Nevada Ed-Watch: SPCSA 1/23/26

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, January 23, 2026

State Public Charter School Authority Board Meeting

Access the meeting agenda and playback.

What happened at this meeting?

Board Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent agenda highlights included:

• Acing Accountability Report
• Charter school contract amendments for Do and Be Arts Academy and Vegas Vista Academy

Highlights from the report include:

• School Highlight: Coral Academy's Eastgate campus' recent purchase of their facility, providing long-term facility for students and families, as well as the school team 
• Delinquent Schools PERS Update: One charter school is delinquent in PERS (Nevada Prep).
• New Schools Update: Somerset Academy's Carson City campus has been approved to defer their opening to the 2027-28 school year. Wildflower Montessori and Pahrump Valley Academy are both making progress on facilities, and required trainings.
• Pre-K: The SPCSA applied for $1,555,000 in Early Childhood Facilities Grant funding from the Nevada Department of Education, and was awarded $1,339,471 for five schools to develop, expand, or improve Pre-K facilities.
• Growth Management Plan: The January 2026 update to the Plan includes staff projections for growth in new charter schools and additional campuses for existing schools, grade-level and other enrollment expansion, and anticipated charter renewals over the next five years. Explore the report.

Board Heard an Update on Nevada Prep

Greenflash Forensic Auditors provided an update on the forensic audit finding from Nevada Prep. Key findings included:

• The audit scope was fiscal years 2022-23, and was initiated by a whistleblower complaint from a former executive director and another employee.
• Many of the allegations in the complaint were unsupported by the evidence available. Several requests to the whistleblower for additional evidence and support were not returned.
• The financial assessment included a summary of expenses growing faster than revenues, with annual operating deficits increasing each year. PERS liability also increased significantly during the audit scope period (from $58,000 in September 2021 to $563,000 in September 2023; that liability has reduced since then, but there is still an outstanding balance).
• There were several instances where many individuals had access to account and debit cards, and a lack of controls around account access, approval and oversight processes. There were a significant number of uncategorized expenses provided to the accounting firm on record; it would, at times, take a significant amount of time for that information to be provided, or would never be categorized. An Amazon account was also used by several individuals at the school without approval or oversight processes in place.
• Internal control recommendations include governance and board oversight; segregation of duties and payment controls; documentation and transaction support; use of third-party accounting providers; related-party transactions and conflicts of interest; and budgeting, enrollment monitoring, and cash flow management.

Following the report, counsel for the SPCSA provided that the complaint has been addressed through the audit findings presented today, and the complaint will be closed.

Explore the forensic audit findings presentation.

Further, Josh Kern, the closing administrator, provided an update on the wind down of Nevada Prep. Highlights from his presentation included:

• Nevada Prep was insolvent at the time the closing administrator was appointed, with significant staffing, human resource, and capacity challenges. According to the administrator, misconduct by the former leadership and Board members placed the school in an untenable situation and raised legal and ethical questions that must be addressed.
• Financial issues include an overdrawn bank account, unpaid invoices to essential vendors, unpaid utilities, the lease of the building in default with unpaid rent over $200,000, and a recently procured six-figure debt at an effective interest rate of about 40%.
• Debt included PERS obligations of $343,000, paying back an approximately $89,000 loan from the board chair, and new past due obligations that included $200,000+ in rent, $138,000+ in food services, National Funding Inc. debt at $140,000, and healthcare in the amount of $29,000, among others.
• The National Funding Inc. debt was a "Sale of Receivables" agreement where the school received $121,875.
• Conditions observed include unsafe facility conditions, unapproved transportation programs, a non-compliant food service program, and an unlicensed, fee-based after-school program with unaccounted for funds.
• At the time of the closing administrator's appointment, there were multiple open positions, incomplete human resources and employment contract files, limited skill and experience to manage the school, and no organizational chart or job descriptions. Key academic and operational functions lacked qualified personnel and/or clear ownership.
• Raises were given to four staff members following the school leader's commitment to revising a budget with staffing cuts. The school also prepaid a $89,000 loan made by the Board Chair's investment firm, raising serious conflict-of-interest and governance questions. They are requesting the return of funds from former counsel and involved parties. 
• Initial stabilization activities by the closing administrator includes approving critical payables essential to school operations; establishing regular invoice, receivable, and bill-pay review practices; increased management oversight of financial reporting; addressing unsafe facility issues; correcting unlawful transportation practices and restored compliance with the food service program; and began correcting HR deficiencies, normalizing payroll, and adjusting job responsibilities.

Urgent next steps were identified as rent relief, as Building Hope issued a Notice of Default for unpaid base rent. The closing administration team requested to convert their role as closing administrator to a court-appointed receivership.

Next steps include continued stabilization work, updated financial forecasts and rightsizing plans, continued landlord negotiations, compliance remediation, deeper audits, and a separate academic/culture review.

Explore the preliminary closing report and presentation.

Board Approved Academies of Math and Science's Application to Form a Charter School

The Board approved the Academies of Math and Science's application to form a charter school and restart Nevada Prep Charter School. Highlights from the plan included:

• Goals for improving academic performance, with a three-phase approach to get the school to a 3-star rating and above through its strong academic model
• Goals for student and staff retention, with a three-year goal for 90% student retention and 85% staff retention
• An operational plan for a strong governance structure and board, staffing structures to support and retrain staff (all staff will be required to reapply under the new AMS management structure), and hire a school leader
• A plan for community engagement, leveraging strong partnerships and building from the AMS team's strong partnerships in the Arizona market
• A financial plan to be submitted in February that is centered on accountability, internal controls, and sustainability, with a focus on financial planning and health that supports student achievement

Explore the proposal and the presentation.

Board Approved the Financial Performance Framework Ratings from the 2024-25 School Year

The Board approved the Financial Performance Framework ratings from the 2024-25 school year. Highlights from the ratings included:

• Indicators for performance in the Financial Performance Framework include near-term financial measures, sustainability measures, and financial management and oversight. Schools receive a "meets standard," "does not meet standard," or "falls far below standard" for each indicator. 
• Poor financial performance can result in issuance of a Notice of Concern or a Notice of Breach. Continued or persistent underperformance can result in additional interventions.
• Of the 42 charter holders in the SPCSA portfolio, 32 earned primarily "meets standard" ratings. Four of the six CCSD transfer schools from last year earned the "meets standard" ratings.
• Issuance, removal, and actions for each school are to be voted upon separately, by school, during the following action items.

Explore the presentation.

Board Approved a Notice of Concern for Alpine Academy

The Board approved issuing a Notice of Concern for Alpine Academy due to the ratings on the SPCSA Financial Performance Framework for fiscal year 2024-25.

Explore the recommendation memo.

Board Approved Removing a Notice of Concern for Discovery Charter School

The Board approved removing a Notice of Concern for Alpine Academy due to the improvement of the school's ratings on the SPCSA Financial Performance Framework for fiscal year 2024-25.

Explore the recommendation memo.

Board Approved Removing a Notice of Concern for Equipo Academy

The Board approved removing a Notice of Concern for Equipo Academy due to the improvement of the school's ratings on the SPCSA Financial Performance Framework for fiscal year 2024-25.

Explore the recommendation memo.

Board Approved Continuing a Notice of Breach for Explore Academy

The Board approved continuing a Notice of Breach for Explore Academy due to the school's ratings on the SPCSA Financial Performance Framework for fiscal year 2024-25.

Explore the recommendation memo.

Board Approved No Action on Nevada State High School's Flagship Campus

The Board approved taking no action on Nevada State High School's flagship campus, due to the ratings on the SPCSA Financial Performance Framework for fiscal year 2024-25.

Explore the recommendation memo.

Board Approved Continuing a Notice of Breach for Nevada Prep Charter School

The Board approved continuing a Notice of Breach for Nevada Prep Charter School due to the school's ratings on the SPCSA Financial Performance Framework for fiscal year 2024-25.

Explore the recommendation memo.

Board Approved Removing a Notice of Concern for Pinecrest Academy of Northern Nevada

The Board approved removing a Notice of Concern for Pinecrest Academy of Northern Nevada due to the improvement of the school's ratings on the SPCSA Financial Performance Framework for fiscal year 2024-25.

Explore the recommendation memo.

Board Approved Continuing a Notice of Breach for Sage Collegiate Public Charter School

The Board approved continuing a Notice of Breach for Sage Collegiate Public Charter School due to the school's ratings on the SPCSA Financial Performance Framework for fiscal year 2024-25.

Explore the recommendation memo.

Board Approved No Action on Vegas Vista Academy

The Board approved taking no action on Vegas Vista Academy due to the ratings on the SPCSA Financial Performance Framework for fiscal year 2024-25.

Explore the recommendation memo.

Board Approved Continuing a Notice of Concern for Young Women's Leadership Academy

The Board approved continuing a Notice of Concern for Young Women's Leadership Academy due to the school's ratings on the SPCSA Financial Performance Framework for fiscal year 2024-25.

Explore the recommendation memo.

Staff Presented the SPCSA Annual Review and Overview

Highlights of the presentation included:

• Overview of the progress of 90 charter schools served by the SPCSA across five counties, as the second largest local education agency in Nevada.
• 85% of SPCSA schools are rated 3-stars or higher on Nevada's Academic Performance Framework (NSPF).
• The SPCSA portfolio of schools includes 6.1% more Title I schools than the state of Nevada, based on the percentage of schools identified as Title I.
• The graduation rate for SPCSA schools last year as 82.6%, and 25 of the 28 high schools in the portfolio exceeded statewide graduation rates.
• New SPCSA schools are more reflective of state enrollment rates.

Explore the presentation.

Long-Range Calendar (next 3 months):

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

• Nevada Prep academic update 
• 2024-25 financial performance ratings
• Charter school contract amendments
• Revolving loan application recommendations

Explore the calendar.

The next Meeting of the SPCSA Board is scheduled for Friday, March 13, at 9:00 a.m.