Nevada Ed-Watch 8/19/2021

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 2021 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, August 19, 2021
Nevada State Board of Education Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda

¿Qué ocurrió en esta reunión?

Public Comment

Members of the public provided comment regarding:

• Concerns over inequities for rural schools in the state 
• Concerns over policies relating to transgender students 
• Concerns over masks and vaccine rollout for students
• Concerns over the political climate towards educators in regards to masks and COVID-19 policies 
• Concerns over Critical Race Theory being taught in schools 
• Concerns over Service Level Agreements and CCSD’s compliance with Nevada Law.  

President’s Report

• Back to School Update 
  • The board expressed gratitude to educators and staff for their efforts in kicking off the new school year. 
  • Board President Ortiz emphasized the need to pay attention to the social and emotional needs of students as they return to school. 
• Board Goals & Vision Communications Plan
  • The board heard an update on the communications plan for the Nevada Board of Education Goals and Vision. Highlights: 
    • The SBOE’s two goals are 1) move up in State rankings from 18th in September 2020 to Top 10 by July 2026 and 2)  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.
    • Goal messaging: The goal of the communications plan is to establish Nevada’s current academic achievement ranking clearly to Nevada stakeholders; clearly communicate the two State Board of Education (SBOE) goals so that the general public knows and understands them; and illustrate the Vision of the SBOE in a way the public can understand and connect with.  
    • Vision: The Vision of the SBOE is that All Nevada students are equipped and feel empowered to obtain their vision of success.
    • Strategic Timeframes: By Spring 2022, SBOE will share about how each stated goal is reached. In Fall 2022, the SBOE will communicate ongoing progress reports.
    • The SBOE will be putting together a toolkit for promotion including social media graphics, email templates, and other assets that the board and other stakeholders can use. 

Click here to view the Communications Plan presentation.

Superintendent’s Report

• Covid-19 Response
  • All staff regardless of vaccination status are required to wear masks. 
  • School-based Covid testing options are being explored. 
• Summer Literacy Camps 
  • Over 200 students participated in the Nevada LIT Camps program, which ​​offered early childhood reading instruction for students in K-5 as well as teacher professional development instructional planning. 
• Digital Ambassadors Cohort
  • 42 educators across the state will be working to provide digital support as Digital Ambassadors as part of the Nevada Digital Learning Collaborative. 

Board Approved Consent Agenda 

Consent agenda highlights: 

• Approval of career and technical education instructional materials, including: 
  • AES Business and IT Center21
  • BusinessU Business and Marketing
  • Cengage Microsoft Office 365 and Office 2019
  • CEV Business, Marketing, Finance, IT and Media
  • StuKent Digital Marketing Bundle 
  • StuKent Mimic Personal Finance
  • StuKent Social Media Marketing Bundle
• Approval of Dual Credit Courses for Amplus Academy and leadership Academy of Nevada 
• Approval of Private School Licenses
• Approval of meeting minutes for July 15, 2021 Board Meeting

Board Heard Petition for License Revocation of Julia Kerrigan 

NRS 391.320 enables the State Board of Education to suspend or revoke a teacher’s license for any cause specified by law, including ethics violations. If a teacher violates ethics law, a petition for suspension or revocation can be filed. Teachers can ask for a hearing within 15 days to present their case. After that, the case is brought to the SBOE who makes a final determination and can do one of three things:

• Accept the recommendation for the suspension or revocation;
• Reject the recommendation for the suspension or revocation; or
• Bring the report back to the hearing officer for further evidence and recommendation.

In the case of Julia Kerrigan, a petition for revocation was filed due to allegations made by students that Kerrigan helped students with tests by telling them how to solve test questions. The board approved the recommendation made by the hearing officer to suspend Kerrigan’s license for five years from the date of decision by the board.

Board Heard Update Regarding the Efforts of Workforce Connections

The mission of Workforce Connections is to connect employers to a ready workforce. Workforce Connections is Southern Nevada’s local workforce development board currently serving the Clark, Esmeralda, Nye, and Lincoln with its One-Stop Career Centers. The organization is currently working on a number of initiatives that benefit K-12 education:

• Fellowship Program: Workforce Connections’ Fellowship Program, in partnership with CCSD, will create a pipeline for in-demand careers of the future, the first program of its kind in the nation. There are currently 13 CCSD high schools in the fellowship with a goal to get all 59 CCSD high schools involved.
• CSSD Technical Training Academy: A new academy school will be developed in what was once the site of Bishop Gorman on Maryland Parkway. For the first time, a Workforce Connections One-Stop career center will live on a school campus. The goal of this initiative is not just to help the youth, but to help families of the youth through a generational approach and wraparound services.
• ACT Work Ready Communities: Clark County became the largest work-ready community through ACT. The program includes 12 job profilers that will help employers apply a Work Ready Certificate to identify and hire the right person the first time to fill a role.
• CCSD apprenticeship pipeline: The apprenticeship pipeline will align trades organizations with CCSD for students choosing to go directly into a career. Due to COVID, the program has been challenging to deploy.
• Workforce Blueprint – The Workforce Blueprint will give students information about the industries that are arising in Southern Nevada.
• Industry Sector Partnerships: Workforce Connections, in partnership with the Vegas Chamber, will work closely with Southern Nevada companies in fields such as logistics and supply chain management to understand the entire blueprint of their workforce needs and what they look for in future employees. This could include certificates employers look for, how companies grow an individual into middle management, and how individuals reach the top. The program will launch in October with a focus on two out of seven emerging industries to start.
• NevadaV Business Hubs: The Nevada Business Hub is designed to connect employers to all available free resources available to help them create a plan for the future.

Click here to view the Workforce Connections presentation.

Board Heard Overview on Assembly Bill (AB)  469 (2017)

Assembly Bill 469 (2017) required the implementation of a plan to reorganize Clark County School District following the passage of Assembly Bill 394 (2015) which provides principals with increased autonomy over schools and budgets. 

The board heard a presentation on the history of AB469. Its history includes passage of the bill in 2017, an issuance of the Attorney General’s opinion in 2018 at the request of the Superintendent to answer the question of whether a large school district could assign a teacher to a local school precinct without its consent, a declaratory order in 2020 to answer the question of whether state statute would allow CCSD to assign an employee in a school without the school’s consent, and service level agreements.

Click here to view the AB469 presentation.