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.
Nevada State Board of Education
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 Wednesdays 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.
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
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
- Charge of the Commission of School Funding
- Performance metrics
- Quality of education and credit recovery efforts in school districts
President’s Report
Highlights included:
- Attending the Nevada Association of School Boards conference
- Board Member Updates: Member Cantu attending the National Student Leadership Academy for Jobs for Nevada Graduates and was voted on the national JAG Board of Directors; high school representative applications opening soon for the Board of Education
- High School Start Times: An update will be heard for discussion in January
- Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Updates: The 2024 chair and co-chairs have been selected, and increases for faculty and support staff have been approved; new degree and certification programs.
Superintendent’s Report
Highlights included:
- Through Year Assessments: Nevada is one of multiple states looking at through year assessments.
- Listening Tour: Board members are invited to future sessions, with dates, times, and locations to be announced.
Board Approved the Consent Agenda
Consent agenda items included:
- Approval of renewal of transportation documents and school bus standards
- Approval of several dual credit requests
- Approval of marketing, business management, aviation technology, and manufacturing technologies with complementary course standards
Review the consent agenda.
Board Reviewed ACT Assessment Results
The ACT is Nevada’s federally reported high school English Language Arts (ELA) and Math assessment and is a requirement for graduation. It is administered to 11th grade students.
For ELA, proficiency rates for 2022-23 was 45.9% (in 2021-22, ELA proficiency was 45.2%). For math, proficiency rates for 2022-23 was 19.7% (in 2021-22, math proficiency was 20.5%). Gaps continue to persist among different race/ethnicities and student groups.
Explore the presentation.
Board Reviewed Four-Year Adjusted Graduation Rate Data
The Board reviewed four-year graduation rates. For the Class of 2023, the graduation rate was 81.39% (the Class of 2022 graduation rate was 81.72% and the Class of 2021 graduation rate was 81.31%). Gaps continue to persist among different race/ethnicities and student groups. Of the three largest school districts, Clark County’s graduation rate was 81.5%, Washoe County’s graduation rate was 81.42%, and the State Public Charter School Authority’s graduation rate was 83.82%.
Of the 31,212 graduates of the Class of 2023, 8,199 received a College and Career Ready Diploma (or, 26.3% of graduates).
Explore the presentation.
Board Heard a Presentation Regarding the Charge of the Commission on School Funding
The Board heard from the Commission on School Funding on updates relating to the Commission’s responsibilities and deliverables. In addition to its statutory duties, the Commission has been directed to perform studies, reviews, and make recommendations during the 2023-2025 biennium:
- Senate Bill 98 requires that the Commission conducts an interim study concerning funding, including methods to enable small school districts to engage in building improvement and modernization projects; the number of teachers graduating from institutions of higher education in Nevada, relative to the number of teacher positions sought to be filled; teacher and support personnel compensation; and recommendations for changes to laws governing sales tax and property tax to fund public schools at an optimal level.
- Academic progress review, as stipulated by Assembly Bill 400 and SB98, through an accountability matrix.
- Achievement metrics include graduation rate by diploma type; pupil performance on standardized exams in math, reading, and science; credentials or certifications in CTE programs; pupils earning a passing score on AP exams or IB exams; credit sufficiency; drop-out rate; higher education enrollment; vocational, technical, or apprenticeship training program enrollment; attendance; and number of violent acts by pupils and disciplinary actions against pupils.
- Improvement metrics include literacy rates for first, third, and fifth grades; elementary school pupils promoted to the next grade after testing below proficiency in reading; and schools that employ a licensed teacher to serve as a literacy specialist.
- Hiring and retaining staff metrics include vacancy rates for teachers, support staff, and administrators; attendance rate for teachers; retention rate for teachers; number of schools and classrooms where number of pupils exceeds the designated capacity for the school or classroom; and number of classes taught by a substitute teacher for more than 25% of the school year.
- Expectation metrics include the results of an annual satisfaction survey of school employees and the results of an annual satisfaction survey of pupils, parents/guardians of pupils and graduates.
- A Nevada Legislative Letter of Intent also charged the Commission to study the Nevada Cost of Education Index for potential cost adjustments; review the effect of and develop recommendations on providing school districts receiving FY2020 baseline funding with the statewide base per-pupil funding amount for their online schools; review the use of the Grad Score of the funding plan and its effectiveness in identifying at-risk pupils; review the English Learner weighted funding; and issue a determination of the recommended weight if a new dual language program weight was to be established.
Explore the Commission on School Funding presentation, the Guinn Center presentation, and the Guinn Center’s Education Policy Report on national education rankings.
Board Heard Updates from Various School Districts and Education Bodies on the Goals and Benchmarks of the State for Improving Student Achievement
The Board received updates from the Nevada Association of School Superintendents, who discussed fiscal investments and concerns regarding wages; inflation related to per-pupil funding; pipeline for educators, mental health providers, and leaders; accountability redundancies; and overreliance on standardized testing. It also highlighted the Nevada Portrait of a Learner work and its focus on holistic learning.
Carson City School District highlighted its positive relationship with employee bargaining groups, and their collaborative win to reach a 13-14% salary increase for all employee groups. Many positions were reclassified as a critical need and the District has seen a 59% reduction in vacancies from the previous year. The District’s GATE programming was also identified as a highlight. Reducing the burden of the NEPF evaluation was identified as a potential concern to address, as well as changing the seat time requirements to increase flexibility to meet the needs of kids.
The State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) provided a deck (available below) on its enrollment and performance.
Explore the presentation from the Nevada Association of School Superintendents and the SPCSA.
Board Discussed Future Agenda Items
Suggestions for future agenda items include:
- Restorative justice
- Report regarding Read By Grade 3
- Free and Reduced Lunch report
- Performance rating review
- Senate Bill 320 (2019)
- Review of redundancies and reporting requirements for local education entities for Board prioritization
- Literacy
- Additional feedback from state agencies and school districts
The next Board of Education meeting is scheduled on Wednesday, January 10, at 2:00 p.m.
