Charter School Authority Board Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment
A member of the public requested the SPCSA board move meetings to the evening rather than during the workday to improve accessibility.

The Board Heard Updates From Schools in Receivership

  • Argent Preparatory Academy
    • Argent Prep is selling their final asset, a parcel of land, for $2.25 million. The buyer, Carson Montessori School, requested a 10-day extension to address issues with financing and acquire a Special Use Permit.
  • Quest Academy
    • Quest Academy resolved its legal and financial obligations, however is currently engaged in litigation regarding its facility.
  • Discovery Charter school
    • Discovery Charter School reported a strong start to the new school year with positive family engagement.
    • The school’s new board held their first meeting and elected a president and treasurer.
    • Click here to see Discovery’s full written update.
    • Discovery Charter School must continue providing quarterly updates to the Authority through the end of the 2020 school year.

Board Heard Updates on the Nevada Virtual Academy Litigation

Nevada Virtual Academy (NVA) filed a complaint with the court challenging the conditions that the Authority Board approved in 2018, when their charter application was approved. NVA filed an injunction to operate under a court order without a charter contract. No injunction was ordered. A trial is set for May 2020.

Board Approved Charter Contract Amendments (4-2 vote)

The following charter contract amendments were approved:

  • Oasis Academy
    • An amendment allowing for an annual increase of 24 students per year for 9-years.
  • Doral Academy of Northern Nevada
    • A good cause exemption allowing an increase in the enrollment cap from 636 students to 814 students (the total number of students currently enrolled in the school). Representatives of Doral Academy of Northern Nevada stated that they over-enrolled the school due to an administrative error– confusing the enrollment cap for the Northern Nevada Campus with the cap at another Doral Academy campus.
    • The Authority Board approved the amendment only for the current school year, to avoid impact on the students and families enrolled.
    • The Authority Board also suggested the school implements a weighted lottery process to ensure its demographic makeup is consistent with the community that it serves.

Board Approved the Charter School Performance Framework Guidance Document

The board approved the revised guidance document for the Charter School Performance Framework. The objective of the performance framework is to provide charter school boards and leaders with clear expectations, fact-based oversight, and timely feedback while protecting charter school’s autonomy for local decision-making within the constraints of state and federal laws.

Click here to see the document.

Board Approved the Site Evaluation Handbook

The board approved technical changes to the SPCSA Site Evaluation Handbook. The changes included updates based on legislation passed in the 2019 Legislative Session, plus updates based on learnings from the first year of completed site evaluations.

Click here to see the handbook.

Board Heard an Overview of the Nevada School Performance Framework

SPCSA staff presented the board with an overview of the Nevada School Performance Framework. 2018-2019 school year performance data will be available on the Nevada Report Card website on Monday, September 16.

There are 102 star ratings across SPCSA-authorized school campuses. This number accounts for single campuses that include multiple school levels (elementary, middle, and high school). Each school level receives its own star rating. 

The Board Heard Updates on Strategic Planning for the SPCSA

The SPCSA is developing a 5-year strategic plan that will outline its vision, mission, values, organizational goals, and strategies for achieving goals.

The Strategic Plan will be inclusive of the SPCSA’s Growth Management Plan, Local Education Agency (LEA) Support Plan, and Organizational Effectiveness Plan.

The SPCSA is also creating a Growth Management Plan, as mandated during the 2019 legislative session.

SPCSA staff will engage stakeholders as the Growth Management Plan is developed– which will include targeted outreach to key stakeholders, working groups with a diverse group of stakeholders, and more broad outreach through surveys.

Staff will present the Growth Management Plan and the Strategic Plan to the SPCSA board for feedback. The goal is to present a final draft to the board during the December 13th meeting.

Click here to see the presentation.

The Board Heard Updates from SPCSA Staff

  • Welcoming new board members, Mallory Cyr, Don Soifer, and Dr. Tonia Holmes-Sutton. There are still two board seats pending appointment.
  • The December board meeting will be held on December 13th.
  • 9 new school applications in this cycle
    • Applications are available online for review by the public, including a link for members of the public to provide comment regarding the application.
    • SPCSA staff anticipate bringing new charter school applications to the board for consideration during the November and December board meetings.
  • 7 charter schools are up for contract renewals. SPCSA staff anticipate bringing applications for renewal before the board in the November and December board meetings.

Sign up to receive a notification when a new Ed-Watch post is published:

Nevada Ed-Watch 3/11/19

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.

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 seven 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 (three times in June)– 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 (2nd floor boardroom). Members of the public are invited to attend at either location. 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 SPCSA Members.

Click here for a list of all SPCSA sponsored schools.

Monday, March 11, 2019
State Public Charter School Authority Board Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

The Board Heard Staff Reports From Each Team (Authorizing, School Support, Finance & Operations & Legal)

The Authorizing Team provided the following updates to the Board:

  • Academic Performance Framework & Organizational Framework
    • The workgroups on each of the frameworks have met once and will continue to meet over the next few months.
    • Both frameworks will be completed by June and implemented in school year 2019-20.

  • Changes to the Nevada School Performance Framework (NSPF) for school year 2018-2019 
    • The Nevada Department of Education is implementing changes to the NSPF, which will be released in the Fall. Note: the NSPF workbook with more details will be released in April 2019.
      • The team updated the Board on 3 key areas that will be updated:
        • Changing the business rules around how long a child must be enrolled in order to count towards a school’s performance data.
        • Rating schools that have low ‘N’ counts, or schools that don’t have tested grades.
        • Readjusting the penalty structure for schools that don’t meet the 95% participation requirements.
  • Site Evaluations
    • The team completed 9 SPCSA school site evaluations since January 22nd. They will have 10 visits completed by end of the week, and 6 visits remaining for March-April. On average, the team has completed 1 site evaluation per week.
  • Revolving Loan
    • The team provided an update regarding lending funds to schools for costs approved in the charter application, such as preparing for the first year of operations and recruiting talent.
      • The loan application deadline is Friday. Any charter school under any authorizer can apply. Funding decisions will be made in May.
  • New Charter Applicants
    • There is 1 applicant currently in the charter application process.
    • 11 Letters of Intent to apply for charter authorization have been submitted to-date for the current application cycle. The deadline is Friday, March 15.

The School Support Team provided the following updates to the Board:

  • Site Visits
    • The team conducted 10 school site visits this week. The purpose of these visits is to discuss providing technical support to ensure school success, specifically around special programs like Individualized Education and 504 Plans, and services for English Language Learners.
  • Conferences and Trainings
    • The team attended crisis prevention institute training.
  • Technical Support for Schools
    • The team is continuing to work with schools to facilitate solutions to parent concerns, and support schools to meet Nevada Department of Education reporting requirements.

The Legal Team provided the following updates to the Board:

  • Executive Director Search and Recruitment
    • The Board interviewed candidates for the Executive Director position on March 8, selecting 3 finalists to forward to the Governor for final review and appointment.  The letter to the Governor is currently being drafted.

The Board Heard 2019 Legislative Updates

The SPCSA has jointly filed SB78 with the Nevada Department of Education. The bill includes consolidating and combining the SPCSA and the Nevada ASD in an effort to increase equitable access to high quality charter schools for all students.

Click here to see the bill and the amendments.

Click here to see a technical summary of the proposed revisions to AB78.

Click here to see the proposed Conceptual Amendment to AB78.

The SPCSA is also tracking the following (click the links to access each bill):

  • AB70: Related to Nevada Open Meeting Law
  • AB168: Related to student discipline
  • AB 213: Allows for public charter school students to obtain their driver’s licenses at age 14 under certain circumstances
  • SB57: Related to school safety
  • SB89: Related to accountability for public schools
  • BDR 34-392: Related to separate regulation of online public charter schools. Discussion on BDR 34-392 included:
    • The Board has done a lot of accountability work regarding virtual schools, with some success. They expressed that having an additional accountability tool would be helpful.
    • The Board also expressed support for schools that are open to all students and are serving them well, and facing consequences, (including closure) if they are not.

The Board Heard a Staff Presentation About the Charter Amendment Process and Proposed Updates

The SPCSA currently has 11 different amendment applications that are specific to different types of amendments (i.e. expanding enrollment to new grades or school name changes).

The staff proposed streamlining the charter amendment process to just one application that is broken down into multiple amendment categories (i.e. facilities, enrollment, and academic).

There will still be a high expectation of quality in applications, two amendment cycles, and an option for schools to submit good cause exemptions.

Click here to download the presentation.

The Board Heard a Staff Presentation About the SPCSA Strategic Planning Process

Staff members informed the Board that the SPCSA’s current Strategic plan will expire in 2020. The staff will present a formal timeline in June or July to establish a new strategic plan over the next year.

Click here to see the current plan.

Future Items:

  • July: Presentation on accountability measures for schools
  • August: NSPF Primer
  • September or October: NSPF Results

Sign up to receive a notification when a new Ed-Watch post is published: