Nevada Ed-Watch 1/20/2022

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 9:00 AM or 2:00 PM. Click here to see the 2022 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. Members of the public may provide public comment in writing via email; public comment will be accepted via email for the duration of the meeting and shared with the State Board of Education during the public comment periods. Public comment may be emailed to NVBoardED@doe.nv.gov.

Click here for a list of all State Board Members.

Thursday, January 20, 2022

Nevada State Board of Education Meeting

Click here to see the regular SBOE meeting agenda.

Click here to watch the meeting playback.

What happened at the regular meeting?

Public Comment #1

Written public comment was read into the record by staff regarding: 

• The need to ensure AB469 is being upheld.
• The willingness of the CCSD Board of Trustees Officers to work directly with the State Board of Education to ensure compliance with AB469. 

Superintendent’s Report

• Pupil-Centered Funding Plan Update:
  • The Commission on School Funding has affirmed their support of the definition for “at-risk” weighted funding category and is currently reviewing the cost of education index. 
• Overview of Teacher Recruitment & Retention programs funded by federal relief funding:
  • Nevada received approximately $1.5 billion in federal relief funding for K-12 education. 10% of the funds are reserved for the The Nevada Department of Education to run statewide programs. Four priority areas were identified for the use of those funds: Advancing Equity, Teacher Recruitment and Retention, Social-Emotional Learning & Mental Health, and Efficiencies for Long-Term Success. Board members received an update on Teacher Recruitment and Retention program including: 
    • Incentivizing Pathways to Teaching – $20.7 million
    • DonorsChoose Grant Program $8 million
    • Nevada Educator Preparation Institute and Collaborative (NV-EPIC) $6.1 million
    • Nevada Educator Preparation Institute and Collaborative (NV-EPIC) $2.9 million
    • Teaching and Training CTE Rural and Urban Expansion and Support $2.3 million
    • Statewide Leadership Networks $3.2 million

Click here to view the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Focus Area Overview. 

Board Approved Consent Agenda 

• State Funding for Career and Technical Education Report of Local Activities and Expenditures for FY21
• Licenses for private schools  

Board Heard Update on Nevada 2020-21 Graduation Rates

In 2021, 30,479 students graduated, bringing the state’s 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate to 81%, down from 82.5% in 2020 and 84.1% in 2019. The largest graduation rate gap among race/ethnic groups statewide was between Asain students at 92.3% and Black students at 70.3%. Among students part of special populations, students who are in foster care had the lowest 2021 graduation rate at 43.3%. 

The majority of students continue to graduate with a Standard Diploma (57.6%) with 18.2% earning an Advanced Diploma and 23.3% earning a College and Career Readiness Diploma. Board members discussed the importance of prioritizing college and career readiness diplomas as the default for students, rather than the Standard diploma, in order to continue progressing towards the Department of Education’s goal of increasing the number of students who are considered college and career ready upon graduation.

Click here to view the full presentation. 

Board Heard Presentation on Nevada Commission on Mentoring 

Board members received an update on mentoring initiatives from Karl Catarata, Chairman of the Nevada Commission on Mentoring.  The purpose of the commission is to support, facilitate and coordinate mentoring programs in Nevada. The commission has established three priorities: ​​1) Establishing a National Mentoring Affiliate 2) Providing capacity-building grants to local mentoring organizations in Nevada through return of funding, and 3) Statewide Annual Conference on Mentoring.

Click here to view the presentation. 

Board Heard Update from AB469 Subcommittee

Board members heard a presentation from the AB469 Subcommittee regarding the Subcommittee’s progress on the implementation of Assembly Bill (AB) 469 from the 2017 Legislative Session. The purpose of the subcommittee is to create guardrails and definitions that clarify the intention of the law for principals who intend to fill staff positions with substitutes.  Board members heard an update on the development of definitions for the terms “the greatest extent possible” and “in good standing” as related to principles to staffing. Board members discussed the need to further define “to the greatest extent possible” to include more explicit guidelines.  

• in good standing 
  • The employee has the appropriate license for the open position 
  • Their previous evaluation is positive
  • Not actively engaged in disciplinary proceedings 
  • Good attendance 
• to the greatest extent possible 
  • The principal has the ability to see all eligible candidates
  • The principal has made every effort to hire a candidate 
  • The district must develop procedures for principles to ensure compliance with “to the greatest extent possible” 
  • The district cannot place an employee without the consent of the principal 

The subcommittee also provided examples of potential consequences for noncompliance with the law including district financial oversight, monitoring of the superintendent and/or monitoring of the board of trustees, receivership of the district, and suspension or removal of the superintendent or board of trustees.  Based on feedback from the board, the subcommittee will re-review their recommendations and bring them back to the board for final approval. Upon formal acceptance of the recommendations by the board, they will be submitted to the Nevada Legislature.

Click here to view the presentation. 

Board Heard Update on Progress of the State Plan for the Improvement of Pupils (STIP)

Each year, the department updates the State Plan for the Improvement of Pupils (STIP) aligned to needed improvements in student outcomes. NDE staff provided the board with an update on two goals: 

• Move up in State rankings from 18th in September 2020 to Top 10 by July 2026 in K-12 Student Achievement, as measured by Quality Counts.
  • Update: Nevada maintained its standing at 18th as of September 2021. 
• Increase the overall number of students receiving the College and Career Ready (CCR) diploma from 23.9% in July 2021 to 50% by July 2026 and eliminate gaps of student groups while raising the overall average.
  • Update: In comparing students receiving CCR diplomas, Nevada saw an 0.6% decrease between the graduating classes of 2020 and 2021.

Click here to view the full presentation.