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? Considered one of Nevada’s school districts, the SPCSA sponsors and oversees public charter schools. 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? The SPCSA typically meets once a month, generally on Fridays.
Click here for SPCSA meeting schedule and materials.
Can community members engage at SPCSA Board Meetings? While all meetings of the SPCSA are typically 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), all meetings are now held virtually due to the COVID-19 crisis. Members of the public may view the meeting online via the link on the SPCSA’s Public Notice web page and the agenda and any supporting materials can be found here. Public comment may be given on any agenda item at the beginning of the meeting, or public comment regarding any matter that is SPCSA-related may be given at the conclusion of each Board meeting. Members of the community giving public comment can utilize the following conference call line: 1-312-584-2401; extension 3952176# with a time limit of three minutes per speaker. Alternatively, public comment may be submitted in writing to publiccomment@spcsa.nv.gov, and any such public comment received prior to the meeting will be provided to the Authority and included in the written minutes of the meeting.
Click here for a list of all SPCSA Members.
Click here for a list of all SPCSA sponsored schools.
Friday, October 4, 2024
State Public Charter School Authority Board Meeting
Access the meeting agenda and playback.
What happened at this meeting?
Board Received a Presentation on the Portrait of a Learner
Board Approved the Consent Agenda
Consent agenda highlights included:
- August 23, 2024 meeting action minutes
School Closure Updates
Josh Kern, as closing administrator for both schools, provided a closure update. For both schools, they are managing vendor payments and complying with student records requests.
TEACH Las Vegas books are now closed and a CPA firm will be engaged shortly for the required close-out audit. They are still waiting on receipt of payment for furniture and other infrastructure items purchased by Vegas Vista Academy. Following this receivable, TEACH will be able to make its full payment to PERS.
There is one uncollected receivable Eagle Charter Schools of Nevada is waiting on to be able to close the books for the previous school year. Eagle is waiting on one receivable from the CSP grant. Following this payment, Eagle will be able to make its full payment to PERS.
Next steps includes the final close-out reports. Mr. Kern will provide another update around January regarding timing of the reports and any other pertinent information.
SPCSA Executive Director’s Report
Highlights from the report include:
- Several SPCSA-sponsored schools achieved a two-star gain in the Nevada School Performance Framework (NSPF) this year: Legacy Traditional School Cadence (Middle), Legacy Traditional School Southwest (Elementary), Sports Leadership and Management Academy (Middle), Mater Academy East (Elementary), Pinecrest Academy of Nevada Cadence (Middle), Somerset Academy Lone Mountain (Middle), Coral Academy Nellis Air Force Base (Middle), and Nevada Rise (Elementary).
- All schools with delinquent PERS accounts have approved payment plans (NV Prep, Explore Academy, and Equipo Academy). TEACH Las Vegas and Eagle Charter Schools’ payments are part of their respective closure plans.
- Mater Academy of Northern Nevada will delay opening its campus to the 206-27 school year due to facility challenges.
- 51.8% of SPCSA schools are four-star or above on the NSPF, with 72.9% meeting the standard (three-star or higher). SPCSA schools did increase the number of one-star schools in its portfolio, with mixed results in median growth and meeting growth targets, as well as proficiency rates in math, ELA, and science. A full report will be provided at an upcoming board meeting.
- Director Mackedon also recognized three new Board members: Dr. Amber Joiner, Patricia Haddad Bennett, and student member Matthew Birru.
Board Approved the Organizational Performance Framework Results
Staff provided an overview of the Organizational Performance Framework, which evaluates a charter school from the perspective of five indicators: education program, financial management, governance and reporting, students and employees, and school environment. Any school that does not meet the standard can be issued a Notice of Concern, with additional remediation steps that could potentially include a Notice of Breach and a Notice of Intent to Revoke for the school’s charter.
Five schools did not meet the standard, but staff did not recommend issuing Notices of Concern at this time due to significant changes in the structure and format of the newly approved Organizational Performance Framework. These schools are Battle Born Academy, Equipo Academy, Nevada Prep, Cactus Park Elementary, and Sage Collegiate Public Charter School. Staff will review results with each school in the coming weeks.
Nevada Prep was issued a Notice of Concern for the 2022-23 school year and showed improvement over the last year, with staff recommending lifting the Notice of Concern for the school.
The Board approved the recommendations not to issue Notices of Concern for the five schools listed above, and to lift the Notice of Concern for Nevada Prep from the 2022-23 school year. The five schools will be required to present this information to their respective boards in a public meeting.
Explore the presentation and the recommendation memo.
Board Received Charter School Renewal Process Training
The Board received an overview of the charter school renewal process ahead of renewal recommendations at the December board meeting. Before June 30 of each year, the SPCSA will issue a performance report. By September 1, a letter of intent to apply for renewal will be submitted, and the application review will be submitted between October 1 – 15. Within 60 days of submission, the SPCSA will review the application, and by December 15, will present a renewal recommendation.
Information used to make a renewal recommendation includes the academic performance, organizational performance, financial performance, site evaluation findings, and other information that is provided in the renewal application, which may include NWEA-MAP data, climate surveys, etc.
There are several term lengths that may be considered as part of that renewal:
- 3-5 years: Inconsistently meets performance expectations
- 6 years: Consistently meets performance expectations
- 7-10 years: Exceeds performance expectations
Review the presentation.
Long-Range Calendar (next 3 months):
Agenda items over the next three SPCSA board meetings are anticipated to include:
- 2023-24 NSPF and SPCSA academic performance framework results
- 2025 demographic and academic needs assessment
- Revisions to the new charter school application
- 2025 charter application and rubric renewals
- Resubmitted charter applications
- CCSD charter applications – transfer sponsor
- Annual report to the Department of Education
Explore the 2024 calendar and the 2025 calendar.
The next Meeting of the SPCSA Board is scheduled for Friday, November 15, @ 9:00 a.m.
