Tag: Trustees

Nevada Ed-Watch 5/14/20

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.

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, May 14, 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 into the record, and rather a summary of comments was provided to Trustees. Click here to see public comment submissions. 

Consent Agenda Highlights: 

Trustees Approved a Resolution to Advocate for Federal Funding for Public Schools 

The resolution is in conjunction with The Council of the Great City Schools. It asks for $200 billion in federal relief for public schools nationwide to mitigate learning loss caused by COVID-19 closures, and to accelerate student outcomes.

Click here to see the resolution.

Trustees Heard a Presentation about Improving CCSD’s Special Education

The Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) worked with CCSD to assess Special Education in the district. A report was developed that outlines opportunities to improve outcomes for students receiving special education services. The report includes data such as: 

  • In the 2018-2019 school year, 9.8% of students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) were on grade level in math, and 12.5% were on grade level in reading. 
  • The graduation rate for students with IEPs is 68%, compared to 85% for students that do not have IEPs.
  • Black students with IEPs are 3.39 times more likely to receive an out-of-school suspension than other students with IEPs.   

The report outlines the following 10 focus areas for the district to improve outcomes for students receiving special education services:

  1. Multi Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) 
  2. Referral/eligibility data and determination practice to address overrepresentation of student subgroups receiving special education services (Black, Hispanic, those who are eligible for Free or Reduced-Price Lunch, and English Language learners)
  3. The use of achievement, education environments, graduation, suspension, and absenteeism data to address disparities between local data and national data 
  4. Academic instruction and positive behavior support for students with disabilities 
  5. Parent support and engagement
  6. Interdepartmental collaboration within the district
  7. Student Support Division operational structure and regional alignment 
  8. School-based special education administration instruction and service support 
  9. Compliance, transportation, and fiscal management and accountability 
  10. Internal project management

Trustees and CGCS discussed challenges to improving outcomes for students with disabilities– including overcrowded classrooms, lack of strong Tier 1 instruction across the district, and lack of professional development to build the capacity of educators. 

Click here to see the presentation.

Click here to see the report.

Trustees Heard Updates on CCSD’s Human Capital Management System (HCMS) 

To address major payroll issues with its HCMS system, CCSD brought in a consultant to identify and resolve the issues. CCSD was able to recover $700,000 in continued support from the consultant company that built the system. 80% of necessary fixes have been implemented. 

Trustees requested a follow up presentation when all issues have been identified and addressed.

Click here to see the presentation.

Superintendent’s Report 

Report Highlights:

  • Superintendent Jara announced new principals: Andrea Hill (John Dooley Elementary) and Jaime Witte (Sue H. Morrow Elementary).
  • Regarding COVID-19 closures, a final decision on graduations will occur during phase 2 of the Governor’s reopening plan. All plans will follow the governor’s orders and the district will maintain social distancing protocols. 

Requests for Future Agenda Items:

  • Information about policies related to Librarians in schools  
  • Information about the selection criteria for forming the Reopening of Schools Committee, and ongoing updates 
  • Updates on work related to the Special Education Report developed by The Council of the Great City Schools

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Nevada Ed-Watch 5/7/20

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, May 7, 2020

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Emergency Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda & Addendum

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Members of the public submitted comments online. Public comment was not read into the record, and rather a summary of comments was provided to Trustees. Click here to see public comment submissions. 

Consent Agenda Highlights: 

Trustees Heard Updates about the District’s Response to COVID-19

Presentation Highlights: 

  • All CCSD buildings remain closed through phase 1 of Governor Sisolak’s reopening plan. Employees who are currently working at school sites will continue working. Other personnel will return to in-person work as phase 1 of the reopening plan proceeds. 
  • Meals: CCSD will continue to provide meal services for students (including on Memorial Day) until June 30th, or until the Federal Government’s state of emergency is lifted (whichever comes first). To date, CCSD has distributed 2 million meals. 
  • Attendance: During the week of April 20th, approximately 251,000 students were considered present. CCSD is continuing to conduct wellness checks for students that were not successfully contacted since the transition to distance learning. Out of the target of 2,362 students, 1,280 students were successfully contacted. There are 10 attendance officers and 50 social workers doing door-to-door contact. 
  • Chromebooks: 85,000 students have received Chromebooks. CCSD has 157,000 Chromebooks left to deploy. 
  • Professional Development: Over the summer, CCSD will be offering online professional development for educators to strengthen their distance learning skills. Additionally, CCSD is deploying  learning opportunities for parents to support their children’s learning at home. 
  • Summer School: Extended learning will be available throughout the summer on CCSD’s website and at food distribution sites. Extended School Year (summer school) will also be offered via distance education for credit-deficient 6th-12th graders. Summer school prices have been reduced to $70 per half credit. Students should reach out to their school counselors to apply for available fee waivers.
  • Reopening: CCSD is convening a Reopening Our Schools Working Group. Trustees directed staff to ensure that parents, educators, and support staff are each represented in the working group. The guiding principles of the group are as follows:
    • Ensure the safety and well-being of all students and employees. 
    • Promote equity and accessibility to learning for all students.
    • Provide instructional delivery systems to meet the needs of all students.
    • Foster positive relationships and interactions. 
  • Funding:
    • The Nevada Department of Education will release an application for districts and LEA’s to apply for federal emergency funds on May 12th. 
    • There are $26 million in additional education funds at the state level that have not yet been allocated.
    • CCSD is working with the federal delegation to advocate for a $250 billion request for additional funding for K-12 schools in the U.S. to serve the needs of at-risk students populations. 
  • PPE: CCSD is coordinating with the state and Superintendent Ebert’s task force to secure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Public Comment: Members of the public provided testimony regarding:  

  • Concerns for the safety of students and staff
  • Concerns about the academic success of students

Click here to see the presentation.

Trustees Discussed a Proposal to Increase Substitute Teacher Pay 

CCSD’s Chief Human Resource Office and Director of Substitute Services presented a proposal to increase pay for substitute teachers across the district. There are currently 4,264 active substitutes.

Proposed pay increases: 

  • Day to Day Substitute – $110 per day (+$20/day) 
  • Day to Day Early Hiring – $120 per day (+$40/day)
  • Long Term Substitutes – $130 per day on day 11 (+$30/day) 
  • Long Term Early Hiring – $140 per day on day 11 (+$20/day) 
  • Vacancy Substitutes – $140 per day (+$30/day) 
  • Vacancy Early Hiring $150 per day (+30/day)  
  • Special Education and Hard to Fill – $150 per day starting on day one, rather than on day 21

Trustees agreed that while this was an appropriate starting point, additional considerations for increased pay, eligibility for health benefits, and sick leave are necessary. Trustees also suggested establishing a policy that ensures non-union employee pay keeps pace with collectively-bargained pay increases. Superintendent Jara stated that providing additional pay and exploring the cost of providing benefits is a budget priority. 

Public Comment: Members of public provided testimony regarding:  

  • Support for increased pay for substitute teachers
  • Concerns that the current proposal does not include benefits or sick leave
  • Concerns that the substitute shortage will grow if wages are not increased

Click here to see the presentation.

Trustees Approved a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with ESEA

At the April 16th board meeting, Trustees approved agreements with the Education Support Employees Association (ESEA) that temporarily allows employees to “donate” unused sick leave to other employees impacted by COVID-19. Additionally, trustees approved additional pay for ESEA support staff who are actively serving the public. The new MOA extends these polices through December 21, 2020 and May 20,2020. 

Click here to see the ESEA additional pay agreement.

Click here to see the ESEA sick leave donation agreement.

Requests for Future Agenda Items:

  • A strategic plan to reach newly-adopted student ratios for school psychologists and counselors 
  • Additional information about access to summer school

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Nevada Ed-Watch 4/23/20

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, April 23, 2020

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Emergency Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Members of the public submitted comments online regarding:

  • Concerns about salaries and health benefits for substitute teachers 
  • Concerns about the job security of support staff for the 2020-2021 school year  

Consent Agenda Highlights: 

  • Contract with the National Equity Project to train 10 leadership coaches and 150 school site employees to improve equity and social-emotional development. Due to COVID-19, the training will be held via webinar. Trustees discussed the importance of collecting data to measure the program’s effectiveness. (approved 5-2).

Trustees Heard Updates about the District’s Response to COVID-19

Presentation Highlights: 

  • Schools will be operating via distance education for the reminder of the school year, and food service is expected to continue through at least June 30th. 
  • CCSD is performing wellness checks for students they have not been able to contact since the transition to distance education. On day one, contact attempts were made for 189 students, with 62 students reached. The district expects to expand upon the wellness checks in the coming weeks. 
  • CCSD is continuing to distribute ChromeBooks to students. Elementary school deployment is in progress. CCSD is also piloting a central ChromeBook deployment process, including the identification of “hot spot” locations where staff have the most challenges reaching students.
  • School Principals are creating site-specific plans for staff and employees to retrieve items from school buildings at the close of the year. 
  • CCSD formed a group to develop strategies for what school will look like next year. District staff shared that they are considering: 
    • Administration of the NWEA MAP Growth assessment early in the school year to inform student learning plans
    • Staggered bell times 
    • Staggered attendance schedules
    • Blended learning 
    • Alternative processes for coordinating lunch, recess, and student activities

Click here to see the presentation.

Trustees Heard a Tentative Budget Summary 

CCSD’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) shared updates on the CCSD budget forecast. There have been no significant changes to the budget, pending direction from the Governor’s office regarding changes in revenue and the economic impact of COVID-19. Due to a lack of such information, the final budget that will be presented to the board in May will not be reflective of all changes needed in response to COVID-19. 

Each year, CCSD submits a final budget for the upcoming school year in June, followed by an amended budget in December. The district anticipates an additional iteration of the budget– between the June final budget and the December amended budget– to account for revenue adjustments. Trustees expressed concerns about potential budget cuts in the coming years. 

Click here to see the presentation 

Trustees Approved a Notice of Intent to Update CCSD Policy 

Trustees approved a Notice of Intent regarding non-substantive changes to CCSD Policy 4340,  Discipline: All Employees. The policy will come before the board for approval during the May 14th meeting. 

Click here to see the policy. 

Superintendent Communications

Dr. Larsen-Mitchell was announced as the new Deputy Superintendent. The outgoing Deputy Superintendent, Dr. Gullett, is transitioning into a new role as Superintendent of Schools for Marion County Public Schools in Florida.

Requests for Future Agenda Items:

  • Status update on the payroll system 
  • Status update on the implementation of EthicsPoint system 
  • Consideration to form a community group to assess the digital divide in the community
  • Demographic data on the students who have not been successfully reached from district outreach
  • Information of student registration for the 2020-2021 school year
  • Memo that outlines the financial impact of COVID-19 on district finances

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Nevada Ed-Watch 3/23/20

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.

Monday, March 23, 2020

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Emergency Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

What happened at this meeting?

Trustees Approved a Limited Grant of Authority for the District Superintendent

The approved limited Grant of Authority permits Superintendent Jara to approve contracts and purchase items that are essential to the operation of the District during COVID-19 school closures. 

The following items were approved during this meeting:

  1. Veritas Hardware and Software products and services
  2. Elevator inspection services
  3. Renewal of Eide Bailly as CCSD’s external independent financial auditing firm for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020
  4. Review of annual reports for Vegas PBS 
  5. Submission of proposals to the Oversight Panel for School Facilities 
  6. Payment to counsel for the CCSD v. Las Vegas Review-Journal case
  7. Payment of change orders and contracts associated with CCSD construction

Trustees Discussed Distance Learning Plans During COVID-19 Closures

Trustees approved a memo to submit to the Nevada Department of Education, which states that the District is making  best efforts to provide distance learning to students, in compliance with state mandates. Superintendent Jara shared updates on the District’s efforts to develop a Distance Learning Plan and offer students access to online learning. The Superintendent also discussed equity concerns related to a lack of internet access for all students. Additionally, 63% of Clark County School District students have access to an online device at home. 

The District’s Distance Learning Plan involves student learning packets that are available online, as well as printed packets available at food distribution sites. Trustees suggested using internet hotspots to access the internet. Trustees also suggested creating a system allowing students to check-out devices.

More discussion highlights regarding Distance Learning included:

  • Tracking virtual attendance among students
  • Measuring the impact of closures on the length of the school year
  • Ensuring on-time graduation for high school seniors
  • Partnering with internet service providers to offer unrestricted access for Clark County residents
  • Maintaining public transparency and consistency around communications between District administrators

District Staff Addressed Questions Asked by Members of the Community

Superintendent Jara and District staff members responded to the questions below that were submitted by members of the community. These questions will be compiled into an FAQ that will be available on the CCSD website.

  1. Are teachers required to call students? 
    Teachers are to make contact with students at least once a week (via e-mail, Google Hangouts, or a phone call), and document the engagement for attendance purposes. 
  2. How can students with no access to technology or the internet receive schoolwork?
    The district is exploring ways to ensure that all students have access to distance learning packets. Trustees also encourage community members to assist in printing and sharing resources with neighbors. 
  3. How will students earn credits towards graduation? 
    The Superintendent is reviewing a plan for credit earning for high school seniors, which will be provided to the public by Wednesday, March 25.
  4. When will a decision be made on reopening schools or remaining closed for an extended period of time? 
    Updates from Nevada’s Chief Medical Officer will be shared on a regular basis, as available.
  5. How will school events be executed? 
    The District is in the process of considering this. 
  6. What are the distance learning protocols and expectations for special education teachers?
    The District will review the guidance received by the state Department of Education to assist the most vulnerable children. Upon review, the information will be shared with District staff.
  7. What is the requirement for employees to log in and out every day? 
    All employees, including support staff, are required to log in and log out every day and communicate daily with their supervisors.
  8. What are the considerations for parents who are learning English to access resources? 
    The ELL department is working on developing solutions.
  9. Will charter schools follow the same guidelines for district distance learning?
     The district cannot enforce authority on charter school distance learning programs. [NOTE: charter school families can access information regarding distance learning offerings at individual school websites or through the State Public Charter School Authority].
  10. Have Nevada Academic Content Standards (NACS) been considered in the creation of the distance learning packets? How are parents being supported? 
    Yes, the packets are aligned to Nevada Academic Content Standards (NACS). Through Vegas PBS, a homework helpline will be available this week.
  11. Will the state waive licensing requirements for student teachers? 
    The District is working on this with the Nevada Department of Education.
  12. How do teachers without online services log in? 
    Contact the school leader and/or supervisor by phone.
  13. Will student packet work count against students? How will these packets be differentiated for AP and honors level students? 
    No, they will not count against students and will not be graded. The packets are aligned to the Nevada Academic Content Standards (NACS).
  14. What is being done for substitute teachers? 
    Substitutes in vacancy positions are being paid, but long-term substitutes are not receiving pay.
  15. Are teachers required to use personal cell phones to contact students? 
    Educators can contact students via email if they prefer. The District will explore Google Voice as a paid option.
  16. What do parents do if teachers have not yet contacted them? 
    Contact the school’s principal or a school administrator.
  17. Where are the weekly packets located on the CCSD website? 
    The packets are located on the landing page of the CCSD website. 
  18. Will outside contractors be allowed to work? 
    This is unknown at this time.

NOTE: Trustees announced that the next regular board meeting will take place on April 16th, 2020– following the cancellation of the March meeting.

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Nevada Ed-Watch 2/13/20

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, February 13, 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 provided testimony to Trustees regarding:

  • Support for continued funding of the AVID college readiness program 
  • Concerns about pay and benefits for substitute teachers 
  • Support for the unionization of substitute teachers
  • Requests to modify magnet school lottery weights– with more weight allocated to honor roll and GATE students 
  • Support of increased accountability for public schools 
  • Concerns about the decision to remove prayer from Trustee meetings
  • Concerns about honoring the rights of School Organization Team (SOT) members, and a report that 49% of SOT members are unsatisfied, according to climate survey responses

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda

The consent agenda included the Chinese guest teacher program.

A member of the public provided testimony to Trustees regarding barriers to obtaining teacher licensure.

Trustees Heard Updates on CCSD’s MAP Growth Assessment Results

NWEA MAP Growth is a formative assessment administered across all CCSD elementary and middle schools to measure student academic growth over time. A student’s MAP data can follow them to their feeder school or to other schools within CCSD they transfer to. MAP measures a student’s growth in comparison to similar peers, and is designed to help teachers identify instructional areas students are ready to tackle—whether they are on, above, or below grade level. 

The District is working with principals to phase other, less comprehensive formative assessments out of its Balanced Assessment model.

CCSD MAP Growth Assessment Results:

There were questions among Trustees about the validity of the MAP Assessment, and how it differs from the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC)– which measures student proficiency. 

Click here to see the presentation.

Public Comment

Members of the public provided testimony to Trustees regarding:

  • Concerns about CCSD over-emphasizing student data
  • Request to conduct evaluations of classroom instruction to measure effectiveness
  • Concerns about differentiating student learning

Trustees Approved an Agreement with CCSD and the Clark County Association of School Administrators and Professional Technical Employees 

The agreement updates the deadline for completion of college courses that impact salary. 

Click here to see the agreement. 

Trustees Heard Updates About Student Achievement at CCSD Innovative Middle Schools 

Trustees heard from principals at schools designated as Innovative Schools. Principals shared their strategies to improve student achievement, as well as their MAP Growth Assessment data for Math, English Language Arts, and Science. It was noted by principals that MAP data provides important information about how quickly students are growing towards proficiency.

Click here to see each school’s 2019-2020 Academic Plan– including detailed MAP assessment results and strategies to reduce achievement gaps among students. 

Innovative Schools Strategy Highlights:

  • Initiation of state standards training to ensure instruction is delivered at the appropriate grade level 
  • Development of teacher grading calibration training for reading and writing assessments 
  • Implementation of tiered interventions for students who need intensive academic supports
  • Implementation of block scheduling for Math and English Language Arts 
  • Implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
  • Implementation of instructional rounds 
  • Incorporation of families and students in academic goal setting 

Trustees shared their appreciation for the principals’ focus on improving student achievement in high-need schools. Trustees also discussed the importance of social-emotional support, teacher incentives, and family engagement. 

Click on an Innovative School below to see its school performance profile from the 2018-2019 school year:

Superintendent Communications
Superintendent Jara provided an update that the CCSD Equity Report Blue Ribbon Commission is currently under development. Additionally, Superintendent Jara announced that a similar commission will be launched to study issues related to teacher vacancies, substitute teachers, and long-term substitutes.

Requests for Future Agenda Items

  • Review policies for support animals in schools 
  • Request that Trustees are informed of CCSD partnership events occurring in their districts

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Nevada Ed-Watch 12/5/19

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, December 5, 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 leadership and culture at Clark High School
  • Concerns about inadequate services for students on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)

Trustees Unanimously Approve the Superintendent’s Evaluation  

Members of the public provided testimony to Trustees regarding: 

  • Support of a positive evaluation for Superintendent Jara
  • Concerns that the Superintendent’s evaluation does not adequately measure the progress of CCSD
  • Concerns that the Board of Trustees is not focused on student achievement

Trustees conducted a performance evaluation of Superintendent Jara’s first 18 months with school district. This is the first time a CCSD Superintendent evaluation has occurred in six years. 

Prior to the meeting, trustees completed individual evaluations of the Superintendent. Individual trustee evaluations were compiled into one comprehensive summary evaluation, which included rationale for the rating and recommendations for growth. For each evaluation category, the Superintendent was rated on a scale of 1-4. Trustees reviewed and discussed ratings under each evaluation category until a consensus was reached.

Superintendent Performance Ratings: 

  • Vision (maintaining focus on the District’s Vision): 3.25 out of 4
  • Student Success Targets (creation of student success targets, maintaining focus on student success, and monitoring results): 3.39 out of 4
  • Core Values (promoting a culture aligned to established core values): 2.58 out of 4
  • Theory of Action (adhering to established Theory of Action): 2.39 out of 4

Click here to see Superintendent Jara’s Self Evaluation.

Click here to see a summary of Trustee Evaluations. 

Click here to read about this in The Nevada Independent. 

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

Trustees Submitted their Individual Evaluations of the Board of Trustees

In addition to evaluating the Superintendent, prior to the meeting, trustees completed individual evaluations of the Board of Trustees performance. Individual trustee evaluations were compiled into one comprehensive summary evaluation.

Trustees will conduct and in-depth review of the board evaluation summary during a board meeting in January. 

Click here to see the Trustees self-evaluation summary. 

Requests for Future Agenda Items:

  • Updates to Trustee briefing policies  

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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 10/17/19

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, October 17, 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 substitute teacher shortages
  • Teachers, staff, and parents at Global Community High School expressed concerns about a lack of updates regarding a new school facility
  • Gratitude for Trustees and CCSD staff for addressing support staff concerns at previous board meetings in a timely manner

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent Agenda highlights:

  • Contract with Columbus Education Services for school psychology services
  • Fees for taking the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Exam and Advanced Placement (AP) tests to be covered by CCSD

Trustees Heard a Presentation about the 2018-2019 Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF)

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 categories will impact the overall rating. 

  • Instructional Practice Standards and Indicators
    • 2018-2019 weight: 45%
    • Updated 2019-2020 weight: 65%
  • Professional Responsibilities Standards and Indicators
    • 2018-2019 weight: 15%
    • Updated 2019-2020 weight: 20%
  • Student Performance
    • 2018-2019 weight: 40%
    • Updated 2019-2020 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 2018-2019 NEPF Results

  • Exempt: 1% (209)
  • Highly Effective: 15%  (2,330)
  • Effective: 82% (12,380)
  • Developing: >1% (141)
  • Ineffective: >1% (24)

School Administrator 2018-2019 NEPF Results

  • Exempt: 2% (21)
  • Highly Effective: 23% (205)
  • Effective: 75% (684)
  • Developing: 0% (0)
  • Ineffective: 0% (0)

Trustees and the Superintendent discussed shifting towards a growth mindset to ensure the NEPF is an effective tool for teacher and school administrator development.

Click here to see the presentation.

Trustees Approved Funding School Building Improvements

Funds approved to go towards school building improvements totaled $112 million, which has no impact on the CCSD operating budget.

The funds will be used to address the following at schools:

  • Playground equipment and safety surface replacements (PESSR)
  • Carpet and flooring replacements
  • Field turf replacements and ancillary field equipment upgrades, such as field lighting improvement projects for energy efficiency savings
  • Asphalt replacements
  • Rooftop heating, ventilation, and air conditioning unit replacements (HVAC)
  • Emergency Management System upgrades

Trustees requested information about which schools are receiving improvements, and in which order.

Trustees Approved Updates to the Food Service Policy

Click here to see the updated policy.

Trustees Approved Updates to the School Naming Policy (4-1)

The new policy addresses the renaming of schools under special circumstances.

Click here to see the updated policy.

Trustees Adopted a New Process for Evaluating the Superintendent

Overview of the process for evaluating the Superintendent: 

  • Superintendent completes a self-evaluation
  • Each Trustee holds an individual meeting with the Superintendent and completes an evaluation.
    • Trustees are not permitted to discuss or share their evaluation notes with one another.
    • Individual Trustee’s preliminary evaluation notes will be shared with the Superintendent and other Trustees at the same time that it is released to the public.
    • Each Trustee has the right to change their evaluation notes based on discussion and input from constituents. 
  • Trustees will discuss the Superintendent’s evaluation at the December 5th board meeting. The Board of Trustees will complete a self-evaluation at this meeting.

Click here to see the Superintendent Evaluation policy.

Click here to see the Board Evaluation policy. 

Trustee reports:

  • Trustees have the opportunity to complete additional credits for their mandatory Professional Development hours at an upcoming National Association of School Boards (NASB) meeting in November.
  • Trustee Young announced that the Las Vegas Book Festival is on Saturday, October 19th from 9am-6pm.
  • Trustees are conducting the Community Linkage Meeting on November 4th or 6th, which is an annual meeting with Native American Community– at the Las Vegas Paiute Reservation.
  • Evaluation of the Superintendent will take place at the December 5th board meeting
  • January 24th is the Board Retreat. Trustees will discuss improving the Superintendent evaluation process and finalizing 2020 evaluation metrics.

Requests for Future Agenda Items:

  • Race and ethnicity breakdowns among CCSD teachers, administrators, and staff 
  • Discussion about the magnet school eligibility expansion and student recruitment, specifically for elementary students going into middle school magnet programs
  • Protocol for terminating or demoting staff
  • Process for becoming a substitute teacher
  • Update on what local higher education institutions are doing to contribute to addressing teacher shortages
  • Review of policies for service and emotional support animals in schools

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Nevada Ed-Watch 10/10/19

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, October 10, 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 from parents about Canyon Springs High School 
  • The need for teacher librarians to support student success
  • Gratitude for being included in State Superintendent Ebert’s listening tour round table
  • The need for additional training for School Organization Teams (SOTs)
  • Concerns about barriers faced by immigrant children, including accessing higher education and  a lack of knowledge among counselors about college access programs and scholarships for undocumented students
  • Concerns about the safety of custodians who are working alone at night 
  • Concerns  about the change in leadership at West Prep
  • Commending public schools that were recognized in Opportunity 180’s 2018-19 Top Schools Report 
  • Concerns about the capacity of counselors in schools

Trustees Heard Updates on Risk Assessment Results Aligned to Focus 2024 

Below is a summary of the updates presented to Trustees about risk assessment, a component of the CCSD strategic plan (Focus 2024).

  • Objective 1: Reduce the number of safety concerns responded to in exchange for a more proactive assessments of the sites.
    • Liability claims related to facility safety issues
      • 2018-2019 Actual: 9%
      • 2019-2020 Goal: 22%
    • Workers’ compensation claims related to facility safety issues
      • 2018-2019 Actual: 12%
      • 2019-2020 Target: 35%
    • Property claims related to facility safety issues
      • 2018-2019 Actual: 16%
      • 2019-2020 Target: 15%
  • Objective 2: Increase the number of completed risk assessments by 10% each year
    • 2018-2019 Actual: 53%
    • 2019-2020 Target: 60% 
  • Objective 3: Reduce the number of workers’ compensation claims that have 5 or more days away from work after an injury
    • 2018-2019 Actual: 18%
    • 2019-2020 Target: 19%


A member of the public provided testimony about poor experiences working with the CCSD Risk Management Department. 

Click here to see the presentation.

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda

The consent agenda included a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between CSSD and Project 150 to provide year-long food, clothing, hygiene products, and school supplies to high school students.

Trustees Approved a Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Police Officers Association of the Clark County School District

The agreement includes:

  • A 6.9% increase in salary if an officer is placed in a position of increased responsibility
  • A 4% increase in health insurance contributions for each employee

The fiscal impact of this agreement is approximately $1,129,000.00

 Click here to see the agreement.

Trustees Approved a Teacher Incentive Pilot Program

Trustees approved an amended agreement with the Clark County Education Association (CCEA) to incentivize teachers to work at targeted schools for supplemental pay. The pilot program will be effective through June 2022.

In the first year of the pilot program, teachers receive an annual salary supplement of $10,000, and an additional $5,000 based on student outcomes. Teachers in the program will have an extended work day, including  an additional 34-minutes of planning time.

Click here to see the agreement.

Trustees discussed the dismissal of three (3) CCSD principals at chronically underperforming schools. Trustees also expressed a need to ensure that principals selected for these positions are highly qualified in school improvement, while also taking equity and diversity into consideration throughout the hiring process.

Trustees Approved an Anonymous Misconduct Reporting System 

Trustees approved a Purchasing Agreement with NAVEX Global, Inc. to purchase an incident management software system (Ethicspoint) and hotline for employees to easily report issues or instances of fraud, abuse, and other misconduct– in their native language. The system will be available 24/7 over the phone or online. Submissions are confidential and can be submitted anonymously.

The approximate total initial cost of the system is $49,430.65.

Ethicspoint is expected to launch in January 2020.

Click here to see the presentation.

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

Trustee Reports

  • Trustee Cepeda attended a National Association of School Boards (NASB) meeting for professional development
  • Trustee Cepeda shared the upcoming Why Teach event on October 17, 2019 at Nevada State College to showcase the teaching profession
  • Superintendent Jara visited Southeast Career and Tech Academy with state Superintendent Jhone Ebert as part of her state-wide listening tour
  • Trustee Brooks is hosting a virtual town hall on SOTs 
  • Governor Sisolak will be visiting Staton Elementary with U.S. Agriculture Secretary, Sonny Perdue, in honor of National School Lunch Week. 
  • Early conversations are underway with the Silver State Schools Credit Union to open branches on high school campuses as part of CTE programs.

Requests for Future Agenda Items:

  • Review of the Superintendent’s contract to ensure compliance
  • School climate 
  • Review of Student Advisory Committee’s protocol for selecting students and reporting to the board
  • Data on magnet program applications in January
  • Medical marijuana policy for employees

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Nevada Ed-Watch 9/26/19

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, September 26, 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 students not getting enough physical activity, recess, and restroom breaks throughout the school day
  • Concerns about school safety and controlled access to school buildings
  • Appreciation for the district from a representative of the Education Support Employees Association (ESEA) for hearing support staff concerns while a Memorandum of Understanding was developed
  • Concerns about a student getting expelled for bringing foam toy nunchucks to school
  • Concerns about the process for hiring educators
  • Difficulty accessing pre-K for students who are not English Language Learners 
  • Concerns about a lack of training and professional development for support staff

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).

Click here to see CCSD’s Focus 2024 online dashboard.

Teachers, Principals and Staff: Human Resources

  • Objective 1: Increase the percentage of licensed teachers in the classroom. 
    • Goal (2019-20): 100% 
    • Actual (2018-19): 95.4%
    • By 2024: 100%
  • Objective 2: Increase the number of qualified teachers recruited for the selection pool. 
    • Goal (2019-20): 3,649
    • Actual (2018-19): 3,098
    • By 2024: 3,649
  • Objective 3: Increase the percentage of Critical Labor Shortage support professionals hired and decrease the number of vacancies.
    • Goal (2019-20): 0
    • Actual (2018-19): 145
    • By 2024: 0

Click here to see the Human Resources presentation.

Members of the public provided testimony regarding funding for teacher pay and benefits to attract and retain teachers. Trustees discussed capturing teacher attrition data through an exit survey process. Trustees also discussed focusing on areas like school culture and professional development to support educator retention. 

Sound Fiscal Management: Out-of-Service Buses and Bus Driver Absenteeism

  • Objective 1: Reduce number of buses placed out-of-service to reduce service delays.
    • Goal (2019-20): 21%
    • Actual (2018-19): 19% 
    • By 2024: 3%
  • Objective 2: Reduce bus driver absenteeism to improve service to students and ensure full instructional minutes.
    • Goal (2019-20): 10%
    • Actual (2018-19): 14.3% 
    • By 2024: 8%

Click here to see the Bus Service & Driver Absenteeism presentation. 

Approaches to prevent chronic absenteeism of bus drivers included:

  • Recognizing employees quarterly for perfect attendance
  • Educating drivers and staff about how student achievement is impacted by their attendance.
  • To reduce driver absenteeism caused by health-related matters, the transportation department also implemented health and prevention initiatives, such as partnering with Medicine on the Move (over 118 transportation employees received treatment so far). 

Sound Fiscal Management: Purchasing

  • Objective 1: Decrease processing time, reduce costs, and increase the competitive procurement ratio. 
    • Goal (2019-20): 80%
    • Actual (2018-19): 91%
    • By 2024: 95%
  • Objective 2: Reduce requisition processing time by increasing SAP catalog utilization to 70% within the next five years.
    • Goal (2019-20): 60%
    • Actual (2018-19): 71%
    • By 2024: 70%

Click here to see the Purchasing presentation.

Trustees discussed direct, school-level purchasing versus centralized purchasing. Centralizing purchasing for the district tends to be more cost-effective.

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent agenda highlights:

Trustees Heard a Presentation on the Eide Bailly Internal Controls Exam Report

A representative of Eide Bailly’s forensic department presented an overview of its report of CCSD’s Internal Controls examination. 

The primary examination method used was holding interviews with 409 CCSD employees within various business and finance units as well as some schools. 

Following the interviews, 13 recommendations were made for the district. 

Click here to see an executive summary outlining the 13 recommendations.

Click here to see the full report.

Trustees discussed staff training to ensure school-level compliance with updated policies and procedures. A request was made for Trustees to receive regular updates on each recommendation.

Trustees Heard a Presentation on Open Book Website

Open Book makes CCSD financial information easily accessible to the public. 

The Open Book website includes access to external audit results, the final budget of the fiscal year, and videos explaining topics related to the District’s finances. The site also has tools that show strategic budgets by school and accounts payable (payments to vendors).

There will be a Facebook Live video walk-through of Open Book on October 8th from 4:00-6:00 PM. 

Click here to see the presentation.

Click here to go to Open Book.

Trustees Approved a Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) Between CCSD and the Education Support Employees Association (ESEA)

One member of the public provided testimony in support of increased pay for support staff.

The agreement includes a 3% salary increase and a waiver for required fingerprinting costs.

The ESEA requested time to communicate the contract terms to the employees that will be impacted. Trustees approved the 2019-2021 MOU pending ratification. Once the ratification vote is made, it was requested that the pay increases be reflected in pay checks as soon as possible.

Click here to see the tentative agreement. 

Trustees Approved Changes to Food Service Programs Regulations

Trustees approved minor language updates to the Food Service Programs regulations. 

Click here to see the regulations.

Trustees Approved Changes to the School Facilities Naming Regulations (6-1 vote)

Trustees approved updates to the School Facilities Naming policy regulations. An eligible school that chooses to be renamed must conduct a survey of employees and families. At least 50% of the surveys must be returned, and greater than 50% of the surveys returned must agree to renaming the school.

Trustees approved the changes with a request for clarification that additional community input outside of the school community can be gathered for consideration, but will not be counted towards the 50% survey requirement. It was also requested to include examples of types of stakeholders that input could be gathered from. 

Click here to see the regulations.

Trustees Approved Changes to the 2021-2022 School Year Calendars for Students and Staff (5-2 vote)

The most significant change was related to how professional development is accounted for. Beginning in the 2016-2017 school year, schools were permitted to bank time for professional development in more flexible and frequent increments. Site-based collaboration was able to be banked and later utilized as time off during the week of Thanksgiving. This approach was approved by the Department of Education through the 2019-2020 school year. 

For the 2021-2022 school year, the Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week are now in-school days, and there are four days spread out throughout the year that are dedicated to professional development.

Members of the public expressed concerns about:

  • Student absenteeism the week of Thanksgiving due to travel schedules
  • Students and staff having the full week of Thanksgiving dedicated to spending time with families.
  • A disproportionate amount of work days being taken away from 9-month support staff. 

Contingency days were also set for March 9th, April 13th, and May 21st. 

The calendar was informed by a committee consisting of over 25 stakeholders including principals, counselors, and other staff from other departments such as transportation and HR.

Click here to see the draft calendar for students and staff.

Trustees Approved Renaming Lomie G. Heard Elementary School, A Marzano Academy, to Lomie G. Heard Elementary School

The name change was to remove the “Marzano Academy” component of the name, since the school’s contract with Marzano is no longer active. 

Trustee Reports:

  • Trustee Wright hosted a Facebook Live parent meeting as a way to be more accessible to parents who cannot attend meetings at set times in person. 
  • Trustee Young announced an upcoming Cultural Food Festival for families in partnership with Vegas PBS this Fall. Additionally, October 18-19th is the Las Vegas Book Festival.
  • Trustee Ford holds monthly parent meetings and live stream videos on topics such as navigating meeting agendas. 
  • Cepeda announced that FAFSA releases on October 1st. 
  • NABSA strategic planning Friday and Sat to discuss collaboration throughout the stat and advocating for common sense policies.
  • Trustee Brooks served on a panel for Opportunity 180 that also included Superintendents Ebert and Jara, J.T. McWilliams Principal Womack, Caryne Shea from HOPE for Nevada– to talk about what it would take to make some systemic changes to focus on student outcomes. 
  • Trustee Young expressed concerns about 3 school principals that were removed for not meeting student growth benchmarks. 

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