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 2020 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.
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Nevada State Board of Education Meeting
Click here to see the meeting agenda
What happened at this meeting?
Public Comment
Members of the public provided testimony regarding:
- Support for suicide prevention policies to address the social emotional needs of students
- Request for the State Superintendent to look into the technical issues with HCM, the Clark County School District’s payroll system
- Support for advisor pay for Career and Technical Student Organizations
Board Approved the Consent Agenda:
Consent Agenda Highlights:
- Approval of state funding for a Fiscal Year 2019 Career and Technical Education (CTE) Report of Local Activities and Expenditures
- Approval of the CTE Course Catalog for the 2020-2021 school year
- Approval of regulations adopted by the Commission on Professional Standards (R076-19 and R090-19)
Board Recognized Four (4) Nevada Teachers Who Received a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science
The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) are the highest honors by the United States government, specifically for K-12 science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and/or computer science teaching.
The following Nevada educators were honored with the award:
- Kristen Taylor, ATEC (Las Vegas)
- Heather Witt, KO Knudsen (Las Vegas)
- Kristine Donahue, Hunsberger Elementary School (Reno)
- Suzette Champagne, Jessie Beck Elementary School (Reno)
Click here to see the presentation.
Board Heard a Presentation About Nevada Career and Technical Student Organizations
Nevada students participating in the Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) listed below presented on the benefits of CTSOs, including increases in college and career readiness.
- Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)
- Nevada DECA
- Skills USA Nevada
- Family, Career and Community Leaders of America
- HOSA – Future Health Professionals of Nevada
- FFA (Agriculture Education)
The presentation included information on the United States Senate Youth Program for outstanding high school students interested in pursuing careers in public service. 40 Nevada students applied for the program, and 2 were accepted (Akaash Krishnan of Davidson Academy in Reno and Jared Stone of Meadows School in Las Vegas).
Click here to view the presentation.
Superintendent’s Report
State Superintendent Ebert shared the following updates:
- The statewide listening tour is complete. Major themes from the listening tour include access to Career and Technical Education, parent engagement, and transparency in school funding.
- On February 20th at 2pm, the Commission on School Funding is holding a meeting to hear from the public about funding weights for English Language Learners, students receiving special education services, gifted students, and “At Risk” students. Members of the public can also submit written comment to the commission.
- Lyon and Lincoln County School Districts received Silver State Governance Training.
- Vice President Newburn provided a presentation to the Interim Education Committee about the commission on school funding, the implementation of SB475, and class size reduction.
The Board Heard an Overview of the Statewide Plan for the Improvement of Pupils (STIP)
The STIP outlines goals related to the Nevada Department of Education’s (NDOE) role in improving student outcomes. NDOE staff presented a framework for the development of STIP goals. The board discussed the need for STIP goals to be realistic and measurable.
The 2025 STIP Goals are as follows:
Click here to see the presentation.
The Board Heard a Presentation on Model Policies for the Prevention of Suicide
Senate Bill 209 of the 2019 Nevada Legislative Session requires each Local Education Agency (LEA) to adopt policies for the prevention of suicide among students in grades 7-12. The Office for Safe and Respectful Learning Environments presented an overview of model policies for the prevention of suicide.
Click here to see the presentation.
Click here to see the model policy.
Board Heard a Presentation on Computer Science Education
The board heard an overview of Computer Science Education in Nevada– which included legislation related to computer science, student enrollment in computer science programs by race and ethnicity, and Fiscal Year 2019 funding allocations.
The Computer Science Summit 2020 is being held February 8-9th in Reno, and March 28-29th in Las Vegas.
Click here to see the presentation.
Click here to see the Nevada Computer Science Strategic Plan.
Board Approved Recommendations for Great Teaching and Leading Fund Allocations
Below is a snapshot of the approved Great Teaching and Leading Fund allocations selected out of 27 applicants.
Click here to see the presentation.
The Board Heard a Presentation on the English Language Development Standards Framework
The board heard an update on the development, content, and plans to disseminate information related to the English Language Development Standards Framework. The purpose of the framework is to guide educators through delivering instruction that aligns language development with grade-level academic content.
Click here to see the presentation.
Requests for future agenda items:
- Hear from districts about their implementation of Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)
- Access district-level data on class sizes
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