Section 1 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 of Education, the State Board of Education or any other person or entity to support educational outcomes.
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 3-5 and 11 of this bill establish a similar system of accountability for school districts in this State. Section 6 of this bill establishes criteria and procedures for the Superintendent to designate a school district as low-performing or underperforming. Section 13 of this bill requires: (1) the Superintendent to place a school district designated as underperforming on probation if the designation is based on certain findings related to the performance of the board of trustees of the school district; and (2) such a school district to submit to the Department a school district performance improvement plan and a school board improvement plan. Section 14 of this bill authorizes the Superintendent to take certain actions if the board of trustees of a school district does not make adequate progress toward meeting the goals and benchmarks necessary to improve the performance of the school district, including, without limitation, state oversight of the governance of the school district by the board of trustees. Section 15 of this bill requires: (1) the Superintendent to place a school district designated as underperforming on probation if the designation was based on certain findings relating to the performance of pupils within the school district; and (2) such a school district to submit to the Superintendent a school district performance improvement plan. Section 15 also establishes the actions that the Superintendent is authorized to take if the school district does not make adequate progress toward improving the performance of pupils in the school district, including, without limitation, replacing the leadership of the school district, reallocating school district resources to prioritize support for low-performing schools and assuming state control over certain functions of the school district.
Section 7 of this bill establishes criteria for designating a public school as low-performing, and sections 28-37 of this bill prescribe the actions that may be taken with respect to a public school designated as low-performing or persistently underperforming. Under section 28: (1) the Superintendent is required to place on probation a public school designated as low-performing; (2) the principal of the public school is required to submit to the Superintendent a school improvement plan; (3) the Superintendent is authorized to appoint an independent school improvement official to oversee and monitor the progress of the school; and (4) the Superintendent is required to designate as persistently underperforming a public school placed on probation that fails to make adequate progress toward improving pupil performance. Section 29 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 30 establishes provisions governing the corrective measure of replacing the principal and key members of the staff of a school. Section 31 establishes provisions governing the corrective measure of the direct management of a school by the Department, as implemented by the Superintendent. Section 32 establishes provisions governing the corrective measure of transferring management of a school to the city or county in which the school is located. Section 33 establishes provisions governing the corrective measure of the conversion of a school into a charter school. Section 34 establishes provisions governing the corrective measure of the conversion of a school to an innovation school, and section 35 provides for the creation of networks of such innovation schools. Section 36 provides for the transfer of ownership and possession or the leasing of school facilities of a public school that is subject to certain corrective measures. Section 61 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 37 requires a school that is designated as low-performing for 3 consecutive years to be designated as chronically low-performing and provides for expanded achievement options for the pupils attending the school, including, without limitation, attending another public school in the school district, a charter school or a private school that satisfies certain requirements. Section 38 of this bill requires the State Treasurer to adopt regulations to establish and carry out the Nevada Integrity in Academic Funding Program. Under section 38, to the extent that money is available to carry out the Program, the State Treasurer is required to create a Resources for Inspiring Student Excellence Account, or “RISE Account,” which may be used by the parent or legal guardian of a qualified pupil to pay certain qualified educational expenses associated with participating in an expanded achievement option pursuant to section 37.
Existing law provides that on or before December 31 of each year, the board of trustees of each school district and the sponsor of each charter school 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) Section 8 of this bill revises the date on which the board of trustees of a school district or sponsor of a charter is required to provide written notice that the report is available on the Internet website maintained by the school district or sponsor of the charter school. Section 9 of this bill requires such a report to include applicable comparisons to pupils in other states.
Existing law: (1) creates the Education Stabilization Account as a reserve account within the State Education Fund; (2) authorizes the transfer of money between the Account and the Fund for certain purposes; and (3) provides that the balance in the Account must not exceed 20 percent of the total of all appropriations and authorizations from the Fund, excluding the Account, for the immediately preceding fiscal year. (NRS 387.1213) Section 17 of this bill: (1) creates the Excellence in Education Account in the State Education Fund; (2) establishes the maximum amount of money that may be in the Excellence in Education Account; and (3) provides for the transfer of money to the Excellence in Education Account under certain circumstances. Under section 17, money in the Excellence in Education Account must be used only to make grants of money to school districts, charter schools and university schools for profoundly gifted pupils to provide nonrecurring incentives to school administrators, teachers and other educational personnel, including, without limitation, to pay incentives to school administrators and teachers pursuant to any program established pursuant to section 59 or 60 of this bill. Section 18 of this bill: (1) makes conforming changes to provisions of existing law governing the Education Stabilization Account to reflect the transfer of certain money to the Excellence in Education Account; and (2) requires money in the Education Stabilization Account to be transferred to the Department to undertake certain measures to oversee or allocate resources to a school district that is designated as low-performing or underperforming pursuant to section 6 or a school that is designated as low-performing pursuant to section 7 or persistently underperforming pursuant to section 28.
As part of the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan, existing law requires money in each fiscal year to be appropriated to each school district to provide transportation for pupils. (NRS 387.1214) Section 19 of this bill additionally authorizes a charter school to receive money to provide transportation for pupils if the provision of transportation for pupils is authorized in the charter contract entered into by the governing body of the charter school and the sponsor of the charter school.
Existing law creates the Commission on School Funding and establishes the duties of the Commission. (NRS 387.1246, 387.12463) Section 20 of this bill requires the Commission to review the process of adjusting school funding allocations based on the count of weighted pupil groups and evaluate alternatives for making those adjustments. Under existing law, any recommendations resulting from such a review are required to be presented to the Joint Interim Standing Committee on Education, and after consideration by the Committee, the Commission is required to transmit the recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature. (NRS 387.12463)
Existing law: (1) authorizes the board of trustees of certain school districts to zone the school district and determine which pupils must attend each school; and (2) allows pupils to attend certain schools despite the zoning decision of the board of trustees. (NRS 388.040) Section 22 of this bill provides for the implementation of a system of open enrollment managed by each school district pursuant to which the parent or legal guardian of a pupil may apply for the pupil to attend a school outside of the zone of attendance in which the pupil resides. Section 39 of this bill makes a conforming change to authorize a pupil to attend a public school outside of the zone of attendance in which the pupil resides if the pupil is selected to attend a different public school under the system of open enrollment. Section 23 of this bill requires the school district to provide transportation services, or subsidize transportation services, for a pupil who is attending or is zoned to attend a school designated as low-performing pursuant to section 7 and who is selected to attend a different school under the system of open enrollment. Section 16 of this bill authorizes the board of trustees of a school district that furnishes transportation to pupils to elect not to provide transportation to a pupil who attends a public school outside of his or her zone of attendance pursuant to section 22, unless the school district is required to provide transportation to such a pupil pursuant to section 23. Section 24 of this bill requires the Department to monitor the system of open enrollment, collect data and prepare certain reports concerning the system.
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) Sections 25-27 of this bill provide for the creation by each school district of a Parent-Selected Intervention Options Program under which the parent or legal guardian of a pupil who is required to be provided such intervention services and intensive instruction may receive a grant of money from the school district to pay the expenses of literacy interventions, tutoring and other related services. Section 25 establishes the Empowering Parents Account in the State Education Fund and requires $1,000,000 per fiscal year, or such greater amount as may be appropriated by the Legislature, to be transferred from the State Education Fund to the Account for the purpose of making distributions to school districts for the Program. Section 26 requires each school district to establish the Program and establishes an order of priority for making grants under the Program based on the adjusted gross income of the household in which the pupil resides. Section 27 requires: (1) a service provider to register with the school district to be eligible to provide literacy intervention, tutoring and related services to pupils under the Program; and (2) such services to be evidence-based and to meet certain criteria. Section 10 of this bill requires the statewide system of accountability for public schools to include, for elementary schools, the proportion of pupils demonstrating adequate proficiency in the subject area of reading and adequate progress to achieving such proficiency.
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 the city or county if the total number of pupils enrolled in the charter schools sponsored by the city or county exceeds a certain percentage of the pupils enrolled in public schools in the city or county other than in charter schools not sponsored by the city or county. (NRS 388A.220) Section 40 of this bill creates an exception to this prohibition by authorizing a city or county to sponsor a new charter school or expand the enrollment or operate an additional campus of an existing charter school sponsored by the city or county, regardless of the number of pupils that will be enrolled in the charter schools sponsored by the city or county, if: (1) the city or county is in a school district that is designated as low-performing pursuant to section 6; and (2) the new charter school or increase in enrollment or additional campus of the existing charter school will serve pupils who reside in the zone of attendance of a public school that is designated as low-performing pursuant to section 7 or persistently underperforming pursuant to section 28 or is overcrowded.
Existing law: (1) designates certain academic subjects, including English language arts, as core academic subjects that must be taught in all public schools; and (2) requires the Council to Establish Academic Standards for Public Schools to adopt standards of content and performance for certain courses of study, including courses in the core academic subjects. (NRS 389.018, 389.520) Section 44 of this bill requires the standards for English language arts in kindergarten and grades 1, 2 and 3 to include phonics-based instruction and to integrate science, technology, engineering and mathematics into instruction in English language arts. Section 42 of this bill requires the Department, to the extent that money is available for such a purpose, to establish a pilot program under which schools or groups of schools may apply to the Department for grants to integrate science, technology, engineering and mathematics into instruction in literacy. Section 43 of this bill requires the model curriculum for English language arts, which the State Board is required to develop under existing law, to include phonics-based instruction and the integration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics into English language arts in kindergarten and grades 1, 2 and 3. Under existing law, such a model curriculum is required to be distributed to public schools for use by teachers and administrators in developing class lesson plans and to the governing bodies of regional training programs for the professional development of teachers and administrators for use in the provision of training to teachers and administrators. (NRS 389.026)
Section 46 of this bill provides that a school employee is immune from civil and criminal liability for actions taken in good faith to intervene in physical altercations, fights or other incidents that pose an imminent risk to the safety of pupils or staff if: (1) the school employee is acting within the course and scope of his or her employment and within the course and scope of his or her role in maintaining order, discipline or the safety of pupils; (2) the actions of the school employee are consistent with state, federal and local laws and the policies of the school district or school at which the school employee is employed; and (3) any harm caused by the intervention is not the result of intentional, willful, grossly negligent or reckless misconduct or a conscious and flagrant indifference to the rights or safety of the person harmed. Section 64 of this bill applies this immunity from civil and criminal liability to employees of private schools.
Existing law requires the Commission on Professional Standards in Education to adopt regulations prescribing the qualifications for licensing teachers and other educational personnel, including regulations governing examinations for the initial licensing of teachers and other educational personnel and the procedures for the issuance and renewal of those licenses. (NRS 391.019, 391.021) Under existing regulations, a license to teach elementary education authorizes the holder to teach all subjects in elementary grades. (NAC 391.090) Sections 53-55 of this bill require the Commission to adopt regulations requiring that, to be eligible to teach pupils in kindergarten or grade 1, 2 or 3 on or after July 1, 2028, a teacher is required to obtain an endorsement to teach such pupils by successfully completing a course of instruction in foundational literacy skills that is approved by the Commission and meets certain standards. Section 65 of this bill authorizes the Board of Regents of the University of Nevada to require certain institutions within the System to collaborate with the Department and the Commission to establish such courses of instruction at the institutions.
Existing law requires a postprobationary employee of a school district whose performance is designated as developing or ineffective for 2 consecutive years to serve an additional probationary period. (NRS 391.730) Under existing law: (1) a period of probation is for three 1-year periods and a probationary employee has no right to employment after any of the three probationary contract years; and (2) during the contract year, the probationary employee may be dismissed after receiving notice and an opportunity for a hearing. (NRS 391.820-391.826) Section 56 of this bill provides that if a postprobationary employee is serving an additional probationary period under existing law and the postprobationary employee receives a rating of ineffective for 2 consecutive years during that additional probationary period: (1) the board of trustees of the school district may notify the employee that the employee will not be reemployed for the next contract year; or (2) the superintendent of the school district may initiate the process of dismissing the employee during a contract year. Under section 56, if a school district does not reemploy or dismisses such an employee, the Department is required to provide: (1) the school district with certain assistance in recruiting and hiring a highly effective administrator to fill any vacancy created; and (2) school leadership with access to certain coaching to assist the school leadership in managing transitions and improving teaching practices.
Section 52 of this bill authorizes a postprobationary teacher to be placed on a period of probation of 2 school years if the evaluations of the postprobationary teacher have consistently rated the postprobationary teacher as ineffective in certain areas. If a postprobationary teacher is