Nevada Ed-Watch: SPCSA 7/31/26

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? 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). 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: 1-775-321-6111; Phone Conference ID: 894 302 869#. During the public comment periods, callers will dial *5 to raise their hand. The moderator will call out the last 4 numbers of the caller's phone number, at that time you will dial *6 to unmute and make comment. There is 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, July 31, 2026

State Public Charter School Authority Board Meeting

Access the meeting agenda and playback.

What happened at this meeting?

Public Comment

Public comment highlights included:

• Concern regarding actions surrounding the closing administrator and adjacent actions involved with the closing of SAGE Collegiate.

Board Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent agenda highlights included:

• Reviewed the Friday, June 26, 2026, Meeting Minutes
• Board approved final determination of charter termination for FutureEdge Academy 
• Board Approved Brandi Adams-Bressler as the closing operator for FuturEdge Academy

Explore the consent agenda items.

SPCSA Executive Director's Report

Highlights from the report include:

• School Highlight: Director Mackedon spotlighted several schools that demonstrated a 25% increase in enrollment
  • Vegas Vista Academy (VVA)
  • Do & Be Arts Academy (DBAE)
  • Western Youth Leadership, Engagement, and Empowerment School (WYLEES)
  • Nevada Classical Academy – Elko
  • Academy of Math and Sciences (AMS) 
• Welcomed new board members: Student Representative Cason and Member Turner
• No schools were listed as being delinquent on PERS contributions

Board Received a Final Closure Update for Eagle Charter School and TEACH Las Vegas, and Updates on Sage Collegiate Public Charter School 

Closing administrator Josh Kern spoke regarding the final report of the closing procedure on Eagle Charter School and Teach Las Vegas. Mr. Kern reported that his involvement in the closure of TEACH Las Vegas and Eagle Charter School had begun after the decision to close had begun; unlike his involvement in Sage Collegiate and Nevada Prep. Tensquare received compensation of approximately $260,000 for TEACH and approximately $198,000 for Eagle in which the funds were utilized for support and professional services needed to finalize the closure. The remaining balances are planned to be used for creditors and penalty/late fees associated with delinquent PERS payments, as well as outstanding SPCSA reimbursements.

For Sage Collegiate, Mr. Kern reported that the request to expedite payments was not legally enforceable yet still occurred in the amount of ($25,000), and the balance remains unpaid.

Explore the TEACH and Eagle Closure Report.

Board Approved Academies of Math and Science (AMS) as the Proven Provider to Restart FutureEdge Academy

AMS reported that they did complete as many updates to the campuses as they would like, however shared that their enrollment is looking strong. Additionally, they mentioned that their financial situation is in good standing regarding the Restart Process.

As the closing process begins, the proven provider will be AMS. FutureEdge will continue to operate until the end of the year under the guidance of the closing administrator Brandi Adams-Bressler.

Explore the presentation.

Board Received Proven Provider Updates on the Academy of Math and Science (AMS) – Nellis

Staff from AMS discussed the three phase restart plan for FuturEdge. Phase I (Approval-1st day of school)  will focus on recruitment, stabilization and reset/rebuilding. Phase II (3rd day of school-ongoing) will focus on execution and alignment. Phase III will focus on sustainability and excellence throughout the entirety of the school year. 

Highlights of the presentation included: 

• Clear and accessible systems to improve feedback and accountability
• Family and Community engagement are core focuses of the restart team, through both existing and new options
• Planning an audit and execution of a new financial plan that hopes to ensure a stable financial future for AMS North Las Vegas

Board Received an Update on SPCSA Pre-K Programs 

Highlights of the presentation included:

• Quality Pre-K will ideally have 10:1 student-teacher ratios to allow for hands-on and dynamic learning.
• All current SPCSA Pre-K programs have all received 5 stars— the highest rating possible. 
• Enrollment has increased by 458 seats or students enrolled from 2024 to 2026. 

Explore the presentation.

Board Received a Presentation on the Charter School Application Process with a training of the Application Process

SPCSA staff presented on the Annual Charter Application training. Required training for Board Members requires each member of the SPCSA to complete the training. 

Highlights of the presentation included: 

• Responsibilities include: 
  • Evaluating, approving, and declining applications to form a charter school. 
  • Contractual obligations with charter schools, performance monitoring, and determination of charter renewals or terminations. 
  • Conducting site evaluations and determining whether to approve or deny a request to amend a charter contract (e.g., expansion, relocation, etc.) 
• Charter contracts are granted for six years and follow the cycle of: Authorization -> Year 0: Charter Contract -> Year 0: Pre-Opening Checklist & Support -> Year 1-6: On-going Support & Oversight -> YEars 1, 3 ,& 5: Site Evaluations -> Year 5: Apply for renewal -> (repeat) Authorization. 
• The typical process begins with a Committee to Form for Authorization and requires a member who is a teacher or other licensed pursuant or who previously held a license. Another member that must be a parent or legal guardian who is not a teacher or employee of the proposed charter school. And two members who possess knowledge and expertise in Accounting, Financial Services, Law or Human Resources. The remaining members may include up to four additional members who must be members of the general public, representatives of nonprofit organizations, or representatives of businesses.
• Opening a charter school has been significantly more difficult post-COVID, primarily due to enrollment and facility challenges.

Board questions were on data sources and self-identification as part of the data collection process for the plan.

Explore the presentation.

Board Reviewed the SPCSA Strategic Plan Key Initiatives and 2027 Key Initiatives

Staff reviewed progress on key initiatives aligned with the goals in the strategic plan.

Highlights of the presentation included: 

• Goal 1: "Provide communities with access to Excellent Schools that students and families want to attend"
  • Site evaluations now include previewed recordings of earlier school board meetings to improve discussions before a school visit. 
  • Increased monitoring of school board agendas, with a focus on quality-related feedback.
• Goal 2: "Provide Equitable Access to Charter Schools" (Data below references the 2025 Spring Results)
  • 3% increase in English Language Learners (ELL) achieving proficiency (via WIDA, an assessment for measuring English proficiency in ELL students) in the SPCSA portfolio compared to the state average.
  • SPCSA Elementary and Middle schools scored 4.6% higher on the Smarter Balanced Assessment (Nevada's grade 3-8 proficiency assessment) compared to the state average.
  • SPCSA high schools scored 7.4% higher on the ACT than the state average. 
• Goal 3: "The SPCSA is committed to being a responsive organization"
• Approval of a Request for Qualification for high performing in-state and out of state operators and the approval of one application. 
• Increase use of the virtual process for Review of Business Management (RBM) resulting in increased efficiency while maintaining the integrity of the review process. 

Explore the Plan.

Board Received a Presentation of an Update Regarding Site Evaluations Conducted During the 2025-2026 School Year

SPCSA staff provided a presentation on Site Evaluations and the overall process. 

Highlights of the presentation included: 

• Site evaluations are legally required (NRS-388A.150), that the SPCSA will provide oversight to the charter schools that it sponsors to ensure that those charter schools maintain high educational and operational standards, preserve autonomy, and safeguard the interests of pupils and the community.
• The day of a site evaluation, a leadership focus group occurs to reiterate the purpose of the evaluation as well as observing classrooms, routine checks, identification of strengths/challenges/recommendations, compliance concerns, and a debrief that includes discussion of previously issued notices. 
• Following a site evaluation, the information is summarized to provide strengths, challenges, and recommendations resulting in a site evaluation report that is sent to the school. Additionally, attendance at the school's governing board meeting upon request, and additional follow-through/continuous monitoring with the school leader if a strong recommendation or deficiency was issued. 
• Common trends and challenges found during 2025-2026 are financial instability and reducing chronic absenteeism. Strengths identified included an intentional focus on data to drive instruction, a focus on improving the consistent academic growth of subgroup populations, increased student voice, increased levels of strategic questioning, and increased alignment of differentiated professional development with the needs of students served. 

Board questions were on data sources and self-identification as part of the data collection process for the plan.

Explore the presentation.

Long-Range Calendar (next 3 months):

Agenda items over the next three SPCSA board meetings are anticipated to include:

• Charter School Contract Amendments
• Recap and Updates to the Site Evaluation Process
• Governance Training for the board + Ethics Training

Explore the calendar.

Public Comment

Public comment highlights included:

• Concern regarding the Sage Collegiate stolen funds, for which a formal complaint would like to be filed with the Labor Commissioner regarding work on the closing project. 

The next Meeting of the SPCSA Board is scheduled for October 9, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.