Nevada Ed-Watch: CCSD 11/9/23

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.

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How often does the Board of Trustees meet? Trustees meet twice per month (second and fourth Thursdays) at 5 pm both virtually and at the Edward A. Greer Education Center Board Room (2832 E Flamingo Rd, 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. 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, via email, or via voice recording. Email comments should be submitted to Boardmtgcomments@nv.ccsd.net. To submit a voice recording on items listed on the meeting agenda, call 702-799-1166. Voice recorded public comment is limited to 1 minute 30 seconds.

Thursday, November 9

Clark County School District Board of Trustees Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda.

Watch the meeting playback on YouTube.

What happened at this meeting?

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda (7-0)

Consent Agenda Highlights:

• Grant applications for the Early Childhood Innovative Literacy Grant
• Interlocal agreement between CCSD and the Nevada System of Higher Education for the UNLV Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach
• Unified personnel employment and licensed personnel employment
• Several grant applications relating to cybersecurity

Explore the consent agenda.

*Joint Meeting with the Audit Advisory Committee*

Independent Auditor Provided a Narrative Report of Recommendations and District Responses

Representatives from Eide Bailly, the auditing firm engaged by CCSD, presented their recommendations, and the District’s responses to those recommendations. Highlights included:

• Auditors issuing an unmodified opinion on the numbers within the financial statements (accounts payable, etc.). This is the highest level of assurance that auditors can provide.
• On internal control over financial reporting, certain deficiencies were identified: one material weakness and two significant deficiencies.
• On compliance for major federal programs, the auditors issued an unmodified opinion with the compliance requirement.
• On federal awards, one material weakness and one significant deficiency were identified.
• A summary of these material weaknesses and significant deficiencies can be found starting on page 21 of the summary linked below.

Explore the summary.

Trustees Heard a Presentation of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for FY Ending June 30, 2023

Staff provided an update of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report

• Summary of District structure, finances, population, etc. beginning on page 12 of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report
• Financial highlights for Fiscal Year 2023, beginning on page 32 of the Financial Report
• Comparative balance sheets of Fiscal Year 2023, beginning on page 140 of the Financial Report, including reserves and unassigned fund balance, and summaries of programmatic expenses
• Significant variances include increased utility costs this year, as well as technology expenditures
• District responses to address deficiencies and material weaknesses

Explore the Summary of Reports and the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.

Trustees & the Audit Advisory Committee Approved the Independent Auditor’s Narrative Report of Recommendations and District Responses to Recommendations for FY Ending June 30, 2023, and Independent Auditor’s Statements on Nevada Revised Statutes Compliance

Trustees approved the narrative report and statements on compliance from the independent auditing firm, as well as approved the District’s responses to the material weaknesses and significant deficiencies found by the auditing firm.

Trustees & the Advisory Committee Approved an Authorization to Include the Recap of Budget Appropriation Transfers for FY 2022-2023 (7-0)

Trustees approved a summary document of all budget appropriation transfers approved by Trustees during the 2022-2023 school year, and included this summary report.

Explore the summary.

Public Comment (Advisory Committee Joint Meeting Only)

Members of the public shared comments regarding:

• Overcrowding comments made during audit presentation

*Adjournment of Advisory Committee Joint Meeting*

Trustees Heard an Update on Fall MAP Growth

MAP Growth assessments are given to students in Kindergarten through 10^th grade and is designed to measure individual student achievement and growth over time. Highlights and trends for the fall MAP growth include:

Reading Trends:

• Elementary school reading MAP proficiency was 39.6% District-wide, with persistent gaps in achievement for Black/African American students and Hispanic students, as well as English Language Learners and students eligible for special education.
• Third grade reading proficiency from the fall MAP was 34.4% District-wide. Achievement gaps among different student groups are persistent.
• Middle school reading proficiency is 41.3% District-wide, with achievement gaps persistent among different student groups.
• High school reading proficiency is 24.2% District-wide. Achievement gaps continue to persist.

Math Trends:

• Elementary school math MAP proficiency District-wide as 28.0%, with achievement gaps for Black/African American and Hispanic students, English Language Learners, students eligible for special education, and students attending Title I schools.
• Middle school math proficiency is 23.0% District-wide. Achievement gaps among student groups persist.

Next steps include the November-December MAP Growth Assessment, monitoring growth and outcomes, and administering the SBAC Assessment in April-May 2024.

Explore the presentation in English and the presentation in Spanish.

Trustees Accepted the Report on Focus: 2024 Strategic Plan: Dual Enrollment and Advanced Placement (7-0)

Trustees heard how the District was performing on dual enrollment and Advanced Placement results against targets. The District has exceeded 2023-24 targets in enrollment in dual enrollment classrooms. The variance between subpopulation enrollment in dual-credit classrooms and subpopulation District enrollment rates is 4.06 percentage points.

Overall, the District exceeded its target for enrollment in Advanced Placement (AP) Classes. Some student populations missed individual targets, including students who identify as American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African-American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. The variance between subpopulation enrollment in dual-credit classrooms and subpopulation District enrollment rates is 4.41 percentage points.

Overall AP scores missed targets, except with students identifying as American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African-American, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. Ninety percent of students enrolled in AP classes took an AP exam. Overall, an additional 3,000 students took an AP class during the last school year.

Explore the presentation in English and the presentation in Spanish.

Trustees Accepted the Focus: 2024 Strategic Plan Update on Chronic Absenteeism (6-0)

Trustees heard an update on the District’s chronic absenteeism rate and mitigation strategies. Highlights and trends include:

• The District’s chronic absenteeism rate for the 2023-24 school year, as of October 6, 2023, is 23.7%, a decrease from 2022-23’s rate of 36.0%.
• The District has not met its intended targets for chronic absenteeism rates District-wide, or with different student populations.
• The difference between the highest and lowest student groups in chronic absenteeism is 19.3 percentage points.
• Next steps include the ongoing efforts of the Every Day Matters campaign, student town halls, and individualized support to targeted schools.

Explore the presentation in English and the presentation in Spanish.

Trustees Adopted a Notice of Intent to Amend CCSD Regulation 7113: Closing Schools (6-0)

Changes to the regulation include:

• Specifying language regarding final decisions (subject to judicial review)
• Clarifying language
• Removing language regarding review process to match Nevada Revised Statutes

Explore the Notice of Intent.

Public Comment

Members of the public shared comments regarding:

• Concerns regarding gender-based curriculum
• Constitutionality of certain regulations
• Concerns over CCSD Policy 5138
• Substitution pay at schools with high teacher vacancy rates
• Block schedule concerns
• Substitute teacher pay and benefits
• Concerns regarding bullying, discrimination and expulsion hearing processes at Palo Verde High School
• Student support for educators
• Cybersecurity and concerns regarding the recent data breach at CCSD
• Review of the CCSD expulsion process
• Teacher pay and autonomy
• Education system’s impact on economic growth
• Concerns regarding reading material
• Support for transgender kids

The next Meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for December 14, 2023, at 5:00 p.m.