Existing law establishes the Department of Education, which consists of the State Board of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. (NRS 385.010) Existing law: (1) requires the State Board to prepare a plan to improve the academic achievement of pupils; and (2) sets forth the required contents of the plan. (NRS 385.111, 385.112) Existing law also requires the board of trustees of each school district and the governing bodies of certain charter schools to prepare an annual report of accountability that contains certain information, including, without limitation, information regarding teachers, other licensed educational personnel and paraprofessionals. (NRS 385A.070, 385A.230)
Section 1.3 of this bill: (1) requires each public elementary school to prepare a plan to improve the academic achievement of pupils enrolled in public elementary schools; (2) sets forth the required contents of the plan, including, without limitation, certain goals for public elementary schools; and (3) establishes requirements governing the consequences for the principal of a public elementary school that does not meet such goals. Sections 4, 5 and 58 of this bill make changes regarding the entity required to prepare such a plan pursuant to existing law. (NRS 385.111)
Section 1.7 of this bill establishes a procedure by which the superintendent of schools of a school district or the Superintendent of Public Instruction is authorized to modify, suspend or eliminate a requirement for a public school or school district to report information or data that is redundant or duplicative or does not provide information or data that is used by the Department, the State Board or any other person or entity to support educational outcomes.
Section 6.1 of this bill requires that the annual report of accountability include information on the plans to improve academic achievement prepared pursuant to existing law and section 1.3. (NRS 385.111) Section 7 of this bill applies certain requirements governing the annual report of accountability to the reporting requirements set forth in section 6.1. Section 8 of this bill revises the manner by which teacher vacancies are measured for inclusion in the annual report of accountability.
Existing law establishes a statewide system of accountability for public schools that includes, without limitation, a method to annually rate each public school based on the performance of the school and on whether each public school meets the school achievement targets and performance targets established pursuant to the statewide system of accountability. (NRS 385A.600) Sections 6.2, 6.3, 6.4 and 8.5 of this bill establish a similar system of accountability for school districts and charter schools in this State. Section 6.5 of this bill establishes criteria and procedures for the Superintendent to designate a school district or sponsor of a charter school as low-performing or underperforming. Section 9.3 of this bill requires: (1) the Superintendent to place a school district or sponsor of a charter school designated as underperforming on probation if the designation is based on certain findings; and (2) such a school district or sponsor to submit to the Department a school district or sponsor of a charter school performance improvement plan and a school board or sponsor of a charter school improvement plan. Section 9.5 of this bill authorizes the Superintendent to take certain actions if the board of trustees of a school district or sponsor of a charter school does not make adequate progress toward meeting the goals and benchmarks necessary to improve the performance of the school district or charter school. Section 9.7 of this bill requires: (1) the Superintendent to place a school district or sponsor of a charter school designated as underperforming on probation if the designation was based on certain findings relating to the performance of pupils; and (2) such a school district or sponsor to submit certain plans to the Superintendent. Section 9.7 also establishes the actions that the Superintendent is authorized to take if the school district or sponsor of a charter school does not make adequate progress toward improving the performance of pupils.
Section 6.6 of this bill establishes criteria for designating a public school as low-performing, and sections 14.25-14.65 of this bill prescribe the actions that may be taken with respect to a public school designated as low-performing or persistently underperforming. Section 14.3 requires the Superintendent to initiate a process for state intervention to implement certain corrective measures for a school that is designated as persistently underperforming. Section 14.35 establishes provisions governing the corrective measure of replacing the principal and key members of the staff of a school. Section 14.4 establishes provisions governing the corrective measure of the direct management of a school by the Department. Section 56.5 of this bill: (1) creates the Education Service Center; (2) provides for the appointment of a governing body for the Center; and (3) requires the Center to provide certain assistance and guidance to public schools and school districts that are experiencing low performance.
Section 9.3 requires the Superintendent to place certain underperforming school districts or sponsors of charter schools on probation.
Existing law provides that, on or before December 31 of each year, the board of trustees of each school district and the State Public Charter School Authority is required to prepare for the immediately preceding school year a report of accountability concerning the educational goals and objectives of the school district or charter school. (NRS 385A.070) Sections 7.4 and 7.5 of this bill revise certain provisions governing the report.
Existing law: (1) creates county school districts; and (2) provides that such school districts are political subdivisions of this State. (NRS 386.010) Section 9.1 of this bill provides for the impaneling of a Public Education Oversight Board under certain circumstances and provides the Board, if impaneled, with the authority granted to the board of trustees of a school district to take actions necessary to remedy the cause of recommendations submitted by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Section 9.1 additionally sets forth: (1) the membership of the Board; and (2) requirements for meetings of the Board.
Existing law: (1) sets forth the membership of the board of trustees in each county school district in which more than 75,000 pupils are enrolled (currently only the Clark County School District); (2) provides that four members of such a board of trustees are appointed, nonvoting members; and (3) sets forth requirements for electing officers of any board of trustees of a school district. (NRS 386.120, 386.165, 386.310) Section 10 of this bill: (1) provides that such appointed, nonvoting members are instead voting members; and (2) eliminates the prohibition on the ability of such members to vote for or serve as officers. Section 11 of this bill makes a conforming change to authorize the previously nonvoting members to serve as officers.
Existing law creates the Commission on School Funding and establishes the duties of the Commission. (NRS 387.1246, 387.12463) Section 12 of this bill requires the Commission to: (1) review and propose any necessary revisions to the method of calculating the percentage of at-risk pupils in this State; and (2) select a third party to verify such methods and to submit a report containing the findings and recommendations for using a different method. Section 62 of this bill authorizes the Commission to request the drafting of not more than 1 legislative measure for a regular session. Section 63 of this bill applies existing provisions governing the drafting of such measures to the drafting of a legislative measure pursuant to section 62. Section 81 of this bill directs the Commission to conduct an interim study concerning certain subjects relating to school funding.
Existing law creates the Early Childhood Literacy and Readiness Account and authorizes the Department to award grants to school districts, sponsors of charter schools and nonprofit organizations to support early childhood literacy and readiness programs. (NRS 387.1271-387.1277) Existing law additionally requires the Department, to the extent money is available, to award grants to school districts, sponsors of charter schools and nonprofit organizations to support prekindergarten programs. (NRS 387.652) Section 13 of this bill: (1) extends eligibility to receive grants to support early childhood literacy and readiness programs to institutions within the Nevada System of Higher Education and private, for-profit organizations; and (2) expands the categories of children served by such a program. Section 13.5 of this bill creates similar provisions for grants to support prekindergarten programs.
Existing law: (1) requires that the ratio of pupils per licensed teacher in certain classes not exceed certain ratios; and (2) authorizes the State Board to grant a variance to a school district that does not meet such ratios in a quarter of a school year. (NRS 388.700) Section 14 of this bill sets forth requirements for the ratio of teachers per administrator in each elementary school within a school district in a county whose population is 700,000 or more (currently only Clark County). Section 16 of this bill requires requests for, and reports concerning, variances of requirements for the ratio of pupils per licensed teacher to be submitted annually rather than quarterly. Sections 17 and 18 of this bill make conforming changes to reflect the change to the timelines for such submissions. (NRS 388.723, 388.725)
Existing law provides certain exceptions to the requirement that a pupil attend a public school in his or her zone of attendance. (NRS 388.040) Section 14.7 of this bill provides for additional exceptions to this requirement. Section 14.65 requires the Department to create a grant program to assist certain eligible pupils in obtaining transportation to a school he or she attends outside of his or her zone of attendance.
Existing law requires an elementary school to provide intervention services and intensive instruction to a pupil during the time the pupil attends the school if the pupil does not obtain a score in the subject area of reading on the criterion-referenced examination in reading that meets the score prescribed by the State Board. (NRS 388A.487, 392.760) Section 14.2 of this bill requires: (1) a service provider to register with the school district to be eligible to provide literacy intervention, tutoring and related services to pupils; and (2) such services to be scientifically based and to meet certain criteria. Section 8.3 of this bill requires the statewide system of accountability for public schools to include, for elementary schools, targets for the proportion of pupils demonstrating adequate proficiency in the subject area of reading and adequate progress to achieving such proficiency.
Existing law makes certain requirements governing the minimum number of days in a school year. (NRS 388.090) Section 15.5 of this bill requires each school year to contain at least 4 days of professional development for elementary school staff and prescribes the focus of such professional development.
Existing law requires a public school, to the extent that money is available, to employ a school counselor on a full-time basis and provide for a comprehensive program for school counseling. (NRS 388.055) Section 15 of this bill requires each public school located in a county whose population is 100,000 or more (currently Clark and Washoe Counties) to provide for the availability of a school counselor or an equivalent service.
Existing law creates the State Public Charter School Authority and prescribes the membership of the Authority. (NRS 388A.150, 388A.153) Existing law additionally sets forth the requirements for the process of applying to form a charter school and amending a charter contract. (NRS 388A.243-388A.258, 388A.276, 388A.279) Existing law further requires the sponsor of a charter school to submit a report containing certain information to the Department. (NRS 388A.351) Section 20 of this bill changes the membership of the Authority. Section 19 of this bill authorizes the board of trustees of certain school districts to object to the placement of a proposed charter school. Sections 21-23 of this bill revise certain requirements relating to: (1) the contents of an application to form a charter school; (2) the review of such an application; and (3) a public meeting for the consideration of such an application. Section 25 of this bill requires the Authority to take certain actions regarding a proposed amendment to a charter contract for a charter school it sponsors. Section 26 of this bill requires a report prepared by the sponsor of a charter school to include a description of the expenditures and sources of all revenues for the charter school.
Existing law requires at least 80 percent of the teachers who provide instruction at a charter school to hold a license or endorsement to teach in this State. (NRS 388A.518) Section 28 of this bill instead requires, with certain exceptions, that any teacher who provides instruction at a charter school to hold such a license or endorsement. Section 27 of this bill provides that the governing body of a charter school may adopt rules relating to the truancy of pupils if the rules are not more restrictive than those set forth for pupils enrolled in traditional public schools, thereby removing the authority under existing law for the governing body of a charter school to adopt more restrictive rules relating to the truancy of pupils. (NRS 392.130-392.220)
Existing law provides that each public school within a school district in this State which has more than 100,000 pupils enrolled in its public schools (currently the Clark County School District) is deemed to be a local school precinct. (NRS 388G.530, 388G.600) Under existing law, a local school precinct is required to operate using site-based decision-making in which certain responsibilities are transferred from the large school district to the local school precinct. (NRS 388G.600) Section 85 of this bill repeals this authority. Sections 33.2-33.7 and 33.9 of this bill make conforming changes to reflect this change.
Existing law sets forth requirements governing the involvement of an organizational team for a local school precinct when a vacancy occurs in the position of principal for a local school precinct (NRS 388G.740) Section 33.8 of this bill revises these provisions.
Existing law: (1) creates the Nevada Educational Choice Scholarship Program; (2) establishes requirements for a scholarship organization that provides grants on behalf of a pupil to a school in which the pupil is enrolled; and (3) requires such a scholarship organization to submit an annual report to the Department containing certain information. (NRS 388D.250-388D.280) Section 30 of this bill establishes certain reporting requirements for schools that receive such grants. Section 31 of this bill requires such schools to administer certain examinations and assessments to certain pupils. Section 33 of this bill requires each school that receives such a grant to comply with the provisions of sections 30 and 31. Section 32 of this bill applies the definition of “scholarship organization” in existing law to sections 30-31.7 of this bill. (NRS 388D.260)
Existing regulations include provisions governing the operation of the Nevada Educational Choice Scholarship Program. (NAC 388D.030-388D.130) Sections 31.2-31.7 codify certain provisions of these regulations into the Nevada Revised Statutes. Section 31.2 requires a scholarship organization to register with the Department by submitting certain information. Section 31.3 requires: (1) a registered scholarship organization to provide to the Department certain information concerning each pupil on behalf of whom it awards a grant; and (2) the Department to compile certain information submitted by each scholarship organization and review the information to determine whether to recommend a change to the Legislature in the priority for awarding grants. Section 31.5 requires a registered scholarship organization to notify the Department of Taxation of each donation received and prohibits a scholarship organization from carrying forward a donation for more than 5 years. Section 31.6 requires the Department of Education to: (1) maintain a directory of each scholarship organization registered with the Department; (2) submit a list of scholarship organizations registered with the Department to the Department of Taxation each quarter; and (3) submit a summary of certain reports made to the Department of Education to certain entities annually. Section 31.7 authorizes the parent or guardian of a pupil to apply directly to a scholarship organization for a grant and establishes the order of priority in which a scholarship organization is required to award grants. Section 31.7 also requires a scholarship organization to establish written procedures for determining whether a pupil is qualified to receive a grant and awarding grants on behalf of pupils. Section 31.8 of this bill adds sections 31.2-31.7 to the provisions that may be cited as the Nevada Educational Choice Scholarship Program.
Existing law requires the Department to adopt regulations prescribing certain limitations on: (1) the time taken from instruction to conduct an examination or assessment; and (2) the number of examinations or assessments administered in a school year. (NRS 390.805) Section 35 of this bill establishes additional requirements for such regulations. Section 34 of this bill sets forth certain reporting requirements concerning the amount of class time used to prepare for and conduct examinations and assessments.
Sections 37 and 38 of this bill: (1) create the Commission on Recruitment and Retention within the Department; (2) set forth the membership and duties of the Commission; and (3) require the Commission to study issues relating to the recruitment and retention of educators in this State. Section 85 of this bill repeals provisions governing the Nevada State Teacher and Education Support Professional Recruitment and Retention Advisory Task Force, thereby dissolving the Task Force. (NRS 391.486-391.496)
Existing law creates the Commission on Professional Standards in Education and requires the Commission to prescribe regulations, subject to approval by the State Board, for licensing teachers and other educational personnel. (NRS 391.011, 391.019, 391.027) Section 39 of this bill requires the Commission to establish requirements for a person to obtain a provisional license with an endorsement as a registered apprentice. Section 85 repeals the authorization for the State Board to disapprove any regulation adopted by the Commission. Sections 39, 40, 41 and 42 of this bill make conforming changes to reflect the repeal of authority granted to the State Board. Section 41 revises provisions governing the timing and content of certain reports submitted by the Commission. (NRS 391.028) Section 44 of this bill requires the Department, rather than the State Board, to annually evaluate each provider approved by the Commission to offer certain courses of study or training. (NRS 391.039) Section 48 of this bill eliminates the requirement that certain reports concerning a shortage of teachers be submitted to the State Board. (NRS 391.125)
Existing law: (1) authorizes certain entities, including, without limitation, a city or county, to sponsor charter schools; and (2) prohibits a city or county from sponsoring a new charter school or expanding the enrollment or operating an additional campus of an existing charter school sponsored by