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7/31/2026 - SPCSA Board Hearing — Transcript

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0:03Good morning. It's 9 o'clock a.m. We
0:06will go ahead and call the meeting to
0:08order of the state public charter school
0:10authority. Um we will start with the
0:14roll call.
0:15>> Chair Thicken
0:16>> here.
0:17>> Vice Chair Whitaker
0:19>> present.
0:19>> Member Addis
0:21>> present.
0:22>> Dr. Alda
0:25>> present.
0:26>> Member Richards.
0:29Member Salceto
0:31>> here.
0:32>> Member Stern
0:34>> present.
0:36>> Member Turner
0:38>> present.
0:43>> Thank you very much. And if you'll
0:45please join me for the pledge of
0:46allegiance.
1:08All right, we will go ahead and open up
1:11agenda item number two, public comment
1:13number one. As a reminder, this is for
1:16anything on today's agenda item. For
1:18anything not on the agenda, we have a
1:20second public comment period at the end
1:22of today's meeting. Do we have any
1:24public comment in the boardroom?
1:28Seeing none, do we have any public
1:30comment online?
1:39The public line is up and working. There
1:40are no callers at this time.
1:43>> Thank you very much. We will close uh
1:47the public comment [clears throat]
1:48period and open agenda item number
1:50three. The state public charter school
1:52authority will hold a public meeting,
1:54public hearing in compliance with the
1:56procedures for adjudication of contested
1:58cases under NRS 233b to make a final
2:02determination regarding the notice of
2:04termination of 100 academy DBA future
2:07edge charter school future edge as
2:09approved by the SPCSA board on June 26,
2:142026
2:1620 yes in accordance with NRS 388A. A330
2:23and I think this is over to the general
2:26counsel of SPCSA Samantha King Powell.
2:31>> Mr. Chair, before we get started, is
2:33there anyone here representing Future
2:35Edge for this hearing?
2:43>> Okay, thanks for letting us know. Is
2:45there anyone here representing the
2:47future edge charter holder or the future
2:49edge board?
2:52>> Michael Marshall here from the board.
2:58>> Okay. Uh Mr. Marshall, are you an
3:01attorney or are you actually on the
3:02board?
3:05>> I was the acting president.
3:09>> Okay. So, you're here in representation
3:11of Future Edge's board.
3:14Correct. Yes.
3:16>> Okay.
3:24>> May I ask for a one minute recess?
3:29Amen.
4:02Go back whenever you're ready. Mr. You
4:05can go back on whenever you're ready.
4:07>> We'll go ahead and start the meeting
4:09back up again. M Mr. Marshall.
4:16>> Sorry, I misunderstood. I'm just here as
4:18a witness. Ah, okay. Okay. That's that's
4:20what we were trying to clarify because
4:21we weren't sure if you were, you know,
4:23um putting on a case or or what have
4:26you.
4:27>> No, I I apologize. I misunderstood.
4:30>> No, no, you're totally fine and thank
4:31you for Thank you for identifying
4:32yourself. I'll make sure the record
4:33reflects that. Um but just to be clear,
4:35there's no one here that is planning on
4:38putting on a case or defense on behalf
4:41of Future Edge.
4:46Okay. Thank you.
4:51chair. Before we get started, I would
4:53like to ask for a 10-minute recess after
4:56the board votes.
4:58>> That's fine.
5:03>> Okay. Good morning, Chair Thickpen, and
5:05members of the board. My name is
5:07Samantha King Powell, and I will be the
5:10attorney of record for the state in this
5:11matter. This is a public hearing on the
5:14notice of intent to terminate the
5:15charter contract between the SPCSA and
5:18the governing body of 100 academy of
5:20excellence doing business as future ad
5:22charter school issued by this board on
5:26June 26, 2026.
5:28The question before the board is narrow
5:30but it must be considered in the light
5:32in light of the grounds for termination
5:35identified in the June 20 26th notice.
5:39The notice identified three grounds for
5:41termination under NRS 38A330.
5:44Future EDG's financial impairment and
5:46resulting inability to continue
5:48operating, its failure to maintain a
5:51governing body compliant with Nevada
5:52law, and the improper exercise of the
5:55school's EMO of authority reserved to
5:58the governing body in violation of NRS
6:01388A 393.
6:06Four corrective actions prescribed as
6:08the notice were intended to cure the
6:09grounds for termination. The board must
6:12therefore determine whether future edge
6:14completed the required satisfaction
6:17within the prescribed cure period. If it
6:20did, the charter contract may not be
6:22terminated based on those deficiencies.
6:24If it did not, the grounds remain
6:26uncorrected and the board may terminate
6:29the charter contract under NRS 388A330.
6:35The SPCSA bears the burden of proof.
6:38Under NRS chapter 233b, the board's
6:42findings and decisions must be supported
6:44by prepoundonderance of the evidence.
6:46That means the evidence must establish
6:48that the fact is more likely true than
6:49not. The future edge is is not expected
6:53to present competing evidentiary case,
6:55but that does not lower the SPCSA's
6:57burden. The board must still determine
6:59whether SPCSA's evidence establishes the
7:02facts necessary to decide whether the
7:05identified deficiencies were corrected.
7:09By way of background, the evidence will
7:11show that Future Edge is a
7:12brickandmortar public charter school
7:14located at 2341 Commtock Drive in North
7:18Las Vegas. It operates a single campus
7:20serving approximately 318 students in
7:23kindergarten through 8th grade. For
7:25historical context, the Nevada
7:27legislature first established a
7:29statutory framework for the creation and
7:31sponsorship of the charter schools in
7:331997.
7:34Nine years later, during the tw the 2006
7:372007 school year, 100 Academy opened
7:40under the sponsorship of Clark County
7:42School District. The SPCSA was not
7:44created until 2011. Thus, 100 Academy
7:48predates SPCSA by 5 years and has
7:51operated continuously for nearly 20
7:53years. The school originally opened as
7:56100 Academy of Engineering and
7:58Technology and adopted the name Future
8:00Edge Academy in June 2024.
8:04It began contracting with Support
8:06Solution Services or SSS, their EMO,
8:10Education Management Organization. In
8:122020, Future Edge transferred from Clark
8:15County School District sponsorship to
8:16SPCSA sponsorship.
8:20Yeah. Clark County School District
8:22sponsorship to SPCSA sponsorship for the
8:262025 2026 school year. Its current
8:30charter contract runs through June 30th,
8:332028 unless terminated or surrendered
8:36earlier.
8:39On June 26, 2026, this board voted to
8:42issue a notice of termination, notice of
8:44intent to terminate consistent with
8:46Knack
8:48388A 345. The notice identified evidence
8:52supporting the action, the grounds for
8:54termination, and the specific actions
8:56future EDGE could take to correct the
8:58deficiencies. The notice identified
9:01three related grounds. First, bond
9:04default and financial impairment. The
9:07evidence is expected to show the that
9:08future edge acqu acquired a bond in
9:11March 2021 to purchase its facility that
9:14by June 20 26 it had not made required
9:17payments for more than four months and
9:19that Rosemar the bond holder issued a
9:22notice of intent to default on June
9:2422nd. The notice identified resulting
9:27threat to future EDG's continued access
9:29its facility and its ability to continue
9:31operating. Second, governing body
9:34deficiencies. The evidence is expected
9:36to show that future edge had not
9:38maintained a legally constituted
9:40governing body since at least February
9:422026. The notice found that the school
9:44therefore lacked a governing body
9:46capable of independently exercising the
9:49oversight, financial stewardship,
9:52and operational authority required by
9:54Nevada law and the charter contract.
9:58Third, improper EMO control
10:02as shown on the screen.
10:08NRS 388A
10:10393 establishes express prohibitions on
10:13the school's relationship with its EMO.
10:16As you hear evidence today, I want to
10:18point you to this subsection of NRS,
10:21specifically what it prohibits EMOs to
10:24do. Subsection 1A
10:34An EMO cannot give
10:38direct control of financial decisions.
10:40It cannot authorize payments of loans,
10:42advances, or other monetary charges from
10:45the contractor or educational management
10:47organization.
10:49It cannot require the charter school to
10:51pay the contractor or EMO before payment
10:54of other obligations. It cannot allow
10:57the contractor or EMO to cause delay in
10:59repayment of a loan
11:02which the delay would increase the cost
11:04of the charter school or proposed
11:05charter school by repaying the loan or
11:07advance.
11:14The evidence will show that the school's
11:16EMO did not operate merely as a service
11:18provider accountable to the governing
11:20body. It exercised control over the
11:22school's bank accounts, financial
11:24decisions, and while the school also
11:26relied upon the EMO for working capital
11:28and obtained a loan in advance from the
11:30EMO, the bank account evidence is
11:33relevant,
11:35not simply because the EMO had access,
11:38but because the nature and extent of
11:39that access demonstrates who really
11:41control the school's funds.
11:47The June 26 notice gave Future Edge
11:50until July 27th, 2026 to complete four
11:53defined corrective actions. First,
11:55Future Edge was required to either
11:57provide a fully executed lease for a
11:59replacement facility in the same zip
12:01code.
12:03Second, Future Edge was required to
12:05establish and maintain a legally
12:06compliant governing body capable of
12:08independently exercising its fiduciary,
12:12financial, and operational
12:13responsibilities.
12:16Third, Future Edge was required to
12:18terminate its agreement with SSS, their
12:21EMO.
12:24Fourth, Future Edge was required to
12:26adopt and submit a governing body
12:28approved budget that accounted for the
12:30new facility, anticipated revenues and
12:33expenditures, bond and other debt, and a
12:35financially sustainable plan for
12:38continued operations.
12:41Those those four corrective actions
12:43define the cure inquiry.
12:46The question is whether the evidence
12:47establishes future edge actually
12:49completed those cure items by July 27th.
12:53The board must consider each corrective
12:55action separately. The SPCSA is not
12:57required to establish that future edge
12:59failed to complete all four corrective
13:01actions. If the board finds by
13:03preponderance of the evidence that
13:04future edge failed to complete one or
13:06more, the board may terminate the
13:09charter contract.
13:11The SPCSA will present two witnesses.
13:14First, you will hear from Seth Clipner
13:16of Rosemar. Mr. Clipner will testify
13:19regarding future EDG's obligations under
13:21the bond, the status of the default, and
13:24Rosemar's rights and available remedies
13:26under the bond documents. He will also
13:28explain what the unresolved default
13:30means for Future EDG's continued use of
13:32the facility and ability to continue
13:34operating. You will hear from Casey
13:37Kristen Casey Guthrie, Future EDG's
13:40current principal. Miss Guthrie will
13:42testify about the specific financial and
13:44governance functions exercised by the
13:46school's EMO that were reserved for the
13:48governing body. She will testify about
13:50the actions Future Edge took during the
13:52cure period, including whether the
13:54school secured a replacement facility,
13:56established a compliant governing body,
13:58and terminated the SSS agreement.
14:01together. Their testimony will establish
14:02that future edge what future edge did
14:05within the cure period and whether the
14:06bond and facility condition identified
14:08it in the notice will be resolved.
14:13At the close of evidence, SPCSA will ask
14:15the board to determine by preponderance
14:18of the evidence whether future edge
14:20completed each corrective action by the
14:22July 27th deadline. SPCSA expects the
14:26testimony to establish that Future Edge
14:28did not secure the required replacement
14:29facility, pay the bond in full, did not
14:32establish and maintain the required
14:34governing body, and did not adopt
14:36required governing body budget.
14:42SPCSA will ask the board to determine
14:44that Future Edge did not correct the
14:45deficiencies and SPCSA will ask the
14:48board to terminate Future EDG's charter
14:51contract. Thank you.
15:02And Mr. Chair, since we have no one here
15:04on behalf of Future Edge to present a
15:07case, uh we can begin with the board's
15:09case and chief.
15:14>> Thank you, Sheriff Than. The state would
15:17like to call Seth Clipner of Rosemar.
15:29Good morning, Mr. Clener.
15:31>> Good morning.
15:32>> Could you please state and spell your
15:34name for the record?
15:36>> Dr. Clmpner. S E T H K L E M P N E R.
15:43>> Could you please describe your role with
15:46Rosemar?
15:47>> Hold on. Let's get him sworn in before
15:49we start asking questions. Mr. Mr.
15:50Clapner, can you please raise your right
15:52hand?
15:53Do you solemnly swear the testimony
15:55you're about to give will be both
15:56truthful and complete?
15:58>> I do.
15:59>> Thank you.
16:02>> Mr. Clumpner, could you please describe
16:04your role with Rosemar?
16:07Uh I am a principal at Rosemar uh on the
16:10investment team uh in charge of uh
16:14making investments in uh tax exempt
16:18bonds uh or uh charter schools uh and
16:22other nonforprofits and government
16:24entities.
16:26>> And what is your involvement with the
16:28bond issued to Future Edge Charter
16:30School?
16:32Uh we are uh the holder of the bond uh
16:37to future edge.
16:40>> And what experience do you have with
16:42charter school bond financing?
16:46>> Uh I have been investing in charter
16:49school bonds uh for uh more than 10
16:53years.
16:55>> Thank you.
16:57Chair thickpin. I ask that the bond
16:59balance
17:01memorandum which Teresa will show on the
17:04screen be admitted into evidence as
17:06state exhibit one.
17:10There's no opposition, Mr. Chair. So you
17:12can admit um in fact we can just admit
17:14all exhibits um ahead of time so you
17:17don't have to keep asking. There's no
17:18one no one to object to that. So um Mr.
17:21Chair, if you want to just make an
17:22announcement that all uh prosecution
17:24exhibits are admitted into evidence.
17:27Um, I grant that all prosecution
17:30exhibits are may be admitted into
17:32evidence. Thank you.
17:46Teresa, could you uh
17:49could you show the bond balance?
18:00It's not on the screen yet.
18:12That That's the wrong exhibit.
19:02Mr. Clipner, do you recognize this
19:03document?
19:05>> I do.
19:06>> Can you tell the board what it is?
19:10>> So, uh, that document, um, is a ledger
19:13of the outstanding bond balance. Um uh
19:18the PAR uh it it states the there are
19:21three series of of bonds that were all
19:24issued and purchased by Rosemar um as
19:28part of the uh 2021 uh transaction
19:32um
19:34along with the uh coupon or interest
19:37rate uh charged on uh the the three
19:41different series or QIPS. Um uh the par
19:46amount outstanding um is uh effectively
19:50the balance remaining on on the three
19:53series. Um and the principal owed and
19:56the interest owed column reflects uh the
20:00past due payments related to the uh
20:03December and June uh coupon payments. Um
20:07the most recent December and June coupon
20:10payments.
20:11Can you tell us the last payment you
20:14received from future edge? When was
20:16that?
20:16>> The last payment we received was June of
20:202025.
20:24>> So, is it correct in stating that for
20:26over a year, Future Edge has not paid
20:28their bond?
20:29>> That is correct.
20:40You mentioned that you've been investing
20:42in uh charter school bonds for some time
20:45now. Can you explain generally how a
20:48proposed charter school bond financing
20:50is evaluated before it's purchased?
20:54Sure. Um we run uh uh we conduct a
20:58credit evaluation
21:00uh of the school uh where we look at um
21:05uh four pillars of the school uh being
21:09uh finances, enrollment, uh academics
21:12and governance. Um and uh we will look
21:17at um uh then look at their ability and
21:21willingness to pay back the loan. Um
21:24based on that we will come to uh a
21:28conclusion on the creditworthiness
21:30uh and the appropriate interest rate um
21:34uh uh to offer to to a given school. um
21:38as well as the dollar amount um that
21:41either we are willing to lend or that's
21:43appropriate for them to borrow uh given
21:46the the circumstances whether they are
21:49looking to uh uh purchase their
21:52building, refinance an existing loan uh
21:54or build an expansion.
21:59Can you tell me about what
22:02uh authorities Rosemar has as the bond
22:04holder to enforce
22:07uh payment on the bond if an entity
22:10defaults?
22:12>> So, um our authority really runs through
22:16through the document. Um uh there there
22:19are a couple things uh that we can do.
22:22Uh we can um uh in the case that there
22:26is a deposit account and control
22:28agreement um we can have instruct the
22:31trustee to uh uh take control of uh of
22:36the deposits um uh in that account. Um
22:40the the trustee obviously has to to act
22:43with within the law. Um the primary uh
22:47means at which uh we have to enforce uh
22:51uh payment um is the mortgage that we
22:54hold uh in the property.
22:57>> Did you inform future edge that they
23:00needed to uh change management in order
23:03to keep their bond?
23:06>> Uh yes, we we were interested in seeing
23:10the replacement of the management team.
23:20If the board does not vote to terminate,
23:24what actions does Rosemar expect to
23:28enforce?
23:32Uh it would be it would be difficult for
23:34me to to say exactly um at this time uh
23:40without uh
23:44without I suppose without a manager I
23:46don't think we we think future edge has
23:49an ability uh to to pay its debt
23:52service. Um we most likely um would move
23:56to foreclose and sell the the real
23:58estate.
24:01Thank you, Mr. Clintner. The state has
24:03no further questions.
24:07>> Members of the board, if you have any
24:09questions for the witness, this be the
24:10time.
24:16>> Any questions from board colleagues?
24:19Uh, member Stern.
24:22>> Good morning, Member Stern. For the
24:24record, um, just a quick question. You
24:27mentioned that you had been in
24:28communication with Future Edge about um
24:32that it's been a year since they have
24:34made a payment that you've been in
24:36communication about the need for a
24:37change in management. Can you just
24:40clarify a little bit more your
24:41communication what that timeline was and
24:43how much communication you've had with
24:45the school trying to address or resolve
24:47this problem?
24:48>> Yeah. Um we first became aware of the
24:53problem uh in December 2025.
24:57Uh starting in December 2025 uh we uh
25:02set up uh weekly calls uh um with the
25:06managers of SSS. Um uh the manager uh
25:13increasingly uh failed to attend those
25:15meetings with myself and my colleague.
25:18Um, and so I'd say the the communication
25:20was inconsistent. Um, uh, at first, uh,
25:25the communication and conversation was
25:27about, uh, uh, things that the manager
25:32could do or school could do, uh, to
25:34improve its operations, finances, and
25:37enrollment. Um I would say that as uh uh
25:44as as time progressed and uh the manager
25:48um failed to attend the meetings uh we
25:51lost confidence in the manager school's
25:54ability to implement uh a turnaround
25:57strategy.
25:59>> Member St. for the record thank you so
26:01much for answering my question. I don't
26:02have any other questions at this time.
26:06>> Thank you member Stern. Any other
26:08questions from board colleagues?
26:13Okay, seeing none, we will proceed
26:16forward.
26:24The state calls uh Kristen Casey Guthrie
26:42Miss Guthrie, can you please raise your
26:44right hand? Do you solely swear the
26:46testimony you're about to give will be
26:47both truthful and complete?
26:48>> I do.
26:49>> Thank you.
26:53>> Hi, Miss Guthrie. Could you please state
26:55and spell your name for the record?
26:57>> Christine Guthrie. K R I S T E N G U T H
27:02R I E.
27:03>> Thank you, Miss Guthrie. How long have
27:05you worked at Future Edge?
27:07>> I have been an employee at Future Edge
27:09for since December of 2015.
27:12>> And what positions have you held at
27:15Future Edge?
27:16>> I've been a teacher, an instructional
27:18coach, the assistant principal, and
27:20currently the principal.
27:24>> Did you say you're currently principal?
27:26>> Yes. Thank you. As principal, what
27:28respons what responsibilities give you
27:31firsthand knowledge of the school's
27:32finances, vendors, facility, governing
27:36body, and relationship with their EMO,
27:38SSS?
27:40The as the principal, I work with um SSS
27:44and the governing board in terms of
27:46vendor contracts, being able to make
27:48decisions for the success of the school.
27:52Um, as the principal, I also am in
27:55charge of all the leadership,
27:58instructional leadership, staff
27:59leadership, trainings, um,
28:03communication, facilities, school
28:06operations, um, all the components of
28:09running the school.
28:10>> Thank you.
28:12I want to talk a little bit about your
28:14experience working with SSS. What roles
28:17did SSS perform in Future Edge's
28:21financial operations?
28:24>> SSS had full control of the financial
28:26operations at Future Edge.
28:29>> When a financial decision had to be
28:32made, what were you as principal
28:34required to do?
28:37>> I was required to get approval um for
28:39all transactions
28:41um outside of curriculum which was
28:44managed by them. I
28:49to to purchase things through Amazon, I
28:51would put things in the cart. I would
28:52have to call SSS partners representative
28:54to then make complete the purchase at
28:57the school site. Um that's how all
28:59purchases were conducted through the
29:01school.
29:02>> Did SSS ever talk to you about
29:06a budget? What funds you had access to
29:10for different departments?
29:12I was given the budget um in the
29:14tenative phase and at the board
29:16meetings, but I had limited um
29:18conversations about input on the budget.
29:22>> So, if you needed some supplies for
29:24school, uh were you able to have that
29:27conversation and ask how much you could
29:29spend?
29:31>> We we generally just put the items in
29:33the Amazon cart to be um approved. That
29:36was the process.
29:38So that was that limited process was the
29:40extent of your knowledge of any of the
29:42school's finances as principal.
29:44>> Correct.
29:49>> What access as principal did you have to
29:52the school's bank account account
29:55statements, transaction history, or
29:57other financial records?
29:58>> None.
30:02How did your lack of direct access to
30:04the school's financial information
30:06affect your ability to perform your
30:08duties as principal?
30:10>> It was difficult to be able to make
30:12decisions about what um what what I
30:17could approve or allow for activities,
30:18field trips. Um, you know, I think also
30:23part the
30:26just the daily operations of the school
30:28that we would have access to our
30:30platforms, our dashboards if uh the
30:33confidence that bills were being paid um
30:36for the materials we needed to run the
30:38day-to-day operations of the school.
30:43>> You mentioned an SS representative. Who
30:46was that? Shabban Pandy.
30:49>> And you said that you didn't have access
30:53to the bank accounts. Did the board have
30:56access
31:02part of the time?
31:04>> Okay.
31:06And to your knowledge, who had direct
31:09control of the school's bank account?
31:12The signitories on the account were
31:14Shabbomb Pandy, Eric Leafroy, and Dennis
31:17Obergon.
31:18>> And who is uh Eric Leafroy and Dennis
31:20Oberg?
31:21>> They are previous board members of the
31:24school.
31:25>> So they are no longer on the board.
31:27>> They are not.
31:29>> When did you first learn that Mr. Pandy
31:31had been named or given access to the
31:34school's bank account directly?
31:38>> When I became the principal, I was aware
31:39he was on the bank account.
31:42Do you know if the governing body gave
31:45that approval or access to Mr. Pandy?
31:48>> I do not know.
31:51>> When you learned that um you didn't have
31:55any direct access to the bank account as
31:58principal and your current B board chair
32:01also did not have access. What steps did
32:03you take to correct that?
32:06We went to Western Alliance Bank. Um, we
32:11had to to be able to put ourselves on
32:14the bank account and there was a
32:16multi-day process to be able to gain
32:19access um and put people that are
32:21currently representing the school on the
32:23bank account.
32:24>> Has Mr. Pandy been removed from the
32:27school's bank account?
32:28>> Yes.
32:29>> Who is currently listed on the school's
32:31bank account?
32:32>> Myself and Mr. Michael Marshall. He's
32:34our current board president.
32:38>> Did you ever request greater
32:41transparency or access to your financial
32:44information from Mr. Pandy?
32:46>> Yes.
32:47>> What can you tell me a little bit about
32:49that process?
32:50>> Yes. I um had requested
32:54transparency on um the current state of
32:57the finances of the school. Um this was
33:00middle of this current semester of
33:02school. Um, I had asked for maybe like a
33:06budget 101 because I have access to the
33:08spreadsheets, but I was interested in
33:10the story and how financial decisions
33:12were um, being made on behalf of the
33:14school. Um,
33:17I did receive a response of the
33:20quarterly financial report, which is
33:22something that I do upload to Epicenter,
33:23so have access to and have seen. Um, and
33:27asked for a meeting of just kind of like
33:29that blanket financial overview for the
33:31story. and there was no meeting
33:33scheduled or any response on that.
33:36>> Thank you, Miss Guthrie. I'd like to
33:39show you an exhibit of uh some bank
33:42statements. Teresa, could you pull up
33:45state exhibit number three?
33:50Miss Guthrie, have you seen this before?
33:52>> Yes.
33:53>> What is it? [snorts]
33:54>> It is a bank statement from October
33:562025.
33:58>> Okay. Is there uh anything particularly
34:01interesting that you'd like to point
34:03out?
34:11There's a credit on 1022 of $120,000
34:16from SSS partners.
34:18>> When you say credit, what what does that
34:20mean?
34:23It appears $120,000 were transferred
34:26into the school's bank account from SSS
34:29partners.
34:29>> Okay, thank you. Teresa, could you pull
34:32up state exhibit number four?
34:48>> Miss Guthrie, have you seen this
34:49document before?
34:50>> Yes. What is it?
34:52>> They are the governing board meeting
34:54minutes from October 28th, 2025.
34:58>> Thank you. And Teresa, could you scroll
34:59down?
35:08Miss Guthrie, could you tell us what
35:10number three says?
35:12>> Approval of loan promisory note from SSS
35:14Partners for $120,000.
35:17>> Okay. Um, and these are the minutes. So,
35:20it it appears that this is what happened
35:24after the board voted. Can you tell me
35:26what the board voted on?
35:28>> The board approved the promisory note of
35:33$120,000 from SSS partners on October
35:3628th, 2025.
35:39>> Okay. And Teresa, can we just go back up
35:41to the top one more time?
35:46And can you confirm, Miss Guthrie, what
35:48date was this meeting?
35:50>> October 28th, 2025.
35:53>> So, is it your understanding that SSS
35:55partners trans deposited $120,000
36:00prior to getting board approval at this
36:02meeting?
36:03>> Yes.
36:09>> I'd like to bring up state exhibit
36:12number six.
36:40It would be the technology lab quote.
36:44Yes. Miss Guthrie, have you seen this
36:46before?
36:47>> Yes.
36:48>> Can you tell us what it is?
36:50>> It is the approved quote for technology
36:52lab. And what is technology lab?
36:55>> They are our IT support provider.
37:00>> Teresa, could you go to page two?
37:08Miss Guthrie, did this technology lab
37:11quote go to you as the school leader?
37:13>> Did not.
37:14>> Who did it go to?
37:15>> Siobhan Pandy.
37:17>> And did it go to the school here in
37:21Nevada? It did not.
37:23>> Where did it go?
37:25>> Dallas, Texas.
37:28>> And who's listed as the point of contact
37:32on this contract?
37:34>> Siobhan Pandy.
37:35>> And can you read that email address to
37:37me?
37:38>> Shabbam at ptasachool.org.
37:41>> Okay. And Teresa, can you go to the last
37:44page?
37:52and scroll up a little bit.
37:55Who signed this contract? Shabban Pandy.
38:00Thank you.
38:17Since Shabban Pandy signed this contract
38:20on behalf of the school,
38:22did you as principal of the school or
38:25the board have any ability to refute the
38:28contract?
38:30Not after it was signed. Thank you.
38:45>> Did Mr. Pandy ask you about your input
38:49into the contract prior to it being
38:51signed?
38:52>> No.
38:53>> Was this uh tech support? Is is that a
38:56local tech support? It is not. They're
38:59based out of Nashville.
39:01>> And how helpful was this Nashville based
39:04tech support to you as principal.
39:08>> In terms of part of the contract is like
39:11hardware support. Um
39:14it's not possible to be on site to
39:17support um from Nashville the needs that
39:20the school would um have using a company
39:22that's not local.
39:24Did you have any uh issues trying to get
39:28support from technology lab?
39:33>> Mainly just when we needed on-site
39:35support because it would be an
39:36additional fee on top of the $5,000 a
39:38month contract that we were in.
39:41>> And to your knowledge, Mr. Pandy never
39:44asked you if that would meet the the
39:45technology needs of the school.
39:47>> No.
39:49>> Thank you.
39:52Teresa, could you bring up state exhibit
39:53number seven?
40:08Miss Guthrie, this is a uh school report
40:12about future edge. Teresa, could you
40:15scroll down
40:21and keep going?
40:24Right there.
40:26Those are the current board members
40:28listed for future edge. Can you verify
40:32who, if any, are still on the board?
40:41>> Dr. Kyle Ward.
40:43>> Okay. one,
40:44>> Dr. Greta PA and Mr. Michael Marshall.
40:48>> So, three out of a nine position board.
40:52In June, the SPCSA, one of the cure
40:56items for this notice to terminate was
41:00whether the board uh was reformed
41:04reconstituted.
41:06Has the board re been reconstituted?
41:08>> It has not.
41:09>> Thank you.
41:15I want to ask you about the status of
41:17the cure items.
41:19So, as part of the notice of intent to
41:22terminate, the SPCSA board asked for
41:25four things to be completed by June
41:2827th.
41:29They wanted to know if Future Edge could
41:32either pay the bond default in its
41:35entirety or execute a lease for a
41:38qualifying replacement facility or
41:40provided proof that the bond had been
41:42paid in full like I said before. Did
41:44Future Edge do either of those?
41:47>> No.
41:48>> Okay. Thank you. What steps did Future
41:50Edge take to fulfill the governing body
41:52vacancies? I know you already testified
41:54to that. I just want to make it clear
41:56for the record.
41:57>> None. Thank you. Did Future Edge end
42:01their relationship with their EMO SSS?
42:06>> On June 28th, 2026, SSS partners
42:11um sent a letter to
42:15not nonrenew their contract with the
42:17school.
42:18>> So essentially, they terminated the
42:20contract. Is that correct?
42:21>> Correct.
42:22>> Okay.
42:24And by June 27th, did the board approve
42:27a new budget?
42:28>> No.
42:29>> Okay.
42:31>> Thank you, Miss Guthrie. The state has
42:33no further questions.
42:37>> Members of the board, if you have any
42:39questions for the witness, now is the
42:40time.
42:43>> Thank you. Do I have questions from
42:45board colleagues?
42:51>> Member Addis. Oh, thank you. Member
42:53Addis for the record. Thank you,
42:54Chairpen. Um, you Thank you so much for
42:57your testimony. Uh, you stated that the
43:00bank account control is currently under
43:03you are now a signer on the bank account
43:04and in addition to a current board
43:06member, um, can you just highlight the
43:09change that occurred that allowed for
43:10that to happen? That may have been a
43:12barrier to that happening sooner. Like,
43:14uh, had that been attempted sooner, what
43:16what prevented that from happening
43:17before?
43:19When I was appointed the principal, I
43:21went to the bank to put my name on the
43:23account and I had thought that that was
43:25what had happened. But when I um
43:29went back to the bank, they had no
43:31record of me being on any bank account
43:33at Western Alliance Bank, we were
43:36informed
43:38of the we were informed on June 5th with
43:41the meeting with the bond company that
43:42the payments had not been being made. Um
43:45and at that time, myself and Mr.
43:48Marshall, our board president, were
43:50curious about if those payments weren't
43:52being made. My concern next was teacher
43:54salaries. So, we wanted to see what was
43:57going on in the bank account. Um, and so
44:00at that time, we had gone to the bank to
44:02try to gain access to the account. Um,
44:05due to the nature of the business of the
44:07account, um, we then reached out to the
44:10SPCSA for support, um, and were provided
44:13a letter to be able to regain access to
44:15the bank account. So, um, we did regain
44:18access on,
44:21I believe it was June 28th,
44:27member for the record. Thank you for
44:29that. Um, and I I'm I need to think I
44:33might have a follow-up question about
44:34that. I do have one other question
44:35that's on a different topic. Um uh in
44:38previous testimony, we heard that uh
44:40there were meetings held between the
44:41bond holder and uh SSS that discussed
44:45ways that the school could change their
44:47financial situation or uh increase their
44:49enrollment, things like that. Were you a
44:51part of those meetings, too? And were
44:52you able to give input in those meetings
44:53or have any discussions around those
44:55topics or were those meetings not
44:57inclusive of you?
44:58>> They were not inclusive of me.
45:00>> Thank you very much. Um I might have
45:02another question, but I need to think.
45:04Thank you, Chair.
45:06Thank you, Member Addis. Any other
45:07questions from board colleagues? Member
45:10Stern.
45:15>> Good morning again, Member Stern. For
45:16the record, um I just had a question
45:19because I know that you or probably a
45:22couple quick questions. You said you
45:24received the non-renew notice from SSS
45:26on June 28th. What on what day would
45:29that be effective that they would no
45:31longer be serving as the EMO?
45:34on June 30th, 2026.
45:38>> Um, member Stern again for the record.
45:40So, I know you had also testified that
45:44you had tried to get clarification on
45:47the budget and an understanding of the
45:50um what had been going on with the
45:53finances. I understand that you now have
45:55access to the bank account. When SSS
45:58decided to terminate their contract, did
46:00they provide any sort of information to
46:04um clarify where the financial status of
46:08the school was that would allow you to
46:11create a budget or are you still missing
46:13that information?
46:15>> They did not provide any information.
46:19>> Thank you so much.
46:22>> Thank you, Member Stern. Any other
46:24questions from board colleagues?
46:31I might have one or two. Let me look at
46:33my notes here.
46:40Um, chair thin, for the record, Miss
46:43Guthrie, I have I have a question. Um
46:46the relationship and the dynamics that
46:49you describe with SSS,
46:52were they kind of arranged prior to you
46:54becoming principal?
46:56>> Yes.
46:58>> Were you ever given an explanation as to
47:00why the dynamic was set up in such a
47:02way?
47:03>> I was not.
47:11Were you aware at any point um of the
47:17NRS the statute that was shown earlier
47:19today around you know the laws around
47:23EMO control of finances around charter
47:25schools.
47:28I was aware of the statue but not the
47:30involvement of the EMO it at the level
47:33it was in the finances
47:47for the technology lab contract.
47:52Um,
47:53were you aware or not?
47:57Was that ever put out to bid at any
47:59point or were you allowed to, you know,
48:01open that up to a bid process or did
48:03they just decide we're going with this
48:04contractor?
48:06>> We just went with that contractor
48:11>> and and it sounds like you guys didn't
48:12have much choice in the matter.
48:14>> Correct.
48:21I'm curious to know more about the um
48:25situation with the board of it not being
48:28fully reconstituted. Was that was board
48:32recruitment something that SSS was
48:34primarily in charge of or was that
48:37handled more internally by um the board
48:40or the school?
48:42It was something that SSS was supposed
48:46to be supporting the school with. Um,
48:49and it was
48:53not making sure that we had a
48:57fully five member board.
49:01>> And is am I correct in assuming that SSS
49:03is based out of state?
49:06>> It is.
49:07Would you say
49:09that because they're based out of state,
49:11it makes it much harder to recruit board
49:13members?
49:15>> Potentially. Yes.
49:17>> That's all the questions I have. Thank
49:19you, Miss Guthrie. Any other questions
49:21from board colleagues either in the
49:23boardroom or online?
49:25>> Oh, member Stern, I see your hand up.
49:28U sorry, going back over my member
49:30Stern, for the record, going back over
49:32my notes, I did have uh one more
49:34question going back to fairly early in
49:37your testimony where you were talking
49:38about the process for purchases um that
49:42SSS had in place that um you mentioned
49:44it made it difficult for um things like
49:48activities and field trips and daily
49:51operations.
49:53Um would you say that the financial
49:58control that SSS was extending over the
50:02school had an impact on the students and
50:06academic outcomes?
50:09>> Yes.
50:11>> Can you expand on that a little bit
50:12more? In what ways did that impact the
50:15academic side of the school?
50:19There were um several occasions this
50:22past school year and previously that
50:26there was the access to our online or
50:28digital platforms were removed due to
50:30non-payment of the invoices um
50:34particularly our ELA and math
50:36curriculums and then our online digital
50:39platforms like I Ready
50:42>> and member Stern again for the record
50:45had SSS communicated that lack of
50:47payment to you ahead of time or were
50:49these unexpected interruptions to the
50:51operations of the school?
50:53>> They were unexpected.
50:56>> Thank you so much.
51:00>> Thank you, Member Stern. Member Addis,
51:03>> thank you, Chair Thickpin. Um, I wanted
51:05to follow up on a question actually that
51:07my colleague asked about the technology
51:08contract. Um, in your testimony you
51:11discussed that you were unaware that
51:13they were contracting with that
51:14organization. You didn't have a choice
51:16and that uh Shabbam PD had signed the
51:19contract. I just wanted to clarify, was
51:21there any record that that contract had
51:23been approved by the board and that
51:24contractor had been selected by the
51:26board um and then signed on behalf of
51:28the school by uh Shubon Pandy or did
51:31that never come to the board either?
51:35I'm not aware that there's a board
51:37approval.
51:40>> Thank you. That was my only question.
51:42Oh, I'm sorry. I don't think I said
51:43member Addis for the record.
51:47>> Thank you, Member Addis. Any other
51:49questions from board colleagues?
51:54Okay, seeing none, board has no further
51:57questions.
52:03Are there any further witnesses?
52:06>> The state has no other witnesses.
52:08>> Okay, then we can move right into
52:10closing arguments.
52:17>> Chair Thickpin and members of the board,
52:20what I'm asking you to do today is not
52:22easy. At the center of this case are
52:25approximately 318 students and families
52:27who depend on Future Edge. Those
52:30students did not decide who would
52:32control the school's finances. They did
52:34not decide whether the governing body
52:36would remain engaged. They did not
52:38decide whether the bond would be paid.
52:41Their families trusted the adults
52:43responsible for future edge
52:45and they trusted they were they would
52:48remain present, act responsibly, and
52:50protect the school's future. The
52:52evidence shows that did not happen.
52:57The state was required to prove the
52:58grounds for termination by preponderance
53:00of the evidence. We have met that
53:02burden.
53:05First, Future Edge is financially
53:06impaired. The bond holder testified that
53:08the school has 13.295
53:11million in outstanding bond debt. As of
53:14July 29th, 2026, it owed almost 155,000
53:19in unpaid principal and 732,000 in
53:22unpaid interest.
53:27The bond representative testified that a
53:30payment has not been been made since
53:33June 2025.
53:35The default remains unresolved. Future
53:38Edge did not satisfy the bond obligation
53:41and did not secure a replacement
53:42facility that would allow the school to
53:44continue operating on a financially
53:46sustainable basis.
53:50Second, future edge failed to maintain a
53:52legally compliant governing body capable
53:54of exercising independent oversight as
53:57required by NRS 388A.
54:01The future edge governing body holds the
54:03charter contract, not the school leader,
54:05the governing body.
54:08Its responsibility cannot exist only on
54:11paper. A governing body must remain
54:14present, not merely in name or when they
54:17simply physically are present for a
54:19vote. It must remain actively engaged in
54:23the oversight of the school. It must
54:25understand the school's financial
54:26condition, require accurate and timely
54:29financial information, review contracts
54:32before they bind the school, retain
54:34control over the school's accounts, and
54:37question those entrusted with managing
54:39public funds. Most importantly, it must
54:42exercise independent judgment and make
54:44decisions Nevada law reserves for the
54:47governing body.
54:49The use of a management organization
54:51does not change those obligations. A
54:54governing body may contract for
54:55expertise,
54:57administrative support, and assistance
54:59with the school's day-to-day operations,
55:02but it cannot delegate away its ultimate
55:04responsibility,
55:08surrender its statutory authority, or
55:10discharge its duty to oversee the
55:12school.
55:14Contracting for management is not
55:16contracting away accountability.
55:20This governing body remains the holder
55:22of the charter contract and it remains
55:24responsible to the students, families,
55:27its authorizing body and the public it
55:29serves. That did not occur here.
55:34Third, the evidence established that SSS
55:36exercised control over future EDG's
55:38financial decisions in direct violation
55:40of interest 388A 393.
55:45The school's leader had to go through
55:46SSS to address financial matters. She
55:49did not have access to financial
55:51information she needed to operate the
55:53school. SSS had access to the school's
55:56bank account. Money was deposited into
55:59the account before and without governing
56:02body approval of that loan.
56:05Additionally, in addition to the EMO
56:08payment, Mr. Pandy paid a credit card
56:11listed in the name from the school's
56:12funds that was uh as part of the exhibit
56:16shown earlier.
56:18Those
56:21actions went beyond providing
56:22administrative support or back office
56:24support. They involved control over the
56:26school's money and operations, authority
56:29that belong to Future EDG's governing
56:31body. Those actions are in direct
56:34violation of NRS 388A 393.
56:40SSS has since resigned, meaning that
56:42Future Edge and SSS no longer have any
56:45contractual ties. For that reason, the
56:48state will ask the board to find that
56:50future edge completed cure item number
56:51three.
56:53When the evidence establishes that a
56:55cure was completed, the board should
56:57recognize it. But SSS resignation does
57:00not erase the conduct that occurred
57:02before it resigned, nor does it resolve
57:04Future Edge's remaining financial and
57:06governance failures.
57:10Future Edge did not help the school
57:13resolve the bond obligation or secure a
57:15qualifying replacement facility. It did
57:18not establish
57:20and maintain the governing body required
57:23by law and its charter contract. It did
57:26not adopt the required governing body
57:28approved budget and it could not
57:30continue operating on a financial
57:32sustainable basis. Three of the four
57:35required corrective actions remain
57:37incomplete.
57:42This case gives the board an opportunity
57:44to make its expectations
57:46clear to Nevada's charter community. An
57:49EMO may not support a charter school
57:53in the ways that this EMO did. An EMO
57:56may support a charter school, but it
57:58cannot become the charter school's
58:00governing body.
58:02A governing body may obtain assistance,
58:05but it may not surrender its authority
58:07or responsibility. It must remain
58:09present, informed,
58:11and accountable to students and families
58:13it serves.
58:16Your vote today solidifies that fact.
58:19You will tell every charter school
58:20governing body that it must remain at
58:22the table,
58:24responsible to the families and students
58:27it serves.
58:32That accountability is not contrary to
58:34the in to the interest of future EDG's
58:36students. It is how the board protects
58:38them.
58:40Terminating [snorts] this charter
58:41contract does not mean giving up on
58:43future edge or abandoning the school
58:45community. It means ending a charter
58:46arrangement that has failed to protect
58:48the school's future. The current charter
58:51contract must end. But Future Edge's
58:53story does not have to end with it. The
58:56school can have a new life under new
58:58leadership. leadership that is present,
59:00accountable, fiscally responsible, and
59:03prepared to serve the students and
59:05families well. Termination creates the
59:08opportunity for a new beginning and a
59:09stronger future.
59:12Waiting would not protect those
59:14students. It would only allow the unpaid
59:16debt and facility to risk to continue.
59:18It leaves families vulnerable to a
59:21sudden crisis it did not create and
59:23cannot control.
59:25The choice before you is between
59:27accountability and compassion. In this
59:30case, they lead to the same result.
59:34The board will be asked to find by a
59:36prepoundonderance of the evidence that
59:38three grounds identified in the notice
59:40have been established. Future EDG's
59:43financial impairment, its failure to
59:45maintain a legally compliant governing
59:46body, and SSS, improper control of the
59:49school's financial decisions. The board
59:52will then be asked to find that future
59:54edge did not complete cure items 1, 2,
59:56and four, but did complete cure items
59:59number three when SSS resigned. Finally,
1:00:02based on those findings, the board will
1:00:04be asked to terminate the charter
1:00:05contract between the state public
1:00:07charter school authority and 100 academy
1:00:10doing business as future edge charter
1:00:12school.
1:00:14Chair Thigpen, the state has no further
1:00:17witnesses, no or no other evidence to
1:00:20present. With that, the state rests its
1:00:23case.
1:00:29This is senior DAG Todd Weiss for the
1:00:30record. Now will be the time for board
1:00:32members to have their open deliberation
1:00:34to discuss their uh views and opinions
1:00:38of what's just been presented and which
1:00:40way they are uh thinking about leaning
1:00:42for a vote. Uh again, we are going to
1:00:45need there's only two ways to vote on
1:00:47this. Once deliberation is done, we're
1:00:50either revoking the contract or ter I'm
1:00:51sorry, terminating the charter or not
1:00:53terminating the charter. Uh and to
1:00:56terminate the charter, there needs to be
1:00:57a finding that at least one of the
1:01:00remaining cure items was not cured uh by
1:01:03preponderance of the evidence. That's
1:01:05the standard. And uh we can now begin
1:01:08with deliberations between the board
1:01:09members. Thank you.
1:01:13Chairman, for the record, thank you,
1:01:14councel.
1:01:16Um, I have a question. I know the last
1:01:20time we went through this process, we
1:01:21had um recommended motions and things
1:01:24written up. Do we have that today?
1:01:27>> We do have recommended motions. Teresa
1:01:29can hand those out when you're ready.
1:01:31>> Okay. Um, let's go ahead and have that
1:01:34handed out and we'll just go ahead and
1:01:36open things up to deliberation. Um,
1:01:39board colleagues, any thoughts on what
1:01:44you've heard today before we proceed to
1:01:46a vote?
1:01:51>> Um, member Salceto.
1:01:55>> Thank you, [clears throat] Mr. Chair.
1:01:56Um, my thoughts here are going to be
1:01:59pretty short. Um, I think it's a pretty
1:02:02clear case of um
1:02:06them not curing the notice requirements
1:02:10or what was contained in the notice of
1:02:12intent to to terminate. Um and I think
1:02:16the evidence showed that we had
1:02:17testimony from school leader um as a
1:02:20witness who point blank um stated that
1:02:26certain items were not cured and have
1:02:28not been cured. Um so for me um the
1:02:33failure to cure all the items uh is
1:02:36[clears throat] kind of the the the
1:02:39whole picture in terms of this question
1:02:41before us today. So um I, you know, I'm
1:02:45open to hearing everyone else's
1:02:47thoughts, but where I'm sitting um
1:02:49again, it's a pretty open and shut um
1:02:52decision. Thank you.
1:02:56>> Thank you, Member Salceto. Member Stern,
1:03:00>> member Stern, for the record, I agree
1:03:02with my board colleague, Member Salceto.
1:03:06Um, I do think it might be beneficial to
1:03:09the record to clarify because I don't
1:03:12think that quite came out what was not
1:03:14compliant about their board with the
1:03:16three members. Um, my understanding is
1:03:19that they would need a minimum of five
1:03:21members that meet the requirements of
1:03:23NRS 388. So, they could not meet that
1:03:26with the three uh board members that
1:03:29currently are sitting on the board. Um,
1:03:33so I think it's worth noting that um,
1:03:35they don't have enough people for their
1:03:37board and recognize that they weren't
1:03:39able to do that. And just that
1:03:40clarification point for what the issue
1:03:42is with the law.
1:03:45>> Thank you, member Stern. I think and um,
1:03:49I think somebody can correct me if I'm
1:03:51wrong. I think by law you have to have
1:03:54that five at least five members. Um so
1:03:58um the argument made today is that they
1:04:01were not able to reconstitute their
1:04:02board and did not meet that requirement.
1:04:08>> Yes, I agree. I just wanted to clarify
1:04:10what it was that was not compliant about
1:04:12their three board members um that
1:04:14currently exist um for the record.
1:04:17>> Yeah, I think it I think it was just a
1:04:18number of board members I believe. Um
1:04:22so far no one's corrected me so I don't
1:04:23think I'm wrong.
1:04:25Um, thank you, member Stern. Any other
1:04:29questions, comments from board
1:04:30colleagues?
1:04:36I'll make um my own comment. Um, I will
1:04:39say I appreciate the principal being
1:04:41here today and um the bond holder and
1:04:45their testimony
1:04:47um and being uh very forthcoming in
1:04:49that. I know it's not an easy uh thing
1:04:52to do. Um
1:04:55it's incredibly unfortunate that the
1:04:57school finds itself in this situation
1:05:00after 20 years of service um to
1:05:03students. Um, I think it's important to
1:05:06highlight that this it seems that this
1:05:10situation was created by the EMO
1:05:13relationship and the way that they
1:05:15essentially were holding hostage the
1:05:17school and its administrators and its
1:05:19staff and the way that they were
1:05:21handling things with, you know,
1:05:23withholding financial access,
1:05:25withholding financial information,
1:05:27making deals um outside of board
1:05:30approval, um, you know, things of that
1:05:33nature. Sure. Um,
1:05:35and the reason I want to highlight that
1:05:37is that this
1:05:39this board has been criticized
1:05:42before
1:05:44uh with regards to independent schools
1:05:46versus emo run schools. And this is an
1:05:49emoun school. It's important to
1:05:51highlight that that, you know, it
1:05:52doesn't matter if they're independent or
1:05:54emo. Things can go wrong. And we're here
1:05:57to, you know, hold hold any school
1:06:00accountable. they're all held to the
1:06:02same standard and that's why we're here
1:06:03today. Um, we're holding them to our
1:06:06standards and to state law and that is
1:06:09the importance of our role here today.
1:06:10And so I'm incredibly disgusted by what
1:06:14the EMO has done to this school. Um,
1:06:18if I had it my way, I'd find a way to,
1:06:20you know,
1:06:22sue them for damages. I don't know what
1:06:24our I know I know we're limited in what
1:06:27we can do in our capacity, but that's my
1:06:28thinking. So um in for in terms of
1:06:32justice for uh again the school um the
1:06:35students the stakeholders all the staff
1:06:37there. So um I I know that there's a
1:06:40plan there's likely a plan and action to
1:06:43help um the school move forward after
1:06:46this. Uh so I know all is not lost but
1:06:49um for today's business we have to move
1:06:51on with with uh with this motion and
1:06:54this action. So
1:06:57with that said, uh the board has been
1:07:01provided um a recommended motion. Um
1:07:07I will entertain that motion unless
1:07:09there's any other questions, comments,
1:07:11or other deliberation that our board
1:07:13colleagues want to have.
1:08:06Member Addis.
1:08:08>> Uh, member Addis, for the record, I will
1:08:11move to accept the recommended motion to
1:08:14issue this notice of intent to terminate
1:08:16future edges charter contract per NRS
1:08:18388A. Oh,
1:08:21>> oh, I'm so sorry. Absolutely.
1:08:23uh per NRS 388A
1:08:26330 and proceed with charter contract
1:08:29termination proceedings under the
1:08:31following grounds.
1:08:32>> Miss
1:08:34you are reading from the wrong motion
1:08:36actually.
1:08:38>> Is that not right?
1:08:40>> It's the one that's in the
1:08:42recommendation. I apologize.
1:08:44>> No, that's
1:08:46this is senior D Todd Weiss. The I I've
1:08:48reviewed the the recommended motion and
1:08:51it's appropriate. That's on page six of
1:08:53the
1:08:55uh action memorandum.
1:08:57>> That action memorandum is dated for June
1:08:5926, 2026. It's a reference document
1:09:03only.
1:09:04>> Thank you. Um Teresa should have handed
1:09:08out a word document with all of the
1:09:10recommended motions.
1:09:13>> Thank you. I'm going to ask a point of
1:09:14clarification and then I shall return.
1:09:17>> We will pause for a moment. I don't
1:09:19think we received that.
1:09:20>> We we did. Am I making this entire
1:09:23thing?
1:09:24>> Oh,
1:09:26>> I Let's take a look at that. Apologies.
1:09:36>> I mean, I will.
1:09:37>> So, this seemed like Todd Weiss. Um,
1:09:41instead of doing one big block motion on
1:09:44the entire
1:09:46entire thing, I think we should do each
1:09:48each of the uh cure items that were not
1:09:52cured as a separate motion. Um, can be a
1:09:55little clunky, but it's probably the
1:09:57best way to make sure there's a clear
1:09:58record. So, um,
1:10:00>> if if I may, council, I'd like to
1:10:03explain how the motions have been,
1:10:06uh, written. First, you have an omnibus
1:10:09motion
1:10:11uh detailing the grounds for
1:10:12termination. So, the board will have to
1:10:14vote on whether the state met its burned
1:10:16for the grounds for termination. That's
1:10:19under uh Roman numeral one alternative
1:10:22motion. If the board does not want to do
1:10:25an omnibus for all the grounds, I also
1:10:27have it listed out individually.
1:10:30Next,
1:10:32I have each cure.
1:10:35So starting with
1:10:45number f Roman numeral number five
1:10:46motion regarding cure item number one.
1:10:49We will have to go through each cure
1:10:50item a vote for each
1:10:53and then finally under Roman numeral
1:10:57nine motion to terminate the charter
1:10:59contract. the board will have to do a
1:11:01final vote on whether you are
1:11:04terminating the charter contract. So,
1:11:05there are several votes this board will
1:11:07have to take.
1:11:10>> Thank you, council. Um, in in fairness,
1:11:14I will ask that we all take turns. I
1:11:16cannot make a motion, but if we go down
1:11:19the line and break this up a little bit
1:11:21um so that it's not all on one person.
1:11:23Um, that would be amazing. So would you
1:11:26like to do the first one? Member Addis.
1:11:30>> Member Addis for the record. I can do
1:11:32that. Um am I I just want to clarify. Am
1:11:35I moving forward with the omnibus motion
1:11:37or would we like to move forward
1:11:38individually as a board?
1:11:41>> Thank you for that. So memberis for the
1:11:43record. Um I move to accept the
1:11:47alternative motion regarding all grounds
1:11:49of I'll slow down. Mhm. Except the
1:11:52alternative motion regarding all grounds
1:11:55of termination. I move that in the
1:11:57matter of SPCSA v versus future edge
1:12:01based upon a prepoundonderance of the
1:12:03evidence the following grounds for
1:12:05termination have been proven. One,
1:12:08future edge is financially impaired such
1:12:10that the charter school cannot continue
1:12:12to operate. Two, Future Edge materially
1:12:15breached its charter contract and failed
1:12:18to comply with Nevada law by failing to
1:12:20maintain a legally compliant governing
1:12:22body. And three, Future Edge failed to
1:12:25comply with NRS 388A 393 because Support
1:12:30Solutions Services exercised control
1:12:33over the school's bank accounts and
1:12:35financial decisions.
1:12:37>> Thank you, member Addis. Do I have a
1:12:39second?
1:12:42Vice Chair would approve second.
1:12:44>> All those in favor say I.
1:12:46>> I.
1:12:46>> I.
1:12:46>> I.
1:12:47>> I.
1:12:48>> Any opposed?
1:12:50Motion carries unanimously.
1:12:53Who would like to make the second
1:12:54motion?
1:12:58>> Member Turner. For the record, I can
1:13:00make the second motion.
1:13:01>> Go ahead.
1:13:03>> This is the motion regarding ground one
1:13:05financial impairment. I move that
1:13:08>> Turner.
1:13:10you. We just did that one through the
1:13:12omnibus. If you could go down to Roman
1:13:14numeral number five. Thank you.
1:13:16>> Apologies.
1:13:21>> Okay. Excuse me.
1:13:25>> I will make the motion regarding cure
1:13:27item one facility and bond.
1:13:30I move to approve the finding of fact
1:13:32that SPCSA board finds based upon a
1:13:35prepoundonderance of the evidence that
1:13:37future edge did not complete cure item
1:13:39one by July 27, 2026. Future edge did
1:13:44not provide evidence of a fully executed
1:13:46lease for a new facility meeting the
1:13:48requirements of cure item one or proof
1:13:51that the bond had been paid in full
1:13:53without incurring additional debt.
1:13:56>> We have a motion. Do I have a second?
1:13:58member is for the record. I'll second.
1:14:01>> All those in favor say I.
1:14:02>> I.
1:14:03>> I.
1:14:04>> I.
1:14:05>> Any opposed?
1:14:08>> Motion carries unanimously.
1:14:13>> Mr. Chair, I just need to know I I need
1:14:15to head out for a pres-scheduled
1:14:16appointment that I can't miss. So, um I
1:14:19am going to be on the phone moving
1:14:20forward.
1:14:21>> Okay. Thank you.
1:14:22>> Thank you.
1:14:23Who would like to uh manage the cure
1:14:27item number two governing body motion?
1:14:31>> I'll take that. Um Vice Chair Whitaker
1:14:34for the records motion regarding cure
1:14:37item two governing body. I move to
1:14:40approve the finding of fact that the
1:14:42SPCSA board finds based upon a
1:14:45prepoundonderance of evidence the future
1:14:47edge did not complete cure item 2 by
1:14:50July 27th 2026. Future Ed did not
1:14:55establish and maintain a legal compliant
1:14:57governing body that satisfied Nevada
1:15:00law, the charter contract, and the
1:15:02school's governing documents and was
1:15:04capable of independently exercising its
1:15:07fiduciary, financial, and operational
1:15:10oversight responsibilities.
1:15:12>> Thank you, vice chair. Do we have a
1:15:14second?
1:15:16>> Board member Alava. Second.
1:15:18>> Thank you. Thank you. All those in
1:15:19favor, please say I.
1:15:20>> I.
1:15:21>> I.
1:15:21>> I.
1:15:23>> Any opposed?
1:15:26Motion carries unanimously.
1:15:29Looking for a motion for cure item
1:15:30number three.
1:15:33>> Member Addis for the record.
1:15:34>> Before we move to that,
1:15:36>> sorry, member Stern for the record.
1:15:38Before we move to that, I have a a
1:15:41clarifying question if I may. Um the way
1:15:45the motion is written says that they did
1:15:49cure by July 27th. If I'm recalling the
1:15:53testimony correctly, um the resignation
1:15:56from um from SSS was on June 28th. Um I
1:16:04don't know if that affects our motion.
1:16:09I apologize. I didn't catch that until I
1:16:11was looking at the motion just now.
1:16:13Thank you, Member Stern. Um, is that
1:16:16correct? June 28th.
1:16:21>> Oh,
1:16:22>> okay. She So, they had until the school
1:16:24had until July 27th to cure that. So,
1:16:26that's why that date is there. Um,
1:16:29though they
1:16:30>> Yeah,
1:16:31>> member Stern, I'm sorry. I for whatever
1:16:33re reason was reading June 28th as July
1:16:3528th in my head. So, my apologies. That
1:16:38was my confusion. Never mind.
1:16:40>> No worries. All right. Looking for a
1:16:43motion.
1:16:44>> Member Edis for the record. Um I move to
1:16:48approve the finding of the fact that the
1:16:50SPCSA board finds based on the
1:16:52preponderance of the evidence that
1:16:54future edge uh sorry future edge
1:16:56completed cure item 3 by July 27th,
1:16:592026.
1:17:01Support solutions services resigned as
1:17:03future edges educational management
1:17:05organization ending the management
1:17:07relationship and its authority to act on
1:17:09behalf of the school.
1:17:11>> Thank you. Do we have a motion to have a
1:17:13second?
1:17:17>> Vice Chair Whitaker will second.
1:17:19>> All those in favor, please say I.
1:17:21>> I.
1:17:22>> I.
1:17:24>> Any opposed?
1:17:26Motion carries unanimously.
1:17:30Who would like to make the motion for
1:17:32cure item number four, governing body
1:17:34approved budget?
1:17:38>> Member Stern, I can make that motion. Go
1:17:41ahead.
1:17:43>> So this is the motion regarding care
1:17:45item number four governing governing
1:17:48body approved budget. I move to approve
1:17:50the finding of fact that the SPCSA board
1:17:53finds based on a prepoundonderance of
1:17:55the evidence that future edge did not
1:17:58complete cure item 4 by July 27, 2026.
1:18:02Future edge did not adopt and submit a
1:18:05governing body approved budget
1:18:06reflecting the cost of a new facility.
1:18:09all anticipated revenues and
1:18:11expenditures,
1:18:12the school's bond, and other debt
1:18:14obligations, and a financially
1:18:16sustainable plan for continued
1:18:18operations.
1:18:20>> Thank you. I have a motion. Do I have a
1:18:22second?
1:18:26>> Member Addis, for the record, I'll
1:18:27second.
1:18:28>> All those in favor, please say I.
1:18:30>> I. I.
1:18:31>> I. I.
1:18:33>> Any opposed?
1:18:37Motion carries unanimously.
1:18:40And the last one, the motion to
1:18:42terminate the charter contract. Do I
1:18:45have a motion for that?
1:18:48Member Tur for the record. I can take
1:18:50that one. Um, this is a motion to
1:18:52terminate the charter contract. In the
1:18:55matter of SPCSA versus future edge, I
1:18:58move to find that the grounds of
1:18:59termination have been proven as approved
1:19:01by the board and determinate the charter
1:19:03contract between the state public
1:19:05charter school authority and 100 academy
1:19:08of excellence incorporated doing
1:19:10business as future edge charter school
1:19:12effective July 31st, 2026.
1:19:16>> Thank you, Member Turner. Do I have a
1:19:17second?
1:19:18>> Vice Chair Whitaker will second. All
1:19:21those in favor, please say I.
1:19:22>> I. Any opposed?
1:19:27Motion carries unanimously.
1:19:32I believe that takes care of agenda item
1:19:35number three.
1:19:37Um, council, do you want your 10-minute
1:19:40break now or after agenda item number
1:19:42four?
1:19:42>> After agenda four, please.
1:19:44>> Okay. Thank you. We'll open up agenda
1:19:46item number four. Um, pending the
1:19:48outcome of a agenda item number three.
1:19:50Appoint a closing administrator and seek
1:19:51leave from the board. Apologies. Sorry,
1:19:55I'm get hitting a flow. [laughter]
1:19:58Um,
1:20:00appoint a closing administrator and seek
1:20:02leave from the board to pos petition the
1:20:06district court to appoint a receiver
1:20:09pursuant to NRS 388A303.
1:20:13U, this is over to um, Samantha Kingp.
1:20:17>> Thank you, chair. Uh, I just want to
1:20:19point out for the board that we do have
1:20:22a proposed motion on this agenda item
1:20:25for the staff recommendation.
1:20:29Samantha King Powell for the record. The
1:20:31board has now terminated the charter
1:20:33contract between SPCSA and 100 Academy
1:20:36of Excellence doing business as Future
1:20:37Edge Academy. That decision ends its
1:20:40existing governing body's authority to
1:20:42operate Future Edge under that charter
1:20:44contract. It does not however end our
1:20:46responsibility to the students,
1:20:48families, employees, creditors or public
1:20:50assets associated with the school. The
1:20:52next step is to place future EDG's
1:20:54affairs under the control of a qualified
1:20:57individual who will serve as the closing
1:20:59administrator. That person would have
1:21:01the legal authority and operational
1:21:02experience necessary to manage the
1:21:05transition. The closing administrator
1:21:07assumes substantial responsibilities.
1:21:10Those responsibilities include
1:21:11developing the closure plan, protecting
1:21:13the school's assets, preserving student,
1:21:15employee, and school records,
1:21:17maintaining required insurance,
1:21:20identifying creditors, and overseeing
1:21:22the school's financial affairs.
1:21:24NRS 388A
1:21:27303 adds an additional layer of
1:21:29authority following termination. It
1:21:31permits the SPCSA to petition the
1:21:34district court for the appointment of a
1:21:35receiver to oversee and manage the
1:21:38school until other arrangements have
1:21:40been made.
1:21:42That distinction is important.
1:21:44Termination of the charter contract does
1:21:46not mean that future EDG's doors close
1:21:47today. That receiver will provide the
1:21:49legal authority and operational control
1:21:52necessary to stabilize the school,
1:21:53protect its assets, and maintain
1:21:56continuity for students and families
1:21:57during the transition to new leadership.
1:22:01Staff recommends Brandy Adams Breler for
1:22:03this role. Miss Adams Breastler has
1:22:06extensive experience in charter school
1:22:08leadership and operations, including
1:22:10human resources, enrollment facility,
1:22:12enrollment facilities, organizational
1:22:14management, and complex school
1:22:16transactions
1:22:18and transitions. She has also played a
1:22:21significant role in the transition of
1:22:22Nevada Prep Charter School to AMS
1:22:24Nellis, giving her direct experience
1:22:26with Nevada's charter school environment
1:22:29and SPCSA's oversight expectations. The
1:22:33action before the board is to appoint
1:22:34Miss Adams Brezler as the closing
1:22:36administrator for 100 Academy of
1:22:38Excellence Doing Business as Future Edge
1:22:40Academy
1:22:44and authorize the SPCSA to
1:22:48to petition the district court to
1:22:49appoint her as receiver. This
1:22:51appointment will ensure that someone
1:22:52with both necessary legal and relevant
1:22:55operational experience is responsible
1:22:57for protecting the school and guiding it
1:22:59through the transition ahead.
1:23:01Miss Adams Brezler is available to
1:23:03answer questions.
1:23:05Any questions the board may have?
1:23:09>> Thank you, councel.
1:23:11Chair, take for the record. I just have
1:23:12one quick question. Um, if this proceeds
1:23:17and Miss Adams Breler is um appointed to
1:23:21oversee matters, um I'm assuming she's
1:23:25added to the bank account. All other
1:23:27folks are removed immediately.
1:23:32Yes, it'll function uh very similarly to
1:23:36the way that this board has directed
1:23:38Josh Kern to work in closing down
1:23:40schools. And I just want to make it very
1:23:42clear for the record that um we will be
1:23:45asking later in the meeting that the
1:23:48board appoint a restart and so staff's
1:23:51intention is that future edge would be
1:23:53restarted and continue operations.
1:23:56>> Thank you.
1:23:59Any um questions from board colleagues
1:24:01before we move on to make a motion?
1:24:07>> Member Addis.
1:24:08>> Member Addis, for the record, um I just
1:24:10have a point of clarification. Uh what
1:24:13will this mean for the members of the
1:24:16local or the school board that still
1:24:18exists and for uh the current
1:24:20administrator that we heard from today
1:24:22um in terms of putting this in
1:24:24receiverhip and how will that
1:24:25interaction continue?
1:24:28Miss Adams, I would ask that you answer
1:24:31the question about current school
1:24:33leadership and I will answer the
1:24:35remainder of member Addis's question.
1:24:40>> So, um, under
1:24:44process
1:24:45>> Oh, I'm so sorry. Thank you. You'd think
1:24:46I'd had this down by now, guys. Uh
1:24:49Brandy Adams Presler for the record. Uh
1:24:53under this um new development, the
1:24:56intent would to would be to have the
1:24:59current school leadership remain intact
1:25:03and in place for the remainder of the
1:25:05school year. Miss Guthrie and I have
1:25:07already connected multiple times and uh
1:25:12we have already even on on our calendars
1:25:14the standing check-in etc. So, we're
1:25:17we're working closely together and the
1:25:20intent is to have her remain in her
1:25:23current position um for this school year
1:25:26and hopefully beyond.
1:25:31>> Samantha Kingpow, general counsel for
1:25:33the SPCSA. For the record, uh your
1:25:35question about the members of the board,
1:25:37since this board has terminated that
1:25:39charter contract, the board no longer
1:25:43exists. There is no legal entity, no
1:25:45legal board for a future edge.
1:25:48>> Member outis for the record. Thank you.
1:25:49Um I just have one additional follow-up
1:25:51question. Um we heard and voted based on
1:25:56um
1:25:58the contingency of the bond or the
1:26:01conditions with the bond holder um by
1:26:03placing the school into receiverhip.
1:26:05What impact will that have with the bond
1:26:07holder and the facility for the school?
1:26:13Miss Adams, could you speak to uh how
1:26:17AMS is viewing the bond and are you are
1:26:21you able to carry the bond?
1:26:24>> Yeah. Um Randy Adams, for the for the
1:26:27record, the AMS has a a very methodical
1:26:31and formulaic way of determining
1:26:34financial feasibility. So, of course,
1:26:37we've looked into the school. Um, a big
1:26:40piece of that is how we view or how we
1:26:43feel about like the demographics of the
1:26:45area, the density of the student
1:26:47population in the area. We take into
1:26:51account a lot of different things. Um,
1:26:54just from a a demographics and demand
1:26:57standpoint, we feel very confident in
1:27:01the ability to um meet the uh bound
1:27:05criteria. Uh the student population
1:27:08right now is only at around 300. The
1:27:11building itself can hold closer to 800
1:27:15and based on our analysis, we think that
1:27:19we could very easily get to that point.
1:27:22Um just looking at the amount of debt
1:27:24that is being financed and the current
1:27:26interest rate, we believe that the
1:27:28actual break even necessary to meet bond
1:27:32criteria would be in the 450 student
1:27:35range. Um and we think that we can
1:27:38easily get there by uh you know
1:27:43leveraging our enrollment team etc. uh
1:27:46150 student increase is is nothing um to
1:27:51to uh take lightly, but we feel
1:27:54confident in our ability to get well
1:27:56over 450 students enrolled at the
1:27:59school. So, we feel we feel very
1:28:01confident about the bond and being able
1:28:03to meet bond criteria.
1:28:05>> Memberis, for the record, thank you for
1:28:07that. I think I asked my question
1:28:08incorrectly. That answer was great.
1:28:10Another question I would have had later,
1:28:12but um thank you. Um, I think my
1:28:15question is actually does placing the
1:28:16school in receiverhip meet the
1:28:19conditions set set by the bond issuer to
1:28:21avoid foreclosure on the property and
1:28:24maintain access to a facility for the
1:28:26school.
1:28:27>> Samantha King Powell, general counsel of
1:28:29the SPCSA for the record. I'm actually
1:28:32gonna clarify this and if it doesn't
1:28:34answer your question, um, we can come
1:28:36back to it, but Miss Adams, could you
1:28:39speak about your partnership with
1:28:41Rosemar through this process?
1:28:45>> Yeah, we have um been working with them
1:28:48for several months now and have worked
1:28:52through all of the different pieces that
1:28:54are involved. We've negotiated a a debt
1:28:58for forbearance with Rosemar to allow us
1:29:01to um kind of get in place, get our feet
1:29:05under us, begin working on increasing
1:29:07enrollment, etc. So, they've been very
1:29:10cooperative and helpful throughout this
1:29:12process. And um we think that that'll
1:29:16help the school get get where it needs
1:29:19to be financially and then be able to
1:29:22work with them to pay payments after
1:29:25that time period has expired.
1:29:27>> Member Addis, for the record, thank you
1:29:28and thank you for navigating my clunky
1:29:30question asking. I'll get my terminology
1:29:32correct eventually.
1:29:33>> You're great.
1:29:34>> Samantha King Powell, general counsel of
1:29:36the SPCSA for the record. And I'll
1:29:38expand on that a little bit to talk
1:29:40about what the receiver does. So Brandy
1:29:44as closing administrator has the
1:29:46responsibility under law to discharge
1:29:49all of Future EDG's current debts and
1:29:52obligations. And that includes
1:29:55uh transferring the bond over and she
1:29:58will work with Rosemar to make sure
1:29:59that's done correctively and
1:30:01effectively. And the only difference
1:30:03between uh closing administrator and the
1:30:07receiverhip is it's going to be courtapp
1:30:09appointed and there are some more legal
1:30:11protections that she'll have as we go
1:30:13through that transa transition. Uh it's
1:30:15going to be uh good for the bond, good
1:30:18for the school to to have that extra
1:30:20layer of legal uh protection.
1:30:25>> Thank you. Member Stern, I think I saw
1:30:27your hand up earlier.
1:30:30Member Stern, for the record, thank you,
1:30:32Chair Thicken. Um, I did have my hand
1:30:34up. I have a comment and a question. Um,
1:30:38I was reviewing Miss Adams resume and
1:30:42noticed that it has her location listed
1:30:44as Chandler, Arizona. And I know that
1:30:47during our trial um or our hearing um
1:30:51one of the issues that arose was that
1:30:54SSS was out of state, that the
1:30:57technology labs was also out of state,
1:30:59that that was something that had created
1:31:01challenges. My comment was going to be
1:31:04that I know previously we very
1:31:06successfully appointed Josh Kern from
1:31:08Times Square. I think it's 10 10 square
1:31:12um as a closing administrator. Um I know
1:31:15he's based out of Washington DC but they
1:31:17have offices here. So my question to
1:31:20Miss Adams, um given the concerns about
1:31:23having that um direct access to somebody
1:31:27who's located in Las Vegas, um can you
1:31:30speak to your presence and ability to
1:31:33help provide the necessary supports for
1:31:35the school to transition?
1:31:38>> Yeah, Brandy Adams, for the record, I
1:31:40really appreciate that question and
1:31:42concern. It's certainly valid,
1:31:44especially given what we heard earlier.
1:31:46So, um I I will point out one thing that
1:31:50does uh help us a bit is that we're a
1:31:53little bit closer. Arizona being a
1:31:56neighboring state um makes it a quick
1:32:0045minute plane ride uh as long as
1:32:02there's no, you know, delays which has
1:32:04been happening lately. But, uh so that
1:32:07piece is makes it a little bit easier.
1:32:10But more importantly to us is that we do
1:32:14have a lot of presence in the state. Um
1:32:17I think that the AMS Nella staff and
1:32:20even Casey herself can um testify to the
1:32:24fact that they we are there constantly.
1:32:27Uh we have a large network team that is
1:32:31involved and jumps into action whenever
1:32:34there is a need for us to be physically
1:32:37present. Um, in fact, right now, I know
1:32:39it's a different school, but we have a
1:32:41staff member from the from the AMS
1:32:44network office at uh the Nellis campus
1:32:47right now as we speak. Um, so uh also we
1:32:51have a really great local board that's
1:32:53active and present as well. And as we
1:32:56all know, that's a very key piece to
1:32:58this puzzle. Um, uh, Dr. Charlie Heaton
1:33:02is on. and he's the VP of schools that
1:33:05will be leading that uh uh site as well
1:33:09as our Nellis site and he is in state
1:33:12very often. Um and we also do intend
1:33:17especially now with this addition of a
1:33:19second school uh to hire an instate
1:33:22permanent person on staff um in the near
1:33:26future. So, um, you know, sometimes that
1:33:28can be hard when you just have one one
1:33:30school, but as we continue to be able to
1:33:33work with schools, uh, we are planning
1:33:37on hiring a a full-time Nevada resident
1:33:40to be present every day. So, um, that
1:33:46that piece definitely always a
1:33:48challenge, but we've already proven that
1:33:51we are interested in being present and
1:33:53we are present. Um, you know, Casey's
1:33:57very kind and has already mentioned to
1:33:59me that she's visited with me and seen
1:34:02me at her school more uh than she was
1:34:05able to see her other uh um leaders
1:34:10previously. So, we're very committed to
1:34:12being present.
1:34:14>> Member St. for the record. And for
1:34:16clarification, I am asking only about
1:34:18the current agenda item in front of us.
1:34:20I know we touched a little bit on um I
1:34:22think probably future agenda items, but
1:34:24I do appreciate the clarification
1:34:26um about your commitment to making sure
1:34:28that you do have a presence here in
1:34:30order to be able to fully and completely
1:34:34um manage your duties as the closing
1:34:36administrator and manage whatever needs
1:34:38to be taken care of with the financials,
1:34:41especially given the lack of a budget
1:34:43that you're walking into and all of the
1:34:45other challenges that may be present.
1:34:46Thank you. I appre
1:34:49>> Thank you, Member Stern. Any other
1:34:51questions from board colleagues?
1:34:55>> I do have one, Miss Adams. Um, chair pin
1:34:58for the record. Um, it may seem out of
1:35:01the blue, but it's something that came
1:35:02up in our last meeting. Um, it's just
1:35:05something I wanted to get on the record
1:35:06ismies of math and science. You're a
1:35:08registered nonprofit, right?
1:35:11>> Yes.
1:35:12>> 501c3.
1:35:13>> Correct.
1:35:14>> That's correct.
1:35:14>> Thank you very much.
1:35:16Um, okay. I will entertain a motion for
1:35:19agenda item number four. You will find
1:35:21the recommended motion online
1:35:25in our board packet.
1:35:30>> Member Addis, for the record, I'll make
1:35:31the motion. Uh, I would like to move to
1:35:34approve the appointment of Brandy Adams
1:35:36Breler as the closing administrator for
1:35:38100 Academy of Excellence doing business
1:35:41as future edge charter academy and
1:35:43authorize the SPCSA staff to petition
1:35:46the district court to convert the
1:35:48closing administrator to a
1:35:49courtappointed receiver.
1:35:52>> I have a motion. Do I have a second?
1:35:55>> Vice Chair Whitaker will second. All
1:35:57those in favor, please say I.
1:35:59>> I. I. Any opposed?
1:36:04Motion carries unanimously.
1:36:07So, we'll close out agenda item number
1:36:09four and we will take a 10-minute
1:36:11recess. We will come back at 10:46.
1:36:14Thank you.
1:45:31All right, it is 10:46. I'm calling the
1:45:34meeting back to order. Chair thick pen
1:45:36for the record. We will open up agenda
1:45:39item number five, the approval of the
1:45:41consent agenda. Do I have a motion
1:45:47or are you all motioned out?
1:45:53Board member Aava. A motion to approve
1:45:56the consent agenda.
1:45:57>> Thank you. Do I have a second
1:46:01member? I'll second.
1:46:02>> All those in favor, please say I.
1:46:04>> I.
1:46:05>> I.
1:46:06>> Any opposed?
1:46:08Motion carries unanimously. We'll open
1:46:11agenda item number six, the SPCSA
1:46:14executive director's report. Over to
1:46:16you, Director McIn.
1:46:18>> Thank you. The SPCSA congratulates the
1:46:21schools in its portfolio that
1:46:22successfully met the enrollment growth
1:46:24thresholds required for the enrollment
1:46:26growth and expansion adjustment or EGA
1:46:28audit. To be eligible for in EGA funding
1:46:32adjustment, a school must demonstrate at
1:46:34least a 25% increase in enrollment over
1:46:36the prior years. This year's schools
1:46:39included Vegas Vista who at the time of
1:46:42the audit had 219 students, DU andB arts
1:46:45academy of excellence who had 211
1:46:48students, Wley's who had 226 students,
1:46:52Nevada Classical Academy Elco which had
1:46:56120 students and themies of math and
1:46:58science who had 444
1:47:01students.
1:47:03To be clear, that doesn't mean how many
1:47:04students they have enrolled today. They
1:47:06continue to enroll over the summer, but
1:47:08that's where their counts were at the
1:47:10time of the EGA audit in mid June. I am
1:47:13also thrilled to report that both Sage
1:47:16Collegic and Nevada Prep have paid off
1:47:18their PERS obligation. As such, this
1:47:20component of the ED report will go away
1:47:23hopefully forever. Um, I'm also excited
1:47:26to announce that the SPCSA will be
1:47:29releasing the 2026 proven provider
1:47:32request for qualifications for both
1:47:34instate and outofstate charter school
1:47:36operators. The proven provider pathway
1:47:39is intended to identify highquality
1:47:41organizations with a demonstrated record
1:47:44of academic success and organizational
1:47:48effectiveness that are well positioned
1:47:50to expand educational opportunities for
1:47:53Nevada students. Nevada has several
1:47:56established charter school operators
1:47:57that meet the eligibility criteria and
1:48:00the SPCSA encourages qualified
1:48:03organizations that have the capacity and
1:48:05strategic interest in expansion to
1:48:08consider applying. The SPCSA established
1:48:11rigorous qualification standards for
1:48:13outofstate applicants during the initial
1:48:15proven provider RFQ process last year
1:48:18and that approach su successfully
1:48:21identified organizations with strong
1:48:23records of performance. Those high
1:48:25standards will continue to guide that
1:48:27evaluation process.
1:48:30Organizations approved by the authority
1:48:32as proven providers, whether instate or
1:48:34out of state, will remain in the SPCSA's
1:48:37proven provider list. they will continue
1:48:39as long as they continue to meet
1:48:41eligibility requirements and remain in
1:48:43good standing with the authority. I'm
1:48:45going to pause right there and see if
1:48:46there are any questions.
1:48:53>> Seeing none
1:48:55question
1:48:56>> of course member Addis uh member Addis
1:48:58for the record um uh thank you for that
1:49:01update. I just wanted to ask a quick
1:49:03question about the proven provider
1:49:05pathway. I'm really excited about the
1:49:07opportunity for qualified organizations
1:49:09to come into the state and provide
1:49:11educational opportunities for our
1:49:12students. Um just as a point of
1:49:14clarification, do we have um a goal or a
1:49:19vision or any steps that we are taking
1:49:21um on the flip side for independent
1:49:24charter schools uh to expedite and
1:49:26facilitate success for their continued
1:49:28expansion across the state as well?
1:49:30>> Yeah, great qu Melissa Macken for the
1:49:32record. Great question member atis.
1:49:34That's exactly when I said we have
1:49:35several uh schools in local schools in
1:49:38Nevada who are well positioned to do
1:49:40that and as long as their boards believe
1:49:42they have the the capacity to expand, we
1:49:46encourage them to expand. So absolutely
1:49:48this we have a different track for
1:49:49instate uh operators because obviously
1:49:53we're much more familiar with them and
1:49:55their academics and organization and
1:49:57financial metrics. Um, but we absolutely
1:50:00encourage any of those that that's
1:50:03boards agree that they have the
1:50:04capacity, they should absolutely
1:50:06consider applying and we hope that they
1:50:08do.
1:50:08>> Thank you so much for that.
1:50:12>> Oh,
1:50:14member Salceto.
1:50:16>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, not a
1:50:18question, but just wanted to take a
1:50:21quick second to to thank you, Director
1:50:24McAdan, and the staff and all the work
1:50:26that went into getting those delinquent
1:50:27purse payments paid off. Like, that is a
1:50:29huge deal. Um, and so, um, I didn't want
1:50:34to just breeze through it without having
1:50:36some acknowledgement from from us to to
1:50:38you and your staff. Uh, and for the
1:50:40people working, um, with those
1:50:41respective schools as well. I want to
1:50:43congratulate them as well. This is
1:50:45again, it's a big deal. So, thank you.
1:50:47Of course. Thank you.
1:50:49>> Thank you, Member Salceto. And to piggy
1:50:51back on that, Melissa, Director Mackin,
1:50:54do you remember like what that starting
1:50:56amount was?
1:50:57>> Oh gosh, off the top of my head, I don't
1:50:59know the exact number, but I know for
1:51:00Nevada Prep, it was well over half a
1:51:02million dollars. So, it's was a
1:51:04significant uh debt.
1:51:07>> Yeah. So, that's a tremendous hurdle to
1:51:09overcome. So, kudos to you and staff for
1:51:11doing that. Uh any other questions from
1:51:13board colleagues before we move on?
1:51:17All right.
1:51:20>> Okay. I'm going to keep going. In the
1:51:22current event section of my written
1:51:23updates, I also included a section on
1:51:25the various statewide committees that
1:51:27members of the staff, myself included,
1:51:29sit on. Those committees include things
1:51:31like the Cognia Nevada Advisory Board,
1:51:33the Nevada Early Learner Advisory
1:51:35Council, the Emergency Operations Plan
1:51:38Development Committee, the Special
1:51:40Education Advisor Advisory Committee,
1:51:42and the NDE metrics subcommittee for
1:51:45accountability.
1:51:47I firmly believe that the SPCSA and the
1:51:49charter school sector more broadly
1:51:51should have a voice in every statewide
1:51:53conversation that shapes public
1:51:54education. I am grateful to our staff
1:51:56for their willingness to serve in these
1:51:58additional capacities which further our
1:52:00mission while adding to their already
1:52:02significant responsibilities.
1:52:04Next, I'm going to talk about the
1:52:06executive branch audit and then I will
1:52:08pause for questions again. On July 9th,
1:52:112026, the Governor's Finance Office,
1:52:13Division of Internal Audits released its
1:52:15audit of the State Public Charter School
1:52:17Authority, which examined the
1:52:18authorities's oversight of charter
1:52:20school administrative reporting
1:52:21requirements and opportunities to reduce
1:52:24the cost of charter school
1:52:25transportation. The audit's objective
1:52:28was to develop recommendations that
1:52:29improve transparency related to
1:52:31contracted administrative support and
1:52:34reduce transportation cars for Nevada
1:52:36charter schools. The audit included two
1:52:39recommendations, both of which the SPCSA
1:52:42accepted. The first recommendation calls
1:52:44for the authority to strengthen
1:52:46enforcement of charter school reporting
1:52:49requirements. While the audit recognizes
1:52:52improvements in the school's compliance
1:52:53over the past three years, it concludes
1:52:55that the SPCSA should make greater use
1:52:59of its existing accountability
1:53:00frameworks to ensure that required
1:53:03reports and certifications are submitted
1:53:05accurately and on time. The SPCSA
1:53:09recognizes the significant compliance
1:53:11responsibilities placed on charter
1:53:13schools, many which submit more than 200
1:53:16required reports, certifications, and
1:53:18other deliverables each year. The
1:53:20authority understands the challenges
1:53:22associated with the volume of reporting
1:53:24required for charter schools and has
1:53:27historically exercised reasonable
1:53:29flexibility when schools encountered
1:53:31isolated delays. The audit underscores,
1:53:34however, that the SPCSA must apply its
1:53:37accountability framework more
1:53:39consistently to reoccurring or material
1:53:42reporting deficiencies. Going forward,
1:53:44the authority will strive to maintain an
1:53:47appropriate balance between supporting
1:53:48schools in meeting their obligation and
1:53:50ensuring compliance with statutory
1:53:52requirements.
1:53:54The second recommendation encourages the
1:53:56SPCSA to pursue legislation exempting
1:53:58charter schools from vehicle taxes and
1:54:01registration fees. The authority is
1:54:03actively working in partnership with the
1:54:05governor's office and the Nevada
1:54:06Department of Motor Vehicles to advance
1:54:08this recommendation during the 2027
1:54:11legislative session. I'll pause there
1:54:13and see if there are any questions about
1:54:14the audit.
1:54:19Director Mcin Chair thin for the record
1:54:22I I got to tune in to that one and I'm
1:54:25curious if you can recall like the
1:54:28amount on those vehicle registration
1:54:30fees you referenced previously so the
1:54:32board can just kind of be aware of what
1:54:34that looks like for our schools.
1:54:36>> Um I will bring that back last month
1:54:38next month. I don't I can't remember the
1:54:40exact figures because there's two
1:54:41different taxes. Um there's a
1:54:43registration and then there's another
1:54:45tax. Overall, the loss to the state is
1:54:49like it's under like $200,000. Like it's
1:54:51s it's very minimal. Um but to a charter
1:54:54school, you know, that $700 vehicle
1:54:58registration is significant. And so the
1:55:01overall sort of loss, if you will, to
1:55:03the state is not very big, but the
1:55:06individual impact on all these different
1:55:08schools is very meaningful. So hoping to
1:55:11see that uh get a bill this coming
1:55:14session if we can.
1:55:15>> Thank you.
1:55:22Okay.
1:55:23>> Wait, wait. Member Stern.
1:55:26>> Oh, sorry.
1:55:27>> Thank you, chair. Member Stern, for the
1:55:29record. Um, I did have a question about
1:55:32the, uh, number of required reports that
1:55:35our charter schools are required to
1:55:38submit. Um, I know that we don't ask for
1:55:41things without there being a need
1:55:45uh, for that information and that um we
1:55:49need everything that we're asking for.
1:55:51But I am wondering um if there is any
1:55:54possibility or thought that's being put
1:55:56into perhaps being able to streamline
1:55:59any of those um given the challenges
1:56:02that schools are having in meeting that
1:56:05and the rather significant number that
1:56:08200 is for a charter school to be able
1:56:11to manage alongside their daily
1:56:12operational requirements.
1:56:15>> That is a great question, Member Stern.
1:56:17And there is a huge initiative statewide
1:56:20that the SPCSA is actively involved in.
1:56:23Um SB460 in the last se session actually
1:56:27allowed for charter school boards
1:56:30to uh petition the state superintendent
1:56:32to eliminate suspend or suspend
1:56:35reporting. Um, and through my membership
1:56:39in the Nevada Association of School
1:56:40Superintendent, we submitted a list to
1:56:43the superintendent of I believe it was
1:56:46six either 13 or 16 reports to be
1:56:48suspended for for everyone this coming
1:56:51school year. Two of those were
1:56:52specifically um related to charter
1:56:54schools. Um, and the superintendent just
1:56:58approved it this week. So, we've already
1:57:01uh suspended or eliminated certain
1:57:05reports um for this upcoming school
1:57:07year. Um we have also subsequently we
1:57:10send out a Wednesday email every week to
1:57:12our schools and we created a section of
1:57:15that email where let's say there's
1:57:18another report not identified on that uh
1:57:21list that has already been submitted to
1:57:22the state superintendent that our one of
1:57:24our charter school boards identifies as
1:57:26like it's not useful. No one's looking
1:57:29at it. What are we doing here? Um, they
1:57:32can submit. We have a link to the form.
1:57:35We have all the guidance from NDE about
1:57:36how they do it. Um and so we've left
1:57:40that up permanently as well as a link to
1:57:42permanently see um what reports have
1:57:46NDE's keeping a they created a website
1:57:48specifically for this and they have a
1:57:50running list of what which reports um
1:57:54and their current status have you
1:57:55because some of them they're
1:57:56recommending elimination some of them
1:57:58they're recommending to your point
1:58:00streamlining it combining it with
1:58:01something else things like that and then
1:58:03I will also say that um I'm serving um
1:58:06on um like an advisory board for the
1:58:09education service center and this is a
1:58:12major initiative of the newly formed
1:58:15education service center in the state
1:58:17and they have a big list of reports and
1:58:19we're going through it report by report
1:58:22prioritizing
1:58:23these are the next three reports that we
1:58:25want to look at and figure out for
1:58:27example one of the ones that they're
1:58:28working on now is discipline school
1:58:30leaders can tell you there's feels like
1:58:3280 million different discipline reports
1:58:35um and So, you know, the group has said
1:58:38to the education service center, let's
1:58:40look at those. Let's see how can they be
1:58:42combined, how can they be streamlined,
1:58:43how can we do this better, how can we be
1:58:45smarter about this. Um, and so yes,
1:58:48there is a massive effort going on in
1:58:50the state and we are intimately involved
1:58:53in it at a variety of levels. So,
1:58:56absolutely,
1:58:58member Stern, for the record, I
1:59:00appreciate you providing that context. I
1:59:03think it's really important especially
1:59:04when we talk about increasing the
1:59:07compliance requirements for schools to
1:59:09also um reflect the fact that we are
1:59:13putting that effort that the SPCSA is
1:59:15putting in that effort to make sure that
1:59:16the time spent on those reports is uh
1:59:20valuable and useful to the schools and
1:59:22to the state and helping to monitor the
1:59:26uh progress of the schools. So thank you
1:59:27so much for that. I appreciate.
1:59:30>> Thank you, members. Turn member Addis, I
1:59:32think, has the question.
1:59:34>> Thank you, Trist Pin. Um, I had a quick
1:59:36question about the audit report. So, I
1:59:38know that in the audit uh they
1:59:40specifically discussed the delinquency
1:59:43among management organization operated
1:59:46schools um in the reporting compliance.
1:59:49And my curiosity is around like what
1:59:51steps do we plan on taking to increase
1:59:54the compliance among those management
1:59:56operated or management organization
1:59:57operated schools without increasing like
2:00:00kind of the micromanagement burden on
2:00:01those independent school leaders who are
2:00:03doing everything on their own like are
2:00:05there steps being taken have we thought
2:00:06about that at all? So, I think that
2:00:08that's sort of one of the the tricky
2:00:11things, right? All schools are required
2:00:15whether they whether they decide to have
2:00:16a management organization help them meet
2:00:19the requirements or not, they're still
2:00:21required to submit all of those reports,
2:00:23right? They have to submit their budget
2:00:25on time. They have to do their audit.
2:00:27They have to do their quarterly
2:00:28financials. They have to, you know,
2:00:30submit all the different discipline
2:00:32reports. And so it's not so much that
2:00:34we're we have to hold all schools to the
2:00:37same standards. We can't say like, "Oh,
2:00:39you're an independent school. You don't
2:00:41have to submit a budget on time or you
2:00:43don't have to comm get your financial
2:00:45audit done on time." Right? Every school
2:00:47is required to submit their reports on
2:00:51time. when you're when you're thinking
2:00:53about specific management organizations.
2:00:55Nevada law already for EMOs, um it
2:00:59already does additional oversight and
2:01:02that oversight is spelled out in statute
2:01:05and it is happening. Um we're constantly
2:01:08improving and modifying on that um to
2:01:11try to make it as transparent as
2:01:13possible. They have to do different
2:01:14financial reportings. They have to
2:01:16evaluate those EMOs. Those reports all
2:01:18have to be posted on their website. So,
2:01:20the only real distinction in Nevada law
2:01:23is that if you are managed by an EMO,
2:01:27there are additional, we're looking
2:01:29under the hood a little more closely, I
2:01:31think, is the best way to put it. Um,
2:01:33and that's already in statute and we're
2:01:35already doing it.
2:01:37Member Addis, for the record, thank you
2:01:38so much for that. Um, I had a just a
2:01:41clarifying question and I don't know if
2:01:42the answer is readily available. It's
2:01:44okay if it's not. We can circle back.
2:01:46But um do you know why was the audit
2:01:49specifically focused on um management
2:01:52organization operated schools when it
2:01:53talked about reporting compliance? The
2:01:55numbers didn't add up to the total
2:01:57number of charter schools in the state.
2:01:58It was just it was the 50 some odd.
2:02:01>> Yeah. Management organizations.
2:02:02>> So this I think um you are mixing up two
2:02:05different audits.
2:02:07>> Yeah. So unfortunately
2:02:09we are we've had multiple audits. So,
2:02:12this audit didn't really get into that
2:02:13too much um at all. It was just really
2:02:16looking specifically at like school
2:02:18improvement plans and how were they
2:02:19turned in on time. Um there's another
2:02:22report, but the school improvements is
2:02:23the one that stands out. They looked at
2:02:25certain reports and how often schools um
2:02:29turned those things in on time. What I
2:02:32think you're thinking about is coming up
2:02:35on August 20th. It was a the legislative
2:02:38council bureau audit that's been going
2:02:40on for three years.
2:02:41>> No, I don't think so.
2:02:42>> Okay.
2:02:42>> Yeah, it was in references. I can ask.
2:02:46>> Okay. Thank you.
2:02:47>> Yeah. Sorry, I'm I'm not sure.
2:02:50>> Okay.
2:02:52>> Any other questions for board
2:02:53colleagues?
2:02:57>> All right.
2:02:58>> Okay. Next, I'd like to introduce our
2:03:00new board members. But before I do that,
2:03:02I also want to welcome um our new board
2:03:04member. And then I also want to welcome
2:03:05Kase Null to his very first meeting. My
2:03:07executive director report last month
2:03:09outlined how Kasein was selected and
2:03:12included information from his resume,
2:03:14but I asked Kase to just tell us a
2:03:16little bit about himself today.
2:03:20>> Member Null for the record. Good morning
2:03:22chair and members of the authority. My
2:03:24name is Kase Null from Coral Academy of
2:03:26Science Sandy Ridge and I'm honored to
2:03:28serve as a student representative on
2:03:29this board for the upcoming school year.
2:03:31Before joining in this capacity, I had
2:03:33the privilege of seeing the authorities
2:03:34work firsthand as part of a student
2:03:36focus group during a site evaluation
2:03:38twice, which gave me a real sense of
2:03:40what goes into this process from the
2:03:41ground up. Outside of this seat, I
2:03:43co-direct the center for youth and AI, a
2:03:45national nonprofit focused on AI
2:03:47education and policy for youth that's
2:03:48been featured in Time and Fortune
2:03:50magazine. I'm also a part-time
2:03:52researcher at Brookings Mountain West at
2:03:53UNLV, where I produce policy fact sheets
2:03:55on issues affecting our region to be
2:03:57shared with state legislators and local
2:03:59policy makers. I was also recently
2:04:01elected to serve as Nevada DECA's state
2:04:02president, which is a career and
2:04:04technical student organization with over
2:04:052,000 members dedicated to business and
2:04:07leadership as the first charter school
2:04:09student elected to that role. I also
2:04:11currently serve as a Nevada youth
2:04:13legislature legislator representing
2:04:15Senate District 5 and vice chair of the
2:04:16city of Henderson Blue Ribbon Commission
2:04:18on Educational Excellence and Youth
2:04:20Opportunity. I also recently earned the
2:04:22rank of Eagle Scout and currently plan
2:04:23on attending a 4-year university with a
2:04:25degree in public policy. What ties all
2:04:28of this together for me is a simple
2:04:29belief that charter schools are pivotal
2:04:31to the future of Nevada's education and
2:04:33that young people shouldn't just be
2:04:34subjects of education policy, but rather
2:04:36those who have a seat at the table in
2:04:38shaping it. Thank you for this
2:04:39incredible opportunity to represent over
2:04:4170,000 students across the state. And
2:04:43I'm looking forward to working with all
2:04:44of you this upcoming school year. Thank
2:04:46you. Awesome, Kase. Thank you so much.
2:04:49We're absolutely thrilled to have have
2:04:50you. Next, I'm gonna turn some time over
2:04:53to our newest board member, Victoria
2:04:55Turner, who was appointed by Governor
2:04:56Lombardo, to tell us a little bit about
2:04:58herself.
2:05:01Thank you, member Turner, for the
2:05:02record. Um, I'm going to keep it very
2:05:04short. Um, but I want to say that I'm
2:05:06very impressed by our student
2:05:07representative. This is why I do the
2:05:09work because that that just always gives
2:05:11me goosebumps when I see um, you know,
2:05:13young people who are definitely already
2:05:15leaders. Um, which is very apparent. Um,
2:05:18so, um, with my background, I, um, am I
2:05:22actually, um, have a background in news.
2:05:25Um, but I don't know what happened, but
2:05:27one day I just decided to go be a
2:05:29teacher. Um, and I've been doing that
2:05:31for I think I'm about to start my 17th
2:05:34school year. Um, and I am currently a
2:05:37principal in our district. Um, I do have
2:05:40a background in charter school. I have
2:05:42um two kids who have been in charter
2:05:44school for the last seven, eight years.
2:05:47Um so I I think that my whole life is is
2:05:50education. Um so I have a passion with
2:05:54I'm a passion about um students having
2:05:56quality education and definitely
2:05:59families have a having a positive um
2:06:01educational experience um for their
2:06:03children and so I am just honored to be
2:06:05part of the board.
2:06:08>> Awesome. Thank you so much. Member
2:06:10Turner is uniquely positioned to support
2:06:12the SPCSA's mission and we are thrilled
2:06:14to have her serving. So lastly, I want
2:06:17to thank on the record member Tamika
2:06:19Shanti Rosales who recently resigned
2:06:21from the SPCSA board after serving for
2:06:23six years. Member Shanti Rosales brought
2:06:26to the authority a strong commitment to
2:06:28community engagement, public service,
2:06:30and education equity. Through her
2:06:32leadership in government affairs and
2:06:34community advocacy, she provided
2:06:36valuable insights into the needs of
2:06:37Nevada students, families, and
2:06:39communities, ensuring that board
2:06:41discussions reflected a broad broad
2:06:43range of perspectives. Her experience
2:06:45working with organizations dedicated to
2:06:47expanding opportunities for young people
2:06:49coupled with her long-standing advocacy
2:06:51for diversity, inclusion, and civic
2:06:54engagement strengthened the board's
2:06:55deliberation and reinforced its
2:06:57commitment to serving all students. The
2:06:59SPCSA is grateful to Miss Rosales's
2:07:02dedicated service and thoughtful
2:07:05contributions to the authorities's
2:07:06mission and we wish her continued
2:07:08success in all of her future endeavors.
2:07:11And that is all I have for today.
2:07:13>> Thank you, director Mcadin. Uh, welcome
2:07:16to our new members to our student rep. I
2:07:18will say if you don't proceed in that
2:07:21current career path, you might have a
2:07:22career in radio.
2:07:25Surprise me. Um uh that's from an
2:07:28advertiser just so you know. Um and I'm
2:07:30very um sad to see member Shante
2:07:33Brazales go. I was just thinking just
2:07:35now I'm like I think everyone that was
2:07:37here when I first started is now gone.
2:07:40So I'm officially the longest serving
2:07:43one here now, which is odd to say
2:07:45because it feels like just yesterday it
2:07:47was joining everybody and um uh yeah. So
2:07:51welcome everyone and um we appreciate
2:07:54your service. So, thank you, Director
2:07:56Mcadin. Uh, we'll close out agenda item
2:07:59number six and open agenda item number
2:08:02seven. Uh, back to you, Director Macken.
2:08:05>> Thank you. Agenda item seven brings us
2:08:07to an update from the appointed closing
2:08:10administrator, Mr. Josh Kern of
2:08:12Tinsquare. He is here today to present
2:08:14the final closing report for Eagle
2:08:16Charter School and Teach Las Vegas, both
2:08:18of which ceased operations at the
2:08:20conclusion of the 2023 2024 school year.
2:08:25School closures are complex and resource
2:08:28intensive. They require careful
2:08:29planning, meticulous attention to
2:08:31detail, and adherence to a comprehensive
2:08:33statutory and operational process. While
2:08:35a school may stop serving students at
2:08:37the end of a school year, the work of
2:08:39responsibly winding down operations,
2:08:42including financial reconciliation
2:08:44records, management asset disposition,
2:08:46and regulatory compliance, can take up
2:08:48to two years to complete. Today, um, Mr.
2:08:52Kerna is going to present his closing
2:08:55report. In that report, he is going to
2:08:58give four recommendations for
2:09:00consideration of this board, which we
2:09:02will that'll give you a month to review
2:09:05his his report. It's rather lengthy in
2:09:07detail, and then we will bring back
2:09:09those considerations for an official
2:09:11motion next month. And with that, I will
2:09:15turn it over to Mr. Kerna.
2:09:18>> Great. Thank you so much. Uh, good
2:09:20morning, Chair Thigpen and members of
2:09:22the authority. For the record, my name
2:09:24is Joshua Kern and I serve as the
2:09:26closing administrator for Teach Las
2:09:28Vegas Charter School and Eagle Charter
2:09:31Schools of Nevada. Um, today I'm pleased
2:09:34to discuss the final draft closure
2:09:36reports for both Teach and Eagle and
2:09:38respectfully request that the authority
2:09:40review those reports and upon review and
2:09:43discussion accept the reports and
2:09:45appendices including the financial
2:09:47audits for both schools and discharge me
2:09:50as the closing administrator for
2:09:51Teaching Eagle.
2:09:54The report documents the work performed
2:09:56during the administration of both
2:09:57closures, confirms completion of the
2:09:59statutory responsibilities assigned to
2:10:01me, and I hope also provides a useful
2:10:04resource for those who administer
2:10:06charter school closures in the future.
2:10:10Before discussing the reports
2:10:11themselves, I hope you'll not mind if I
2:10:15take this opportunity to make uh one
2:10:17broader observation. Um having listened
2:10:20to um some of the testimony from this
2:10:23meeting and and prior SPCSA meetings,
2:10:27no one celebrates the closure of a
2:10:29charter school. Involuntary closure is
2:10:33difficult for students, families,
2:10:35employees, and communities. And to be
2:10:39clear, it's no fun for charter
2:10:41authorizers either. But closure should
2:10:44not be viewed as a failure of the
2:10:46charter school model or worse yet, a
2:10:48scheme to prefer some operators over
2:10:50others. A healthy charter sector
2:10:53requires accountability,
2:10:55especially when schools are no longer
2:10:58fulfilling their educational or
2:11:00financial obligations.
2:11:02It's not okay for students and families
2:11:05to remain in an environment that is
2:11:07chronically failing them.
2:11:10The willingness to close schools that
2:11:12are no longer adequately serving
2:11:14students is in fact the bedrock of the
2:11:18charter school movement.
2:11:20A granting of autonomy to independently
2:11:23run the schools in exchange for real and
2:11:26meaningful accountability.
2:11:29It's not about new schools versus old
2:11:31schools or as chair Thigpen uh
2:11:34previously noted in this meeting about
2:11:37independent schools versus EMO or CMO
2:11:40run schools or any other distinction
2:11:42divorced from performance.
2:11:44Accountability is fundamentally about
2:11:47doing right by kids.
2:11:51In the case of Teach and Eagle, Teach
2:11:53voluntarily relinquished its charter
2:11:55after the board recognized that the
2:11:57school was insolvent and could not meet
2:11:59its obligations
2:12:01and Eagle's charter school was revoked
2:12:03by this body. I believe the two-day
2:12:06hearing that the SPCSA held concerning
2:12:08Eagle's closure, as well as my previous
2:12:11testimony concerning Eagle, makes
2:12:13painfully clear that Eagle was not
2:12:15adequately serving students, was not
2:12:17financially viable, and should not,
2:12:20under any reasonable interpretation,
2:12:22have been allowed to continue to
2:12:23operate. Eagle was closed because it was
2:12:26completely insolvent with over $1
2:12:28million of financial obligations that
2:12:30could never be repaid, and was failing
2:12:32its students.
2:12:34>> [snorts]
2:12:35>> And to be clear, accountability does not
2:12:37end with the vote to close a school. It
2:12:39extends through the closure process
2:12:41itself. Students deserve an orderly
2:12:44transition. Public assets deserve
2:12:46protection. Creditors deserve fair
2:12:49treatment. Taxpayers deserve confidence
2:12:52that public funds are administered
2:12:53responsibly until the very end. That is
2:12:57the role of the closing administrator.
2:13:00And just one more thing to note, it's
2:13:02important to remember that in the case
2:13:04of Teaching Eagle, my appointment
2:13:05occurred only after the decisions to
2:13:08close these schools had already been
2:13:09made. I had no role in the operation of
2:13:12either the school or the circumstances
2:13:14that led to their closure. In contrast
2:13:16to Nevada Prep and Sage Collegiate, my
2:13:19responsibility my responsibility began
2:13:22only after the decisions became final
2:13:24and the schools had been closed and no
2:13:27longer serving students.
2:13:29At that point, my responsibility was to
2:13:31administer two insolvent entities in a
2:13:34manner that was fair, transparent, and
2:13:36consistent with Nevada law and the
2:13:38public interest.
2:13:41As the as the report explains, the work
2:13:45extends far beyond completing a
2:13:47statutory checklist. Of course, we
2:13:49transition students, preserved
2:13:52educational records, secured and
2:13:54liquidated assets, completed account
2:13:57accounting records necessary for
2:13:59independent audits, administered payroll
2:14:02and retirement obligations, reconciled
2:14:05financial issues with multiple state
2:14:06agencies, pursued significant accounts
2:14:09receivable, completed the required
2:14:11audits, satisfied the statutory closure
2:14:14requirements, and ultimately brought the
2:14:15affairs of both schools to an orderly
2:14:17conclusion.
2:14:19But it's also important to keep in mind
2:14:20that when I was appointed, neither
2:14:23school had sufficient resources to
2:14:25satisfy all of its obligations. In fact,
2:14:28it was initially unclear whether there
2:14:30was sufficient assets to complete the
2:14:32closure process itself.
2:14:34Through careful financial
2:14:36administration, aggressive collection of
2:14:38receivables, and disciplined management
2:14:40of expenditures, both schools ultimately
2:14:43completed every statutory requirement,
2:14:45paid secured and priority creditors in
2:14:47full, provided a 10% distribution to
2:14:50general unsecured creditors. And while
2:14:53that outcome certainly did not make
2:14:55every creditor whole, it represented a
2:14:57fair, equitable, and legally sound
2:14:59administration of two insolvent
2:15:01entities. and I believe was a better
2:15:03outcome than could have reasonably been
2:15:05could have reasonably been expected
2:15:07under the circumstances.
2:15:11These closures of teaching eagle also
2:15:13required resolution of several issues
2:15:16for which there was little previous
2:15:17existing guidance. The report discusses
2:15:20the application of creditor or hierarchy
2:15:22principles, treatment of Nevada
2:15:24Department of Education overp payments,
2:15:26administration of federally restricted
2:15:28assets, recovery of federal charter
2:15:30school program reimbursements, and the
2:15:32review of affiliated party transactions
2:15:35occurring immediately immediately before
2:15:37closure.
2:15:38My objective was and is not simply to
2:15:42resolve those issues for teaching eagle
2:15:44but to document the analysis so that
2:15:46future closing administrators and the
2:15:48authority would have a stronger frame
2:15:50framework when similar issues arise
2:15:52again.
2:15:54As mentioned previously in this hearing,
2:15:57uh closing a charter school requires
2:15:59expertise in law, finance, accounting,
2:16:03governance, operations, facilities,
2:16:05grant management, communications, and
2:16:07regulatory compliance. Because Tensquare
2:16:10maintains those disciplines internally,
2:16:13the school did not need to retain
2:16:14multiple outside law firms, accountants,
2:16:17consultants, facility specialists,
2:16:19communications professionals,
2:16:22or grant experts. Beyond the cost
2:16:24savings, I believe the integrated model
2:16:27created significant value for the
2:16:28schools. I just want to highlight one
2:16:31example of the value that I believe we
2:16:33created during this process. Prior to
2:16:35Eagle's charter being revoked,
2:16:37approximately $230,000 in federal
2:16:40reimbursement had been determined to be
2:16:42no longer available.
2:16:44After extensive legal and factual
2:16:46analysis and preparation of the
2:16:48memorandum included as appendix C in the
2:16:51closing report, those funds were
2:16:53ultimately recovered for the benefit of
2:16:55all creditors.
2:16:57That recovery, that single recovery of
2:16:58$230,000
2:17:00nearly doubled the assets available to
2:17:02creditors and I hope provides useful
2:17:05guidance for future closures involving
2:17:07federal grant programs.
2:17:10I'd also like to take this opportunity
2:17:12to briefly address the cost of
2:17:14administrating these closures.
2:17:16Tensquare received gross compensation of
2:17:18approximately $266,000
2:17:20for teach and approximately $198,000 for
2:17:24Eagle.
2:17:25Those figures represent gross receipts,
2:17:28not my personal compensation, and
2:17:30include reimbursement of expenses as
2:17:32well as compensation for multiple
2:17:34professionals working over an extended
2:17:36period, nearly two years.
2:17:38The final payments [clears throat] from
2:17:40Eagle and Teach were in September and
2:17:43October of 2025, nearly a year ago, and
2:17:47Tensor has continued working on both
2:17:48matters without additional compensation
2:17:51since that time.
2:17:53Approximately $52,000 remains in the
2:17:55Teach bank account and approximately two
2:17:58$23,000 remains in the Eagle account.
2:18:02Having served as a court-appointed
2:18:03receiver for charter schools and a
2:18:05closing administrator for numerous
2:18:07charter schools around the country, I
2:18:09can say that these are the lowest fees
2:18:10to date for engagements of this scope
2:18:12and complexity.
2:18:14I hope you will find that the state
2:18:15received exceptional value for the
2:18:17resources devoted to these closures.
2:18:20Finally, I'd like to express my sincere
2:18:22appreciation to this authority board,
2:18:24executive director Melissa Mcadin,
2:18:26general counsel Samantha Kingpow, the
2:18:28SPCSA staff, the Nevada Department of
2:18:31Education, the Office of the Attorney
2:18:33General, Clifton Larson Allen, our
2:18:36auditors, Opportunity 180, former school
2:18:39leaders and employees, creditors,
2:18:40vendors, and everyone else who worked
2:18:42collaboratively throughout these
2:18:44proceedings. We certainly did not agree
2:18:46on every issue, but there was a shared
2:18:48commitment to bringing these closures to
2:18:50an orderly and responsible conclusion.
2:18:53My hope is that these reports
2:18:56serve not only as the official record
2:18:57for teaching eagle closures, but also as
2:18:59a practical resource for every future
2:19:01closing administrator in Nevada.
2:19:04Thank you for the confidence you place
2:19:06in me. It has been my privilege and
2:19:08honor to serve in this capacity. I
2:19:10respectfully request that upon review of
2:19:13the materials submitted, you will accept
2:19:15the final closure reports and formally
2:19:18discharge me as the closing
2:19:19administrator for Teach Las Vegas
2:19:21Charter School and Eagle Charter Schools
2:19:22of Nevada. Thank you for your time. I'd
2:19:25be happy to answer any questions you may
2:19:26have.
2:19:28>> Thank you, Mr. Kern. Um, we'll bring it
2:19:31back to the board on questions again on
2:19:33Eagle Charter School or Teach Las Vegas.
2:19:35Um, I do have one quick question before
2:19:38I forget, Mr. current on Eagle Charter
2:19:40School. I recall um
2:19:43in our motioning during that time, we
2:19:46had asked for if possible reimbursement
2:19:49of SPCSA attorney fees and costs. Um to
2:19:54date, have it sounds like there's some
2:19:57funds left over that you mentioned. Is
2:19:59it possible that that might still
2:20:02happen? Because I know staff incurred a
2:20:05lot of um fees during that um contest.
2:20:08Appreciate it, chair. Thank you for
2:20:09asking that question. Um, as I said,
2:20:11there's there's $23,000 remaining in the
2:20:13Eagle account and um I think perhaps the
2:20:17uh best thing to do is let me follow up
2:20:20um after this meeting with um Melissa
2:20:23Mcadin and Samantha Kingpal and uh we
2:20:26can work on a resolution to get uh the
2:20:28SPCSA reimbured for those costs.
2:20:31>> Thank you very much. Um any questions
2:20:34for Mr. Kern um on um again you'll
2:20:38charter school or teach Las Vegas from
2:20:40board colleagues.
2:20:42Uh member Stern
2:20:45>> member Stern for the record. Um just a
2:20:47quick question and I apologize if I
2:20:50missed this. Can you clarify the funds
2:20:53that remain in the account? Um I know
2:20:55that chair Kim brought up the
2:20:57possibility of the reimbursement for the
2:20:59cost for the eagle um hearing but
2:21:02outside of that what happens to those
2:21:05funds?
2:21:06>> That is another great question. Um so
2:21:08two two things I want to say about that.
2:21:10There is one remaining um issue which I
2:21:14um raised in the report um submitted in
2:21:18preparation for this hearing and that is
2:21:21um
2:21:23while both schools uh paid in its
2:21:28entirety the principal amount owed to
2:21:29PERS [clears throat] which was
2:21:31significant I mean uh well over $100,000
2:21:36we have not paid the penalties Um, and
2:21:41for one of the schools it's
2:21:43approximately $9,000 and for the other
2:21:46it's approximately $4,000 in penalties.
2:21:49Um, I have petitioned repeatedly the
2:21:51PERS board um to wave those penalties.
2:21:55These are penalties uh related to not um
2:21:59making payments in a timely manner. And
2:22:01of course that happened prior to my
2:22:03appointment.
2:22:04Um and the uh PERS board has um
2:22:08repeatedly denied those requests. Um
2:22:11they've taken the position that it it
2:22:13would be a breach of their duty um as
2:22:16board members for PERS um to um to wave
2:22:21those penalties.
2:22:23the the issue that um that I'm
2:22:25confronted with as the closing
2:22:27administrator is that um when paying off
2:22:32uh creditors for these schools um and
2:22:36keep in mind that only 10% of amounts
2:22:39that were owed were paid to the general
2:22:40unsecured creditors. The schools did not
2:22:43consider um penalties and interests as
2:22:46part of the principal amount that was
2:22:47owed. So the 10% was only for the
2:22:50underlying contract amount
2:22:52and um and it's not as if the creditors
2:22:55weren't many of the creditors weren't
2:22:57trying to get paid um principal and
2:22:59interest. So I I I had raised this I
2:23:02have not paid the penalties to PERS. Um,
2:23:05and I put this in the report as an issue
2:23:07an unresolved issue for um, the SPCSA's
2:23:10consideration because I didn't want it
2:23:12to to
2:23:15substantively be the case or optically
2:23:17be appear um that PERS was getting
2:23:22something um that we were paying PERS
2:23:24penalties um, and we had dismissed
2:23:27penalties from from other creditors. In
2:23:30fact, um
2:23:32PERS makes an argument and I think
2:23:34there's some validity to it that um it
2:23:37is it is even though they're both called
2:23:39penalties, it's it is different because
2:23:42um not having the money at a certain
2:23:44time actually um you know prevents them
2:23:47from investing it um at the time and so
2:23:50they are foregoing
2:23:52um the time value of money. Um and so
2:23:57that disadvantage
2:23:59um is something that is um I think
2:24:02arguably materially different in the
2:24:03case of PERS as compared to just a
2:24:06general creditor. And um so I I
2:24:09certainly appreciate that that position
2:24:10that they're taking and that argument.
2:24:12Again, I just I would just say I didn't
2:24:15feel comfortable making that decision
2:24:16without first um bringing the issue to
2:24:19your attention and and having your um
2:24:23thoughtful counsel. So um so that's
2:24:26that's a very long-winded answer to to
2:24:29um part of your question and then once
2:24:31that question is resolved the issue of
2:24:32uh pers pay paying pers penalties the
2:24:35remaining dollars revert back to the
2:24:36state per NRS
2:24:39>> and if I may chair Zigpin I just want to
2:24:41add one thing certainly um
2:24:44Mr. occurring going through this closure
2:24:46proc process with these two schools. Um
2:24:48when you when you have an opportunity to
2:24:51review the full report which you will
2:24:53have today um
2:24:56it um it uncovered several sort of holes
2:25:00if you will in Nevada law. There's a
2:25:02whole section in his report also about
2:25:04money owed back to NDE and the extensive
2:25:07amount of time and legal research and
2:25:10everything that went into figuring out
2:25:12if the Nevada Department of Education
2:25:14was a preferred creditor, right? And so,
2:25:17um, some of these issues have identified
2:25:21things that we need to solidify in
2:25:23Nevada law, whether it's 388 or other
2:25:26sections, so that we kind of avoid these
2:25:29putting closing administrators in these
2:25:31precarious positions that he finds
2:25:34himself in. Right. So, um certainly
2:25:36hoping to to take advantage of that in
2:25:39the upcoming session and get some of
2:25:40this stuff kind of ironed out um so that
2:25:44we don't put other closing
2:25:45administrators in these positions.
2:25:51>> Member Stern, do you have a follow-up
2:25:52question?
2:25:53>> Yeah. So, just I guess a point of
2:25:55clarification for myself for uh probably
2:25:58SPCSA staff. I know um that today was
2:26:02just information and discussion but the
2:26:04way my I understood it presented was so
2:26:06that at the next meeting we could
2:26:10consider discharging Mr. Kerna. What I'm
2:26:13hearing now is that there might be some
2:26:15other issues. So are those going to be
2:26:18agendaized items for the next meeting or
2:26:22what is our process for resolving those
2:26:24so that we can discharge Mr. Kr? Yeah,
2:26:27Melissa Macken, for the record, one of
2:26:28the things that uh Mr. Kern also
2:26:30recommends is that you, you know, sort
2:26:33of see I don't know if this is exact
2:26:35legal way to say it, but like seed the
2:26:36authority over to me to make these last
2:26:38couple of things get them to the finish
2:26:40line. Certainly open to like feedback
2:26:43and discussion about what those are and
2:26:44we will bring those to you, but we don't
2:26:47necessarily need individual like votes
2:26:50on those last few remaining things. Um,
2:26:53and I think you'll when you when you
2:26:55have a chance over the next month to
2:26:57review uh his report, you'll see exactly
2:27:00how he lays out um how we go about doing
2:27:02that.
2:27:05>> Member Stone, for the record, I
2:27:06appreciate that clarification of the
2:27:08process and just that clarification on
2:27:10the record that we're not talking about
2:27:12those funds simply disappearing, that
2:27:14they will still be used to make whatever
2:27:17decisions remain. Um, but that Mr.
2:27:20Kern's role. Um, we are considering the
2:27:22possibility as we review his report that
2:27:25his role is no longer necessary. So,
2:27:27thank you for that clarification and Mr.
2:27:29Kern, I appreciate all of your work on
2:27:32behalf of uh the schools and making sure
2:27:35that those creditors have been that
2:27:37those funds were used in a fiduciarily
2:27:40responsible manner to reimburse those
2:27:42credit.
2:27:43>> Thank you.
2:27:45>> Thank you, Member Stern. Any other
2:27:46questions from the board?
2:27:51I will just echo the thanks as well, M.
2:27:53Mr. Curran, especially on the Eagle
2:27:55Charter School matter because I was
2:27:57there for the two-day hearing, which we
2:27:59did not know would be a two-day hearing.
2:28:02So, having to go and buy a new shirt in
2:28:05the middle of the night was fun. Um, so
2:28:08anyway, uh, thank you very much for your
2:28:10time and commitment on that. Um, I
2:28:12believe you are going to be providing
2:28:15updates on uh Nevada Prep and Sage
2:28:18Collegiate as well.
2:28:20>> Yes, please. Um, I I do have um
2:28:24I'm not going to talk about Nevada Prep
2:28:26just in the interest of time. I think if
2:28:27we can punt that to a to a future
2:28:29meeting, but um I do have something that
2:28:33I want to uh raise today about um about
2:28:38Sage Collegiate and I apologize in
2:28:40advance. It's going to take a few
2:28:41minutes for me to um to to go through
2:28:44the issue. It's just it's actually just
2:28:46one one thing that I want to bring to
2:28:48your attention, but I'm going to have to
2:28:50like spend a little bit of time giving
2:28:51you the background on it. So, um just
2:28:54bear with me for one second while I uh
2:28:56tape up some notes here because there's
2:28:58a fair amount.
2:29:00Um okay, so can can we can we transition
2:29:04to to to Sage?
2:29:05>> That's fine. I'm I'm happy with pulling
2:29:07um Nevada Prep from this agenda item.
2:29:10Okay.
2:29:13All right. So, um just for the record
2:29:15again, um
2:29:18uh members of the authority, my name is
2:29:19Joshua Kern, and I'm now um here before
2:29:23you um as the uh closing administrator
2:29:26for Sage Collegiate. And just by way of
2:29:28reminder, on uh April 14th, 2026, the
2:29:32Sage Collegiate Board of Trustees voted
2:29:34to relinquish the school's charter um
2:29:38and appointed me closing administrator.
2:29:40And then on uh April 17th, 2026 on this
2:29:44body at a at a public meeting um
2:29:46approved my appointment [clears throat]
2:29:49as the closing administrator. So, as the
2:29:51closing administrator, I assumed
2:29:53responsibility for the orderly closure
2:29:55of Sage Collegiate, including its
2:29:57operations, finances, assets,
2:30:00liabilities, bank accounts, payroll,
2:30:02vendor payments, creditor claims, and
2:30:05the preservation of the school's
2:30:06remaining assets.
2:30:08Sage Collegiate was insolvent. It lacked
2:30:11sufficient funds to satisfy all of the
2:30:13obligations. and every financial
2:30:15decision post my [clears throat]
2:30:16appointment required careful review to
2:30:18ensure that the school's limited assets
2:30:20were administer administrated
2:30:23administered fairly and consistently for
2:30:26the benefit of all stakeholders.
2:30:28So beginning on April 17th following uh
2:30:31this body's approval of my appointment I
2:30:33exercised those duties of the closing
2:30:35administrator openly and without
2:30:37interruption. I reviewed and approved
2:30:39payroll, authorized payments,
2:30:41communicated with the creditors, managed
2:30:44the school's bank accounts, and
2:30:45supervised the school's financial
2:30:47affairs. I was the sole authorized
2:30:50signatory on Sage Collegiate's operating
2:30:53bank account. In fact, all of Sage's
2:30:54bank accounts.
2:30:57I'm providing this testimony this
2:30:59morning because I believe the authority
2:31:01should be aware of a significant event
2:31:03that occurred during the administration
2:31:05of Sage Collegiate's closure. This
2:31:08testimony supplements the update I
2:31:09provided to the authority at the last
2:31:11public meeting
2:31:13uh which I believe was June 26, June 26,
2:31:172026. At that meeting, I advised the
2:31:21authority that I had significant
2:31:22concerns regarding actions taken by the
2:31:25Sage Collegiate Board immediately prior
2:31:28to my appointment, including its
2:31:31decision to accelerate compensation
2:31:33under executive director Sandra Kenny's
2:31:35employment agreement despite the
2:31:37school's severe financial distress and
2:31:40its inability to satisfy numerous
2:31:42obligations to employees, governmental
2:31:45entities, landlords, and other essential
2:31:47creditors.
2:31:48I testified then that those actions
2:31:51appeared inconsistent with the board's
2:31:53fiduciary obligations and advised the
2:31:56authority that my review of those
2:31:58matters remained ongoing and that at
2:32:01that time I had um terminated the
2:32:04expedited payments beginning with May
2:32:0715, 2026. I stopped those expedited
2:32:11payments to Miss Kenny and I
2:32:13communicated to Miss Kenny that I was no
2:32:16not going to approve those expedited
2:32:19payments. Miss Kenny and I had several
2:32:21exchanges in writing concerning my
2:32:23decision to terminate these expedited
2:32:25payments. And because the agreement
2:32:27between the board, the prior board, the
2:32:29Sage Collegiate Board, and Miss Kenny
2:32:31was signed after my appointment, it was
2:32:34not enforcable in law. A point that I
2:32:37clearly made to Miss Kenny several
2:32:39times.
2:32:40Consistent with my concerns, I
2:32:42previously expressed to the authority
2:32:44Sage Collegiate's May 31st, 2026, June
2:32:4815, 2026, and June 30th, 2026 payroll
2:32:53that I approved through Sage
2:32:55Collegiate's normal payroll process did
2:32:57not include any accelerated
2:32:59compensation,
2:33:01severance payment, contract buyout,
2:33:03bonuses, or other extraordinary payments
2:33:05to Miss Kenny.
2:33:07Miss Kenny reviewed each of these
2:33:08payrolls before I approved them. In
2:33:11fact, before each payroll, Miss Kenny
2:33:14took the opportunity to share her
2:33:15frustration with my decision to not
2:33:18include the expedited payment.
2:33:21After the June 30 payroll had been
2:33:23processed, I learned that approximately
2:33:26$25,000 had been withdrawn from Sage
2:33:29Collegiate's operating bank account.
2:33:32At the time of my appointment, Miss
2:33:34Kenny remained in physical possession of
2:33:36a Sage Collegiate checkbook that had
2:33:38been used during the ordinary course of
2:33:39school operations before a closing
2:33:42administrator was appointed. Rather than
2:33:44continuing to seek my approval, she used
2:33:47that checkbook to prepare four checks
2:33:50payable to herself totaling 20 totaling
2:33:53$25,000.
2:33:54She negotiated those checks
2:33:57resulting in the withdrawal of school
2:33:59funds from Sage Collegiate's bank
2:34:00account. To be clear, I did not
2:34:03authorize those checks. I did not sign
2:34:05those checks. I did not approve any
2:34:08payment to Miss Kenny outside the June
2:34:1030th payroll. I first learned that the
2:34:14checks had been written only after the
2:34:16funds had already been withdrawn when I
2:34:18received an email from Miss Kenny on
2:34:20July 6th, 2026.
2:34:24Miss Ke, Miss Kenny's email is
2:34:26significant in another way outside of
2:34:30the obvious, which is that it doesn't
2:34:32dispute any of these underlying facts.
2:34:34Not only does it not dispute them, it
2:34:36confirms them. Miss Kenny does not
2:34:38contend that I had approved these
2:34:40payments. She does not contend that I
2:34:42delegated authority to her to issue
2:34:44these checks.
2:34:46She does not contend that I knew the
2:34:47checks were being written before the
2:34:49funds were were withdrawing.
2:34:51Nor does Miss Kenny dispute that I had
2:34:53been appointed closing administrator,
2:34:55that I was administrating administering
2:34:57Sage Sage Collegiate's finances, or that
2:34:59I had approved the June 30th payroll
2:35:02without the expedited payment. Instead,
2:35:05Miss Kenny acknowledged that the payroll
2:35:07I approved did not include the
2:35:09compensation she believed she was
2:35:10entitled to receive. Her explanation was
2:35:13only that because the former board had
2:35:15approved an amendment not enforceable
2:35:17under law to her employment agreement,
2:35:20she believed she could unilaterally
2:35:22determine the amount she believed she
2:35:23was owed, calculate the applicable
2:35:26payroll deductions and offsets, prepare
2:35:28checks payable to herself from the
2:35:29school's account, and negotiate those
2:35:32checks without my knowledge or approval.
2:35:35Again, to be clear, the material facts
2:35:37are not in dispute.
2:35:39By June 30th, there was no uncertainty
2:35:41regarding who was responsible for Sage
2:35:43Collegiate's financial affairs. The
2:35:46board had publicly appointed a closing
2:35:48administrator. The SPCSA,
2:35:50this body had publicly approved that
2:35:52appointment. I was administering
2:35:56[clears throat]
2:35:57the school's operations, finances,
2:35:59assets, liabilities, payroll, and bank
2:36:01accounts. I was the sole authorized
2:36:04signatory on the operating account.
2:36:06Every payroll processed after my
2:36:08appointment was reviewed and approved by
2:36:10me. Payments to vendors and other
2:36:13creditors required my approval. Miss
2:36:15Kenny was aware of my appointment.
2:36:17Throughout the closure, Miss Kenny
2:36:19worked directly with me in my capacity
2:36:21as closing administrator, communicated
2:36:24with me regarding school business, and
2:36:26submitted matters requiring my review.
2:36:29Miss Kenny also knew that the June 30th
2:36:31payroll
2:36:34did not include the disputed
2:36:36compensation she claim she claimed was
2:36:38owed to her. Despite these facts that
2:36:40are not in dispute, Miss Kenny
2:36:42independently and secretly prepared four
2:36:46checks payable to herself from Sage
2:36:48Cleg's bank account,
2:36:51negotiated [snorts]
2:36:52those checks, and notified me only after
2:36:54the funds had already been withdrawn.
2:37:02Every dollar withdrawn from Sage
2:37:03Collegiates accounts reduces the funds
2:37:06available to satisfy obligations owed to
2:37:08employees, governmental entities,
2:37:10landlords, vendors, and other creditors
2:37:13during the orderly winding up of the
2:37:15school or winding down of the school. As
2:37:18closing administrator, I authorized I
2:37:21regarded the unauthorized withdrawal of
2:37:22school funds as a serious matter
2:37:25requiring immediate action. Accordingly,
2:37:28on June 7th, 2026, I filed a report with
2:37:31the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police
2:37:33Department concerning the unauthorized
2:37:35withdrawal of approximately $25,000 from
2:37:38Sage Collegiate's bank account. I also
2:37:40initiated an investigation with the
2:37:42Nevada State Bank, requested that
2:37:44relevant records be preserved, and
2:37:45demanded that Miss Kenny immediately
2:37:47return the funds to the school. I
2:37:49advised her that if the funds were
2:37:51promptly returned, I would immediately
2:37:53notify law enforcement, the bank, and
2:37:54the recipients of my correspondence that
2:37:56the funds have been repaid. To date, the
2:37:59funds have not been repaid.
2:38:01During nearly 30 years working with
2:38:03charter schools, including school
2:38:04closures, financial restructurings, and
2:38:07court-appointed receiverhips, I have
2:38:09never ever encountered another instance
2:38:12in which a former employee after the
2:38:14appointment of a closing administrator
2:38:16independently issued checks to herself
2:38:19from a school's bank account without the
2:38:21knowledge or approval of the individual
2:38:23responsible for administering that
2:38:25account.
2:38:27I truly apologize for taking so much of
2:38:29this body's time on this matter, but I
2:38:31believe it's important for you to be
2:38:32aware of these circumstances.
2:38:34Thank you again, and I'm pleased to
2:38:36answer any questions you may have.
2:38:39>> Thank you, Mr. Kern, for bringing the
2:38:41matter to the board's attention.
2:38:44Um, and just a matter of clarification,
2:38:46it's July 7th. You filed the police
2:38:48report, not June, right?
2:38:50>> Yes. I'm sorry. Thank you. July 7th.
2:38:52Thank you.
2:38:53>> Thank you very much. Um,
2:38:57I will open it to the board for
2:38:58questions before I ask my own.
2:39:04>> Uh, member Salceto.
2:39:08>> Uh, thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you,
2:39:10Mr. Curts, for bringing this matter to
2:39:12our attention. Um, I guess this is more
2:39:15of a question for um for SBCSA staff,
2:39:19but um and and our legal council, but um
2:39:24what role do we as as a public body um
2:39:29have in in in this um in terms of um do
2:39:35we need to um file anything with law
2:39:38enforcement? Do we where where are like
2:39:40what is our role here? if you could help
2:39:42explain that knowing kind of what was
2:39:44just shared with us.
2:39:46>> Samantha Kingpow, general counsel of the
2:39:48SPCSA. For the record, uh SPCSA staff is
2:39:52supporting Mr. Kerna with his report to
2:39:55Las Vegas Metro. We are also filing a
2:39:58report for investigation with the
2:40:00Attorney General's office.
2:40:05>> Okay. Thank you very much.
2:40:08>> Thank you, member Salceto. Any other
2:40:09questions from board colleagues?
2:40:14Member Stern.
2:40:17>> Thank you, Chair. Member Stern, for the
2:40:19record, um just clarification for the
2:40:23record. I know you mentioned that Miss
2:40:25Kenny was able to do this through a
2:40:27physical checkbook that she had. Um,
2:40:32has that issue been resolved and she no
2:40:34longer has access to that checkbook and
2:40:36accounts or has her the accounts is her
2:40:40access to the account currently cut off
2:40:41so that this uh issue can't be repeated
2:40:44especially given her stance?
2:40:46>> That's a great that's a great question.
2:40:48Um, so the the actual account that the
2:40:51checkbook the physical checkbook is tied
2:40:53to has been um is suspended. Um, so
2:40:56there no activity can happen on that
2:40:57account. Um I it was represented to me
2:41:01just so you know this is not an excuse
2:41:02and I um don't want it to be taken as
2:41:04such but it was represented to me prior
2:41:06to this happening that um that the uh
2:41:09checkbook had been turned over and was
2:41:11um in a box that was placed in storage
2:41:14but obviously that uh turned out to be
2:41:15not to be the case.
2:41:17>> Um
2:41:18>> member Stern for the record I I
2:41:19appreciate that clarification. I
2:41:21appreciate the um explanation for how
2:41:25that was able to happen and again um
2:41:28keeping in mind your statement that
2:41:30you've been doing this for 12 years and
2:41:31this has never happened. Um so
2:41:33understanding that this was unexpected.
2:41:36Um but given that have uh I don't know
2:41:38if there are any other checkbooks or
2:41:40other potential access if we confirm
2:41:42that there is no other potential uh for
2:41:45withdrawal um by Miss Kenny or by
2:41:48anybody else who was previously um had
2:41:50access to accounts. Uh, so any other
2:41:53physical checkbooks or other things, we
2:41:55confirmed that those are no longer
2:41:58accessible
2:42:01>> at at this point. In order for um
2:42:03anything to happen on these accounts,
2:42:04the the bank is required to notify me.
2:42:06So there the these bank these these
2:42:08accounts are frozen.
2:42:10>> Member Stern, uh, thank you. Do I
2:42:12appreciate that clarification on the
2:42:14record uh for what action steps have
2:42:16been taken to make sure that the
2:42:19accounts are secured so that creditors
2:42:21can be paid in a timely fashion. Thank
2:42:23you.
2:42:26>> Thank you members. Member Addis.
2:42:29>> Uh thank you member Addis for the
2:42:31record. Thank you for that report. Just
2:42:32a follow-up question. You mentioned that
2:42:34the uh accounts are frozen and I just
2:42:36want to clarify does freezing the
2:42:38accounts now impede your ability to take
2:42:40care of the financial responsibilities
2:42:42as closing administrator or is it like
2:42:44on an approval basis? They
2:42:46>> It's currently on an approval basis. I
2:42:48mean this is not a uh this is a
2:42:51temporary measure. We're going to have
2:42:52to create new accounts um and move
2:42:54monies um from the accounts the monies
2:42:57are certain are currently into to new
2:42:59accounts um to address exactly the
2:43:02concerns that are being raised now. Um
2:43:04so this is not what's what we have right
2:43:06now is just a a short-term stop gap um
2:43:09to prevent further unauthorized
2:43:11withdrawals, but we'll um we'll create a
2:43:14permanent solution.
2:43:15>> Thank you so much for that. Member Addis
2:43:17for the record once more. Um, just to
2:43:19clarify, will this push back the
2:43:21timeline for the closing administration
2:43:23of the school or do you anticipate any
2:43:25like delays in moving this process
2:43:28forward as a result or I
2:43:30>> I don't I don't think that I don't think
2:43:32this alone would would materially um
2:43:36frustrate or delay um the closure
2:43:38process. I mean there has been in each
2:43:41of these closures um
2:43:45more than one um unanticipated event
2:43:47that has um cause some delay. Um so it's
2:43:52kind of expected at this point that
2:43:53there'll be some unexpected things that
2:43:55um that take place, but um but we will
2:43:58resolve this and um and to be clear, I'm
2:44:00committed to um to pursuing this to its
2:44:05proper conclusion.
2:44:06>> Thank you so much, Mr. Kirk.
2:44:08Thank you, Member Addis. Um, Mr. Kern, I
2:44:12had a point of clarification. You had
2:44:14mentioned at the beginning of your
2:44:16remarks on this that when you were made
2:44:19the um closing administrator, you were
2:44:22the sole you were made the sole signer
2:44:24on the account. No one else. So, Sandra
2:44:27Kenny was removed, right?
2:44:29>> Correct. So, and and I just bring that
2:44:32up just to make sure the board is clear
2:44:34on that that that there was no issue on
2:44:36our end or your end that in terms of
2:44:39policies and procedures that she you
2:44:41know was for some reason left on. This
2:44:44was a case of she kept checks, wrote
2:44:47checks to herself and cashed it and the
2:44:49bank allowed it. Right.
2:44:51>> Correct. It is um still and this is an
2:44:54issue that we are working with uh Nevada
2:44:56State Bank on. It is still somewhat
2:44:59opaque as to how these checks actually
2:45:01got negotiated and cleared. Um they were
2:45:04apparently signed or they were Miss
2:45:07Kenny apparently signed them um as the
2:45:10entity. So um Sage Collegiate was the
2:45:14signer. I don't I still don't really
2:45:15have a clear answer as to how that gets
2:45:19uh negotiated by the bank and cleared
2:45:21but but it did um in this case. And so I
2:45:25mean there's two separate things going
2:45:26on. one is um pursuing the matter with
2:45:30um Miss Kenny and the other is with
2:45:32Nevada State Bank and we we are doing
2:45:35both.
2:45:36>> Thank you, Mr. Kern. And after the
2:45:37incident occurred, was Miss Kenny
2:45:39terminated?
2:45:41>> Immediately as part of my response to
2:45:43her email, uh her employment was
2:45:45terminated. Included in that response.
2:45:48>> Thank you. And since you filed a police
2:45:50report, if we received anything from Las
2:45:53Vegas Metro afterwards.
2:45:55>> Yeah. All right. So, this is this this
2:45:58is a bit of a a frustration as well. So,
2:46:02I was um I was notified of of this
2:46:06unauthorized uh withdrawal on um July
2:46:126th by email from Miss Kenny. On July
2:46:146th, I was actually in um Whitefish,
2:46:17Montana on my first vacation in a year
2:46:20with my daughter. Um, and I took it that
2:46:23that day uh to
2:46:26work with the Whitefish police um and
2:46:28the Las Vegas police to try to submit
2:46:31this report. Um, it turns out that for a
2:46:34matter like this, you cannot file the
2:46:36report online. It has to be done in
2:46:38person. But in lie of doing it in
2:46:39person, you can make a voluntary
2:46:42statement with the local uh police
2:46:44department, which I did in Whitefish
2:46:46without uh spending several minutes
2:46:49getting into the details here. When you
2:46:51do that, it goes to one department in uh
2:46:54Las Vegas metro, what they call the
2:46:55correspondence division. After the
2:46:57correspondence division gets it, that
2:46:58they they then send it to the theft
2:47:00crimes division. Um the correspondence
2:47:03division um has uh acknowledged the
2:47:06receipt of the voluntary statement. Um
2:47:09but to date, theft crime says that they
2:47:11have not received that correspond that
2:47:14statement from correspondent. So, um, I
2:47:17am still trying to work through work
2:47:20with and through the Las Vegas Metro
2:47:22Police Department to get this to the
2:47:24point where it's a we have an entity
2:47:26number and a and a detective assigned to
2:47:28the matter. If I can't do this uh in the
2:47:30next week, I will um um come to Las
2:47:34Vegas and um and file the report in
2:47:38person and um and we'll proceed
2:47:40accordingly.
2:47:41>> Thank you, Mr. Kern. sounds like it's
2:47:43held up in typical bureaucratic
2:47:45processes. Unfortunately, um
2:47:49I will um say for my board colleagues
2:47:51that staff did make me aware of the
2:47:54situation immediately as it was happen.
2:47:55So I want to thank staff and thank Mr.
2:47:57Kern for being um proactive in that. So
2:48:01um I've been aware of the situation and
2:48:05I'm very happy that uh you all were that
2:48:08we received the update today. Um Mr.
2:48:11current to your knowledge has Miss Kenny
2:48:13been arrested?
2:48:15>> So this is now I think that question is
2:48:18is like above my pay grade. Um I don't
2:48:20really understand um how the the
2:48:23criminal process works. Um I so I
2:48:27wouldn't know that. Um my sense is that
2:48:30we have to get this assigned to a
2:48:32detective at uh Las Vegas Metro um
2:48:36before that can happen. But I I really
2:48:38don't know and I'm I'm I'm kind of
2:48:40speaking out of turn. Um but I I again I
2:48:42will make sure um and even if it means
2:48:47going to, you know, Las Vegas Police
2:48:49Department that this gets to the point
2:48:51where uh we have a detective assigned
2:48:54and the matter is investigated and then
2:48:56it, you know, the criminal justice
2:48:59system takes over. It's a this is a very
2:49:01very serious
2:49:03uh event and it needs to be brought to
2:49:06its rightful conclusion. Thank you, Mr.
2:49:08Cron. I agree and I think that's why as
2:49:10the chair, I'm trying to ask pointed
2:49:12questions in the hope that people
2:49:14listening bring it to light and
2:49:16hopefully fasttrack some processes. I
2:49:18think while this agenda item is for
2:49:20information and discussion only, I think
2:49:22my colleagues would agree we would like
2:49:23to see things expedited and um justice
2:49:28done on behalf of the taxpayer and on
2:49:31behalf of the um you know the school and
2:49:34the students and you know the monies
2:49:37that the that you know folks are owed.
2:49:39And so the theft of public dollars is
2:49:42very very deeply serious and I hope that
2:49:45uh those listening will um take action
2:49:48and that that this can be like I said
2:49:50fasttracked.
2:49:52>> Um any Oh go ahead.
2:49:55>> I said I was agreeing with you.
2:49:58>> Thank you member Stern.
2:50:03>> Um there we go. Member Stern for the
2:50:05record. I as I'm processing this because
2:50:09this this was new information to me as
2:50:11this was being shared by Mr. Kerna. Um,
2:50:14and appreciating the fact that this is a
2:50:16unique situation and likely hopefully is
2:50:19something that we've never dealt with
2:50:20before. Um, I'm wondering I know that
2:50:24this is this meeting is a matter of
2:50:26public record, but I am wondering this
2:50:29is probably more of a question for SPCSA
2:50:31staff and council if we have any
2:50:34obligations to notify the creditors of
2:50:38Sage Collegiate who may uh have
2:50:42potential civil action against Miss
2:50:44Kenny. I don't know if we have any
2:50:46obligations or there would be any action
2:50:47we would need to take as a board. I know
2:50:50obviously that wouldn't be something we
2:50:51do today since this is for information
2:50:53and discussion. Um but I guess I'm
2:50:57trying to understand and make sure that
2:50:58we're fulfilling our obligations. Um and
2:51:01that if necessary that would be a future
2:51:03agenda item.
2:51:05>> Samantha King Powell, general counsel of
2:51:07the SPCSA for the record.
2:51:10This board has dually appointed Mr. Kern
2:51:13as the closing administrator for Sage
2:51:15Collegic. any kind of uh closing
2:51:19processes or
2:51:21uh
2:51:24other
2:51:26issues remain in Mr. Kern's full
2:51:28authority to pursue and the SPCSA staff
2:51:32will assist Mr. Kern in any way we can
2:51:35to support him through those
2:51:38members for the record. Okay. So any
2:51:40notices that would be needed to directly
2:51:43communicate to those outstanding
2:51:46creditors, especially if this did have
2:51:48an impact, that would lie within the
2:51:49purview of Mr. Kern and we would work
2:51:51with him to make sure that was uh
2:51:54directly notified if needed. Am I
2:51:57understanding that correctly?
2:51:58>> Samantha King Powell, General Council of
2:52:00the SPCSA for the record. Yes, that is
2:52:02correct.
2:52:04>> Member Stern, thank you. I appreciate
2:52:06that clarification.
2:52:09Thank you, Member Stern. Any other
2:52:11questions from board colleagues?
2:52:14>> Go ahead, Member Turner.
2:52:17>> Member Turner, for the record. I'm not
2:52:19sure if this is a question or a comment,
2:52:20but I was just hoping um that moving
2:52:23forward we would have a more consistent
2:52:24policy for something that happens like
2:52:26this because if if this just falls by
2:52:28the wayside or if if there's nothing
2:52:31that's done about it, I just don't want
2:52:33anybody else to feel that they can, you
2:52:35know, negatively affect sounds like
2:52:37hundreds of of families and students.
2:52:40And I'm just hoping that maybe moving
2:52:42forward we can have a consistent
2:52:44protocol for um when there's a concern
2:52:47um about um financials especially I mean
2:52:50publicly it was blamed on um the school
2:52:52closure was blamed on high facility
2:52:54costs and the cost of living which is
2:52:56something before you even um complete an
2:52:59application to start a school like
2:53:00that's something that that we all have
2:53:02knowledge about. Um so to not even have
2:53:05any kind of um public um information
2:53:08about that this has been a concern um or
2:53:11this is now a concern rather I would
2:53:13just hope moving forward that we have
2:53:15something in in place um to make sure
2:53:17that this doesn't happen frequently or
2:53:19at all rather.
2:53:21>> Uh Melissa Mcnam for the record that
2:53:23couple things to say on that point which
2:53:25is totally valid. So one thing is every
2:53:29school closure you know is unique and it
2:53:31creates these unique situations and we
2:53:33learn something and then we sort of
2:53:34update our internal protocols for like
2:53:38you know who would have ever thought
2:53:39that would happen right so we update
2:53:41those internal protocols but
2:53:43additionally we are hoping to seek um
2:53:47some through some of our most more
2:53:48recent experiences that we've had this
2:53:51year um we are looking to update NRS so
2:53:55that We're hopeful this session we can
2:53:58do that so that we can sort of intervene
2:54:00sooner um when we start to see red
2:54:04flags. So certainly exactly in line with
2:54:07what you're saying, we could not agree
2:54:09more. Um and we have every intention of
2:54:12doing that. Um and again like like Mr.
2:54:15Kern said, you know, this is really we I
2:54:18mean he's been doing this for 30 years
2:54:19and he's never seen something like this
2:54:21happen. So it's almost difficult to
2:54:24imagine that some you know someone would
2:54:26do something like this but certainly as
2:54:29we learn and go through these
2:54:31experiences we update our internal
2:54:33protocols um
2:54:36for variety of contingencies for sure.
2:54:39So thank you.
2:54:42>> Thanks.
2:54:44>> Thank you. Any other questions from
2:54:45board colleagues?
2:54:48Okay, I think we can move on. And I
2:54:51think Mr. Kern, that was the end of your
2:54:53agenda, Adam. Right.
2:54:55>> Yes. That Thank you. Thank you for
2:54:58allowing me this much time. I appreciate
2:54:59it.
2:55:00>> We appreciate you. Thank you for the the
2:55:02time and um information today. All
2:55:04right. We will close out agenda item
2:55:06number seven and I'm going to shuffle
2:55:08things a little bit and um call up
2:55:11agenda item number nine, proven provider
2:55:14updates.
2:55:17Director Mackin,
2:55:20>> thank you so much. Sorry, I for I knew I
2:55:23was switching orders and I still forgot.
2:55:25Um
2:55:27the this item is related to proven
2:55:29providers is an update from math and
2:55:31science on their restart efforts at
2:55:33Nevada Preparatory Charter School. As we
2:55:35are just days away from the start of the
2:55:37school year, this will be AMS's final
2:55:40regularly scheduled update to the
2:55:41authority prior to opening.
2:55:43>> [snorts]
2:55:43>> SPCSA staff appreci appreciates the
2:55:46significant planning and preparation
2:55:48that has gone into this effort and we
2:55:50look forward to seeing that work
2:55:51translate into a strong start for the
2:55:54former Nevada Prep, now AMS Nellis
2:55:56campus. And most importantly, we look
2:55:59forward to the positive outcomes for its
2:56:01students. Although [snorts] this
2:56:03concludes the regular board updates, our
2:56:05oversight will continue throughout the
2:56:07school year just as it does for every
2:56:08school in our portfolio. Staff will
2:56:11monitor the school's progress through
2:56:12our ongoing performance framework,
2:56:14regular communication, and an on-site
2:56:16evaluation as appropriate. With that,
2:56:18I'd like to invite AM the AMS team to
2:56:21provide their final update.
2:56:28Um, good almost afternoon everyone.
2:56:30Brandy Adams for the record. Uh, I'm
2:56:34very excited to give a very brief update
2:56:36about our progress at AMS Nellis. So, as
2:56:40of today, we have 520
2:56:43students enrolled and another 50 viable
2:56:48um applications and registrations in
2:56:52progress for those uh families who like
2:56:54to live on the edge a little bit and
2:56:56wait till the last minute. Um that
2:56:58always happens. So, we're very pleased
2:57:00with our enrollment progress and uh our
2:57:03middle school is absolutely packed. So,
2:57:06we can't wait for um the school year to
2:57:08start, which that begins on the 6th of
2:57:11August, so less than a week from now. Uh
2:57:14our staffing is looking very, very
2:57:16strong. We only have three vacancies
2:57:18across the school. Uh and that would be
2:57:21two parapros and an SLP, which is always
2:57:25very difficult to fill. In the event
2:57:27we're unable to fill that, we do have
2:57:29some contract options that we are
2:57:32looking into as well as a backup plan.
2:57:34So happy about our enrollment and and
2:57:37staffing and really excited about the
2:57:41meet the teacher night that we had this
2:57:43week where all students were invited to
2:57:46come to the school in person, meet their
2:57:48teachers, see the updates that we've
2:57:50made to the campus and just get really
2:57:52excited for the upcoming school year. Um
2:57:55the school is also just to highlight we
2:57:59are really focused always at building
2:58:01community schools and to that end they
2:58:05have a lot of um upcoming events on
2:58:08their agenda on their calendars that
2:58:11they are communicating out to families.
2:58:13There's a ribbon cutting event that I'd
2:58:15like to formally extend an invitation to
2:58:18for everyone. Um on Wednesday next week
2:58:21they have a family fall night planned
2:58:23for the first quarter uh a trunk or
2:58:26treat event. We're looking into uh
2:58:29kicking off our um resource fair that is
2:58:33a a typical programming piece for us. So
2:58:36a lot of really fun events underway and
2:58:39we're just so excited to get the school
2:58:42year started and get these kids in in
2:58:45our seats. Um the campus is looking
2:58:47beautiful. I think I've mentioned on
2:58:49more than one occasion about the
2:58:51playground that I was really excited to
2:58:54put uh on the campus and so that's in
2:58:57and um we're just excited invite all of
2:59:00you all uh to come on out anytime you
2:59:02would like to see the the campus in
2:59:04action. So I know um that was really
2:59:07quick but I mostly wanted to leave time
2:59:09in case there was any questions from
2:59:12from the members here.
2:59:15Thank you, Miss Adams. Any questions
2:59:17from board colleagues?
2:59:23All right, seeing none, we will move on.
2:59:25Thank you very much. We will
2:59:27>> I had a quick question.
2:59:29>> No, I see you. Now you pop up.
2:59:30[laughter] Go ahead, Member Stern.
2:59:32>> Sorry about that. I I just quick um I
2:59:35guess request of Miss Adams. This is
2:59:38member Stern for the record. Um, I know
2:59:41financial concerns had been present for
2:59:43the school prior to you taking over. Can
2:59:45you just very briefly um would love to
2:59:48have on the record just confirmation of
2:59:50the school's financial health at this
2:59:52time? Thank you.
2:59:54>> Absolutely. So, we were very
2:59:58um cognizant about being responsible
3:00:01financially. That's something we talked
3:00:03about the last time is that uh we were
3:00:05aware that the school would be funded on
3:00:07an early estimate of student count just
3:00:10because of how the auditing process
3:00:12works. And so we've been very careful to
3:00:15keep our our budget tight and although
3:00:18we did do quite a few updates to the
3:00:21campus. Uh we kept that reasonable in
3:00:24nature with our enrollment looking as
3:00:26strong as it is and um the uh building
3:00:31costs being very reasonable. We're very
3:00:34confident that our financial health is
3:00:37is uh very um strong. So, no concerns in
3:00:41that area whatsoever.
3:00:43>> And if I can just add one other thing,
3:00:45members, uh to to answer your question,
3:00:48um I do think it's important to put on
3:00:50the record that um AMS like all schools
3:00:53getting an EGA. They did have to submit
3:00:55um an amended budget based on that EGA
3:00:59uh number and they they did that. So, we
3:01:01had that were able to review it and all
3:01:03of that good stuff.
3:01:06>> Members, for the record, I appreciate
3:01:08having that on the record. I think it's
3:01:10again important to um to clarify that
3:01:14the school is not only working on their
3:01:16enrollment but making sure that their
3:01:17financial obligations. I know this board
3:01:20has been dealing with delinquent pers
3:01:22from schools and so knowing that the
3:01:24school is currently in a solid financial
3:01:26position um and that AMS has been able
3:01:29to accomplish that in a relatively short
3:01:31amount of time is helpful.
3:01:36>> Thank you, Member Stern. Any other
3:01:39questions from board colleagues?
3:01:44Seeing none, we will uh move on. We'll
3:01:47bring it back to agenda item number
3:01:48eight. The uh approval ofmies of math
3:01:51and science as a proven provider to
3:01:54restart future edge academy pursuant to
3:01:56NAC 388A270.
3:02:00Back to you, Director Mcadin.
3:02:02>> Okay. Earlier in today's um Melissa
3:02:04Mcadin for the record earlier in today's
3:02:06meeting the authority voted to terminate
3:02:08the charter contract for 100 Academy of
3:02:10Excellence doing business as Future Edge
3:02:13Academy. The authority also appointed
3:02:16Brandy Adams Breesler to serve as the
3:02:18school's closing administrator during
3:02:20the 20 26 2027 school year. Before I get
3:02:25into the specific um recommendation, um
3:02:28I do want to turn the time over to uh
3:02:30Council Samantha King Pal to discuss the
3:02:33legal authority uh behind what this next
3:02:37recommendation is about.
3:02:42>> Thank you, Executive Director McAden,
3:02:44Chair Thickpin, and members of the
3:02:46board. I'd like to walk you through the
3:02:48legal authority for this restart plan.
3:02:52Nevada law authorizes SPCSA to restart a
3:02:55charter school after terminating its
3:02:57charter contract. Knack 388A347
3:03:00permits the sponsor to solicit either a
3:03:03request from an operating charter to
3:03:05expand its charter or an application for
3:03:08a new charter contract. The regulation
3:03:10requires expedited review and authorizes
3:03:13the board to select the entity that will
3:03:15conduct the restart. As a reminder, when
3:03:17this board designated AMS as a proven
3:03:20provider under NAC 388A270,
3:03:24it considered evidence of AMS's
3:03:26significant management and leadership
3:03:29experience at successful schools,
3:03:31demonstrated academic success,
3:03:33organizational viability, including
3:03:36effective governance, financial
3:03:38management, and recruitment and
3:03:40retention, compliance with applicable
3:03:42laws, and capacity to serve a similar
3:03:44student population through reasonable
3:03:47modified education programming. That
3:03:49prior designation establishes AMS's
3:03:52general qualifications as a proven
3:03:54provider, which this board has already
3:03:55approved.
3:03:58The question today is whether AMS should
3:04:00be selected for this particular restart
3:04:02based on the future EDG specific restart
3:04:04plan. AMS is currently the only entity
3:04:07approved through the SPCSA's statewide
3:04:10request for qualifications process.
3:04:12Again, this board approved AMS as the
3:04:15restart as the uh proven provider on
3:04:19December 12th, 2025.
3:04:22The board is not being asked to
3:04:23reconsider AMS's proven provider
3:04:25designation. The question presented by
3:04:27this first motion is whether after
3:04:30receiving AMS's future edge specific
3:04:32restart plan and the factors required by
3:04:35NRS 388A303,
3:04:37the board should select AMS as the
3:04:41entity to conduct the restart. Under the
3:04:44proposed structure, Future Edge will
3:04:45become an additional campus under the
3:04:48existing SPCSA sponsored charter
3:04:50contract. Future Edg's terminated
3:04:52charter contract will not be transferred
3:04:54to AMS, nor will the restart campus
3:04:57operate under a separate charter
3:04:58contract because the proposal adds f
3:05:01adds the former future edge campus to an
3:05:03existing charter contract. The restart
3:05:06plan constitutes a request to amend the
3:05:08charter contract for expansion under NRS
3:05:11under NAC 388A 3471A.
3:05:17The second thing this staff is asking is
3:05:19the board to approve the restart plan as
3:05:22an expedited amendment and authorizing
3:05:24SPCSA staff to finalize the amended
3:05:27charter contract thereby adding the
3:05:29former future edge school to an
3:05:32additional campus under the AMS charter
3:05:34contract. That charter contract
3:05:36amendment expansion campus would start
3:05:39in the 2027 2028 school year. Finally,
3:05:43NAC 388A4110
3:05:46authorizes the board to impose
3:05:48additional conditions when approving an
3:05:50amendment involving an additional
3:05:51facility. The school specific
3:05:54conditions, including in the proposed
3:05:55motion, must be satisfied before AMS can
3:05:58begin operating as the restarted campus.
3:06:01Staff is asking the board to consider
3:06:03two matters. first select AMS as the
3:06:06entity to restart Future Edge, the
3:06:09former future edge campus, and second to
3:06:11approve the restart plan as submitted by
3:06:14AMS, thereby allowing the former future
3:06:17edge campus to be an expansion of the
3:06:20AMS contract starting in the 2728 school
3:06:23year. And with that, I am happy to
3:06:25answer any questions before I turn it
3:06:28over to um Executive Director Macken.
3:06:32>> Thank you, council. Any questions from
3:06:34board colleagues for um legal counsel
3:06:37before we turn it back to Director
3:06:39Mcadin?
3:06:42>> Go ahead, Member Addis.
3:06:44>> Thank you, Member Addis. For the record,
3:06:46um I think I'm just seeking
3:06:47clarification. So, my first point of
3:06:50clarification is
3:06:53um today I want to clarify we're voting
3:06:56on an approval of a restart plan. And
3:06:58then does this vote also amend AMS's
3:07:02charter contract to add a campus or is
3:07:05that a later vote?
3:07:07>> So the Samantha King Powell for the
3:07:09record, what you're you're kind of
3:07:11voting on two things per the the
3:07:14recommended motion. You're voting that
3:07:16AMS be recognized officially as the
3:07:18restart entity and the restart plan that
3:07:22they have submitted would be the
3:07:24application for restart and the
3:07:26application for the expanded campus
3:07:29under the current existing charter
3:07:30contract.
3:07:32Beautiful. Thank you. Memberis for the
3:07:33record. And just as a follow-up
3:07:35question, I know that we voted to
3:07:37approve uh Miss Adams as the closing
3:07:40administrator. Um, can you explain the
3:07:44difference between approving Miss Adams
3:07:46as the closing administrator and then
3:07:47approving Miss Adams with AMS as the
3:07:50restart entity and how those two pieces
3:07:53will interact together?
3:07:55>> Miss Adam, Samantha King Powell, for the
3:07:57record, Miss Adams is,
3:08:00and correct me if I'm wrong, Miss Adams
3:08:02is an employee of AMS. Our statute does
3:08:05not designate entities, uh, businesses
3:08:09to be a closing administrator. we have
3:08:10to designate an individual um and that
3:08:13individual designation was voted by this
3:08:16body earlier to be Miss Adams. It it
3:08:18makes sense that she can kind of oversee
3:08:21the closure of future edge while ramping
3:08:23up to start the new AMS North Vegas
3:08:26campus
3:08:30for the record. Thank you for that. Just
3:08:32to um clarify even further just for me
3:08:36the two pieces are separate correct the
3:08:38closing administration of future edges
3:08:40campus and the restart plan from AMS
3:08:42they are separate but they will inform
3:08:44like one will inform the next piece
3:08:47>> future edge Samantha King Powell for the
3:08:49record future edge and anything
3:08:51associated with future edge has to be
3:08:54closed out it's a separate legal entity
3:08:56and then the uh expansion campus under
3:08:59AMS is a new entity under a new charter
3:09:02contract. Perfect. Thank you. Um those
3:09:05are all my questions.
3:09:07>> Thank you, Member Addis. Any other
3:09:08questions for legal counsel before you
3:09:10move on?
3:09:13>> Okay, seeing none. Okay, proceed.
3:09:19>> Thank you. I will now um just have a few
3:09:22remarks before I turn it over to the
3:09:23school to provide continuity and this
3:09:25goes exactly to what you know uh member
3:09:27Addis was just asking to provide
3:09:29continuity and stability for the
3:09:32students, families, and staff. SPCSA
3:09:35staff is recommending that the authority
3:09:37approve AMS's restart plan and designate
3:09:39AMS as the school's restart operator,
3:09:42which would begin in the 2728 school
3:09:44year. So, not this school year, but the
3:09:46next school year. This approach allows
3:09:48AMS the entire 2627 school year to work
3:09:52alongside the closing process, gain a
3:09:54thorough understanding of the school's
3:09:56current academic and operational needs,
3:09:59engage with families and staff, and
3:10:01thoughtfully prepare for a successful
3:10:02reopening under new leadership.
3:10:05Representatives from the ASA AMS team
3:10:08are here today to present their restart
3:10:11plan and answer any questions the
3:10:12authority may [clears throat] have. So,
3:10:14we're going to ask I think both they're
3:10:16they're most of the AMS team is online,
3:10:18but I think we're going to ask Miss
3:10:19Guthrie to also come up to the table. Uh
3:10:22she's going to weigh in on on a few of
3:10:24their slides as well.
3:10:31>> Thank you, Miss Macedon. My name is Eric
3:10:33Greenberg. I am the CEO for them in Math
3:10:35and Science. Uh good afternoon, uh Mr.
3:10:38Chair, members of the authority. Uh
3:10:40we're very excited to be back in front
3:10:42of you. It's it's been a few months and
3:10:44uh I'm happy to hear that Brandy has
3:10:46been able to update you on our progress
3:10:48with AMS Analysis School. We are very
3:10:50passionate about it's difficult for us
3:10:52to be in this position because on one
3:10:54end we are very excited to be able to
3:10:56serve more of the Las Vegas community.
3:10:59Uh but at the same time given what we've
3:11:02heard today and the comments of of this
3:11:04authority, it's also difficult uh to be
3:11:06part of and to see charter schools
3:11:08closed for various reasons. for that
3:11:10purpose is why we are very appreciative
3:11:14of of Miss Mcadon, Miss King Powell and
3:11:17you all with the authority to allow us
3:11:19this opportunity to continue to operate
3:11:22a school so that those families in that
3:11:24community uh don't aren't left without
3:11:27one. Uh we are very passionate about
3:11:29that and as you can see with our work
3:11:31with AMS Nellis now moving that with uh
3:11:34with continuing the future edge into AMS
3:11:36North Vegas, we're we're super excited
3:11:38about that. We do have a presentation. I
3:11:40don't know if you all are showing it on
3:11:41your end or if I need to share my
3:11:43screen. If you could clarify that for
3:11:45me.
3:11:49You guys will share your screen. Brandy,
3:11:51I think you've done that before.
3:12:08Awesome.
3:12:10Um, okay. So, real quick just um as a
3:12:14reminder or or once again to formally
3:12:16introduce ourselves as the Academy of
3:12:18Math and Science. Uh, this is a brief
3:12:21presentation. You've all received our
3:12:23more lengthy plan for the restart
3:12:26proposal for uh this campus. You go to
3:12:28next slide, Brandy. Just a quick
3:12:30introduction uh I'm sorry, quick agenda
3:12:32of of our presentation today. uh
3:12:35reminder of of who we are at AMS, what
3:12:37we stand for, what our goals are. We're
3:12:39going to go through our academic plan
3:12:41with those goals, operational plan. Uh
3:12:43Brandy did mention before our commitment
3:12:45to family and community engagement.
3:12:47We're going to touch on that and then a
3:12:49brief close on financial plan before we
3:12:51answer any questions. Uh next slide. Uh
3:12:54at AMS, we're we're very particular and
3:12:57uh very passionate about the vision that
3:12:59we have to provide the best education in
3:13:01the best environment. uh we are excited
3:13:04and and and passionate about that
3:13:06particularly because you can't measure
3:13:08the best and so for us it's a uh
3:13:11internally in how we operate there's
3:13:12always a need for continuous improvement
3:13:14uh we're very data driven organization
3:13:16as Brady mentioned focused on developing
3:13:19community and community based schools
3:13:21with that we want to continue to improve
3:13:25uh what we do how we do it at all times
3:13:28uh we're driven by our three values of
3:13:29doing whatever it takes acting with
3:13:31honor and being vulnerable candid and
3:13:33kind. Our goal is to uh help us navigate
3:13:37that internally with our staff, but also
3:13:39to extend that to our students as well
3:13:40and help them uh feel a little more
3:13:43purpose behind behind what they're
3:13:44doing. Uh our goals are very simple. We
3:13:47want to operate fivestar schools in the
3:13:48state of Nevada. We want to be fully
3:13:50enrolled and fully staffed. And we given
3:13:53the state of of this continuous progress
3:13:56and and education in our in our current
3:13:58market, we want to focus on uh the
3:14:01continuous growth and development of our
3:14:03staff. That's a very important aspect of
3:14:05how we operate schools. Uh to make sure
3:14:07that the local school, the principal,
3:14:09the administrative administrative team
3:14:12and teachers all uh are learning or
3:14:15growing and getting better at their
3:14:16craft. That's the only way we feel that
3:14:18we can uh truly operate a a strong
3:14:21school and and deliver a strong academic
3:14:23results in addition to those operational
3:14:25results that we want to as well. With
3:14:27that, I want to turn it over to uh Dr.
3:14:29Heaton and Dr. Hernandez who are going
3:14:31to walk through our academic plan.
3:14:38Hernandez for the record. Thank you, Mr.
3:14:39Greenberg. Good afternoon, Chair Thin
3:14:42and members of the board. Thank you for
3:14:43the opportunity to share relative to the
3:14:45academic plan and goals at AMS. During
3:14:47our time together today, I'm going to
3:14:49provide a brief overview of the AMS
3:14:51academic program and then I'll
3:14:53transition the presentation to Dr.
3:14:54Heaton, our vice president of schools,
3:14:56to share the restart plan, overview, and
3:14:58goals. Uh, next slide, please. The AMS
3:15:01academic program is built upon an
3:15:03instructional infrastructure with four
3:15:05key areas that ensure a learner centered
3:15:07culture. The first is curriculum
3:15:09components which includes alignment to
3:15:11state standards, a guaranteed vital
3:15:13curriculum, and researchbased resources.
3:15:17Second, we use assessment very
3:15:18strategically to ensure that all of our
3:15:20leaders and our teachers know what each
3:15:22child is ready to learn throughout the
3:15:24course of the school year. Third, we're
3:15:26very focused on collaborative structures
3:15:28to support high quality professional
3:15:30learning opportunities for all of our
3:15:31staff. And fourth, data systems and
3:15:34structures are designed to provide the
3:15:36right data at the right time so that our
3:15:38leaders and teachers are able to
3:15:40effectively progress monitor both growth
3:15:42and achievement.
3:15:44The instructional infrastructure
3:15:46manifests in the AMS frameworks for
3:15:48instruction. The frameworks are
3:15:50developed and updated by the AMS
3:15:52academic services department who have a
3:15:54robust amount of experience and
3:15:57expertise spanning PK12 with verified
3:15:59awareness and alignment in all core and
3:16:02elective content areas. The frameworks
3:16:05are driven by state standards, uphold
3:16:07rigorous expectations for learning and
3:16:09teaching, and meet every teacher where
3:16:11they are in developing their craft as an
3:16:13educator through the use of
3:16:15researchbased curriculum resources. AMS
3:16:18leaders and teachers participate in high
3:16:19quality professional development,
3:16:21professional learning, and training with
3:16:23teachers having access weekly. Topics
3:16:25are chosen based on data from areas such
3:16:27as student learning trends and teacher
3:16:29observation data. But most importantly,
3:16:32our academic program is situated in our
3:16:35invested and involved communities. Our
3:16:37students, our families, and our staff
3:16:39come together throughout the school year
3:16:41to learn together and to celebrate
3:16:43learning milestones as one. Key events
3:16:46are hosted by each of our campuses that
3:16:48highlight that high quality learning
3:16:50opportunity for students that their
3:16:51families are a part of. The su success
3:16:54of our academic program is monitored and
3:16:57adjusted throughout the school year
3:16:58utilizing strategic benchmarks. Um and
3:17:01at this time I'll turn the presentation
3:17:02over to Dr. Heaton to share about the
3:17:04restart plan and the goals to set to
3:17:06ensure alignment and coherence across
3:17:08AMS.
3:17:10>> Charlie Heaton for the record. Thank you
3:17:12Dr. Hernandez and good afternoon Mr.
3:17:14chair and members of the authority. Uh
3:17:16my colleagues and I, we're passionate
3:17:17about this work and I'm excited to share
3:17:19how we will approach a school specific
3:17:22restart plan. AMS
3:17:25implements a proven and systematic
3:17:26multi-phase approach with a uh improving
3:17:30academic outcomes as our driver. As we
3:17:32approach our work with future edge, we
3:17:34will work together with our AMS network
3:17:36specialist as Brandy Adams Breastler and
3:17:39Dr. Hernandez referenced. Um and also
3:17:42equally important with the future edge
3:17:43school community leaders and the SPCSA
3:17:46as we engage in this process uh or or
3:17:50restart. Um it's important for us that
3:17:52we are coordinated and working with all
3:17:54stakeholders. I'd like to share with you
3:17:56the three phases that you can expect AMS
3:17:58to engage in as part of this restart
3:18:00plan. Uh in phase one, which we call the
3:18:03stabilization phase, um we've identified
3:18:06a timeline that spans from the approval
3:18:08to the first day of school. And so
3:18:10during this time frame, we have a
3:18:13mission to ensure appropriate continuity
3:18:16for our students also while
3:18:18strategically resetting, rebuilding, and
3:18:20ascertaining the strengths, weaknesses,
3:18:22and opportunities and threats of future
3:18:24edge. Um given the current timing, we
3:18:27are excited that we have the significant
3:18:29runway to dig in, learn the campus, its
3:18:31needs, build the relationships, be on
3:18:34the ground and working with with uh the
3:18:37principal and the community, uh and also
3:18:39work with all those who are vested with
3:18:41the restart of future edge to AMS North
3:18:43Las Vegas.
3:18:45Fortunately, we have many positive
3:18:47relationships already. um the
3:18:49relationships that we've built with many
3:18:51of you in the community and with our fi
3:18:53future edge principal Casey Guthrie. It
3:18:55gives us the hope and the insight that
3:18:57we need so that we can hit the ground
3:18:59running and designing a robust plan to
3:19:01significantly improve the academic
3:19:03outcomes at the school site. And we call
3:19:05this a restart because we want to ensure
3:19:07that our researchbased resources and
3:19:09practices give the students in school
3:19:11what they need in designing the plan and
3:19:14establishing the path forward. Again, we
3:19:17will do this with the future edge staff,
3:19:19the restart stakeholders, the closing
3:19:21administrator and our Nevada based
3:19:23experts, the authorizer as well as um
3:19:25the many leaders that we have as part of
3:19:27our team and the specialists that Dr.
3:19:29Hernandez previously referenced in phase
3:19:32one as we stabilize and reset and
3:19:35rebuild. Um that includes a long list of
3:19:38benchmarks and outcomes. um for the sake
3:19:41of our presentation I I'll name a few
3:19:43those that I'm particularly passionate
3:19:45about and work with my colleagues on in
3:19:47the school site. So some of those
3:19:49benchmarks include first and foremost
3:19:51ensuring overall compliance with all
3:19:53state and federal requirements. Um
3:19:56secondly we do a rapid diagnostic and we
3:19:58audit uh and review all existing data
3:20:01and school performance metrics. Um and
3:20:04in addition to that we talk to the key
3:20:05school stakeholders. We established
3:20:07baseline performance metrics for the
3:20:09school including deliverables for daily
3:20:11instruction and regular benchmarks not
3:20:14just the annual state testing. We
3:20:16engaged the site leadership uh
3:20:18specifically principal Guthrie
3:20:21in appropriate necessary supports and
3:20:23coaching and communities of practice to
3:20:25ensure leadership retention. Um one of
3:20:28the things that is important to us is
3:20:30when we have great leaders and good
3:20:32leaders, we want to see them grow. We
3:20:34want to see them thrive. We want them to
3:20:35continue. We know that's a hallmark of
3:20:38building a strong school. Another
3:20:40benchmark in phase one is implementing a
3:20:42centralized accessible accountability
3:20:44dashboard with data across all areas of
3:20:46school operations. We know that our
3:20:48principles very much enjoy this and it
3:20:50gives us a place as a network to work
3:20:52with our leaders to make sure that we're
3:20:54we're doing what we're saying we're
3:20:56going to do. We expect what we expect.
3:20:58Um, also in phase one, we're looking at
3:21:01recruiting, retaining, and coaching
3:21:02qualified teachers and secondary
3:21:05leaders.
3:21:06Um, and then just a couple of other
3:21:08benchmarks. In phase one, we we develop
3:21:11and build out the overall school
3:21:12improvement plan and make sure that's
3:21:14aligned to the turnaround priorities
3:21:16that are established by AMS, by the
3:21:18school community, by the authorizer, and
3:21:20the new restart board. Um, from phase
3:21:23one, we shift to phase two. Phase two
3:21:25begins on the first day of school. Uh,
3:21:27and so, um, at AMS North Las Vegas, we
3:21:31will shift to phase two. And during this
3:21:34phase, we're we're augmenting our phase
3:21:36one efforts uh with an explicit focus on
3:21:39execution alignment with our
3:21:41researchbased practices and resources.
3:21:43Um so again, many of the items that Dr.
3:21:46uh Hernandez referenced, those are the
3:21:48pieces that we're in in hyperfocused and
3:21:51and hyperdrive with. We're engaging our
3:21:54school leaders and teachers and staff
3:21:55with ongoing coaching, uh training,
3:21:57progress monitoring, and support. We
3:21:59remain explicit and engaged in
3:22:01partnership using SOPs, real- time and
3:22:04formalized coaching, on-site support and
3:22:06modeling, and then professional
3:22:08development. some of the benchmarks for
3:22:11for phase two um as part of the restart
3:22:14plan and again these are items that I'm
3:22:16passionate about and that we do well and
3:22:18right with AMS we make sure first and
3:22:20foremost that um we are on the ground
3:22:23we're working in partnership we're
3:22:25providing uh we're progress monitoring
3:22:27providing real-time feedback um we know
3:22:29this is an exciting stage because all of
3:22:31the work that happens o during phase one
3:22:33this is when we start to see the fruits
3:22:34of the labor and we see the excitement
3:22:36and the passion and we hear about the
3:22:38difference we're
3:22:39Um, and so some of those items include
3:22:41the school's annual focus, which is
3:22:43based on their data and feedback from
3:22:45the school community, their
3:22:46instructional priorities plan, their
3:22:47strategic operating plan. All of those
3:22:49items get put into action. Other items
3:22:52that we see systematically throughout
3:22:53the year in phase two are the quarterly
3:22:55data cycles with the principal and
3:22:56leadership teams, engaging teachers and
3:23:00leaders and communities of practice,
3:23:01collaboration days, weekly lead and
3:23:03learn sessions, and then um also
3:23:07creating and regularly reviewing school
3:23:09accountability scorecards, whether
3:23:11that's front office scorecards or
3:23:12operation scorecards um so that we're
3:23:15able to see where the school is, how
3:23:17it's performing against standards and
3:23:18and benchmarks and goals. um and and
3:23:21that as we're approaching state
3:23:23accountability, there are no surprises.
3:23:25We we have a clear direction of where
3:23:27we're going and what to expect. Um
3:23:29specifically, as it relates to the
3:23:30Nevada school performance framework, our
3:23:33goal in phase two is to see AMS North
3:23:37Las Vegas to achieve at least three
3:23:40stars. Um the other items that we we
3:23:44expect and expect to be held accountable
3:23:46for in phase two is reviewing and
3:23:48aligning the budget and staffing and
3:23:50professional development plans based on
3:23:52the performance data and then executing
3:23:54updates with fidelity. And then the
3:23:56final piece that that's important as it
3:23:59relates to academics and the overall um
3:24:02organizational health of the school is
3:24:04looking at attendance and reducing
3:24:06chronic absenteeism.
3:24:08Finally, as we look at phase three, we
3:24:11name that as the sustain and excel
3:24:13phase. I also call it the thriving sea
3:24:15sta phase. Um, with our work with
3:24:19schools, this is where we all in in the
3:24:22profession want to see our schools. We
3:24:23want to see our schools thriving. We
3:24:25want to see them um self-directed and
3:24:28leveraging the resources and providing
3:24:30them increased autonomy yet guidance and
3:24:32and yet holding them accountable. Um,
3:24:36and so with AMS North Las Vegas, when we
3:24:39see them hitting phase three, some of
3:24:41those benchmarks or outcomes are going
3:24:42to show up as academic excellence. So we
3:24:45will see that five-star earning that
3:24:47five star achievement, school community
3:24:49pride, the school is fully enrolled with
3:24:51weight list, um, ideally weight list at
3:24:54all grade levels, but seeing weight
3:24:55lists in different areas. We want to see
3:24:59um in terms of our community partners,
3:25:01our parents and families, we want to see
3:25:03them uh we want to see the buyin. We
3:25:06want to see it expanding. We we want to
3:25:08encourage that. We want to make sure
3:25:10that we're maintaining 100% compliance
3:25:12with all state and federal requirements.
3:25:14Also important is high staff retention
3:25:16and leadership retention and continuity.
3:25:19And those are all pieces that we know
3:25:20that build the momentum and the capacity
3:25:22for a school to earn a five-star rating
3:25:24and to maintain it. Um as most of us
3:25:27know culture is developed over time and
3:25:29so as we think about the three phases we
3:25:31we take into account um building that
3:25:35culture that building that culture of
3:25:36excellence with those outcomes. Uh and
3:25:40so I'm going to shift to the next slide
3:25:42please.
3:25:43And so aligned to our phased approach to
3:25:45restart we framed our academic forecasts
3:25:48and goals by year and in congruence to
3:25:50the phases. So the first thing I'd like
3:25:52to note is that the state has not yet re
3:25:55released the grade for the school or the
3:25:57finalized report. However, we are
3:25:59incredibly thankful for the partnership
3:26:01and the support we've received from
3:26:03principal Casey Guthrie. She has shared
3:26:05data with us. Um and so we're able to to
3:26:08present and talk to the fact that we
3:26:10have 25 26 performance data here on the
3:26:13screen. Um based on the data we have
3:26:15from Future Edge, we've been able to
3:26:17forecast a three-year set of improvement
3:26:19goals. um based on this data and to
3:26:22create these goals um we've reviewed not
3:26:24only testing results from the most
3:26:26recent academic year um but but have dug
3:26:28in to look at the bigger picture
3:26:31our overall goal for the restart of
3:26:33future edges to bring the performance of
3:26:34the school up to three stars as I shared
3:26:36earlier u and so um by the end of year
3:26:40three that's that's where we want to see
3:26:42that that success we'll constantly
3:26:45evaluate the results against these goals
3:26:47and work with our school leaders and and
3:26:50our community partners um as we receive
3:26:53not only the summitative data but the
3:26:55formative data sets. Um some items to
3:26:58note as we look at the goals when we
3:26:59look at year one um AMS year 1 we can
3:27:04see here that the percentage of students
3:27:05in the area of ELA um we we um are
3:27:10forecasting about 11 points increase
3:27:12from the previous year. Uh one thing
3:27:15that other than if um what we already
3:27:18know qualitative about principal
3:27:19Guthrie, we can also see in the data
3:27:21that her leadership um is having an
3:27:23impact. So what we know about
3:27:26maintaining um and having continuity of
3:27:28leadership as well as keeping and
3:27:31building up our staff that has a
3:27:33significant impact on academic results
3:27:36and student learning not only on the
3:27:38learning but building the trust and the
3:27:39relationships um between students,
3:27:42families and the school. In the area of
3:27:44math we're projecting almost a 12point
3:27:46increase um from the prior year. And
3:27:50then as we look at the English language
3:27:51learners population, we want to see 15%
3:27:55um advance to advance at least one
3:27:57proficiency level. And then in the area
3:28:00of exceptional education or special
3:28:02education, one thing that's a
3:28:04non-negotiable for us is we expect 100%
3:28:07compliance with the IEPs and measurable
3:28:10growth for students who fall into that
3:28:12population.
3:28:15Um, one item that might have been
3:28:16mentioned earlier and I I'll hit it
3:28:18again. It is a it is a critical piece of
3:28:21our work with our schools and our
3:28:23leaders that we work towards 90% student
3:28:25retention. We know that as students stay
3:28:28with us and grow with us that they make
3:28:31more than a nine month nine months worth
3:28:34of learning. Students who who build
3:28:36trust um and are in schools where the
3:28:39the curriculum is aligned both
3:28:41vertically and horizontally. we see that
3:28:43they make exponential growth. Um, and
3:28:46that's that's not just at AMS. We know
3:28:48that's universal in United States
3:28:49education. So, we want we have a a a
3:28:53mission to make sure that families and
3:28:55students stay with us uh and grow with
3:28:58us. And then also importantly, we know
3:29:01there's impact on having teachers who
3:29:03learn and grow with us too. So, we have
3:29:04an 85% goal set of staff retention. um
3:29:08when we focus on staff and and student
3:29:10retention, we know we get those results
3:29:13and we see that students are learning.
3:29:15We also take a look um at year one at
3:29:18participation extracurricular and clubs.
3:29:20We know it's not just about academics,
3:29:22but having students who are who are
3:29:24engaged and well-rounded uh and involved
3:29:27in learning and and working with their
3:29:29peers in many different arenas as part
3:29:31of school success at AMS.
3:29:34Um and then again um at that point I
3:29:37will shift over uh to Miss Brandy Adams
3:29:40Wrestler who can talk about the
3:29:41structures and systems that will support
3:29:43our academic approach.
3:29:45>> Thank you Charlie Brandy Adams for the
3:29:48record. Sorry I jumped the gun on you a
3:29:50little bit. I have the opportunity to
3:29:52quickly discuss our operational plans.
3:29:55So, uh, AMS National as the restart
3:29:58provider has a great local board and we
3:30:01look forward to partnering with them to
3:30:04make sure that this is a smooth
3:30:06transition. All of our leadership team
3:30:08is going to focus on our short-term
3:30:11goals, which Charlie just did a great
3:30:13job walking through the three phases of
3:30:16our restor restart. Um, so really a huge
3:30:19focus on compliance initially and
3:30:22ensuring again that that partnership
3:30:25between our existing school and the
3:30:27future North Vegas school is in place
3:30:30and ultimately our long-term goal is to
3:30:32ensure that uh students have an
3:30:35opportunity to receive
3:30:37u an excellent education. So uh I want
3:30:40to shift to school leadership which we
3:30:42all know is a key component in a
3:30:45successful school and uh we very
3:30:49critical decision to make. In this case
3:30:51we were extremely fortunate that Casey
3:30:55is already in place at the campus. Uh
3:30:58she's a strong leader. we have all of
3:31:01the faith in the world and I did just
3:31:03want her to take a moment to talk about
3:31:07her experience and her plans at the
3:31:10campus. I asked her to speak um so that
3:31:12she can be a part of this really um
3:31:14exciting and positive next step uh in in
3:31:18the process. So Casey, I'll just turn it
3:31:20over to you to brag about yourself a
3:31:22little bit.
3:31:24>> Thank you Randy. Uh Casey Guthrie for
3:31:26the record. I have been um I'll save my
3:31:29emotions and tears. That was last board
3:31:31meeting. But um I think I've been at the
3:31:33school site for 11 years. Um I discussed
3:31:36that earlier as a teacher. Those the
3:31:39community really um is why I'm there. Um
3:31:43I think that the students and the
3:31:45families [clears throat] deserve uh a
3:31:48five-star education. Um, and I think
3:31:52just over the last month, the
3:31:56transparency, I think their core values
3:31:58at AMS really um, speak to what we are
3:32:01doing at Future Edge and moving forward
3:32:04with our families is being vulnerable,
3:32:06being candid, and being kind. Um, is
3:32:09what our families are really looking for
3:32:11and our staff um, to continue uh, the
3:32:15journey. I will say and can share that a
3:32:18majority of our families are returning.
3:32:19We are at 300 students enrolled for the
3:32:22upcoming school year and um all of the
3:32:26staff that had indicated prior to all
3:32:28the changes taking place over the summer
3:32:29are still returning to the school site
3:32:31for um back to their jobs. Um, and I
3:32:35think that that speaks volumes to um the
3:32:38dedication that even um the school
3:32:41leadership team and the staff have um in
3:32:44trusting the process to make sure that
3:32:46the school remains open for students in
3:32:49our bigger community to have a school
3:32:52site that they've been coming to for
3:32:55potentially 20 years as their families.
3:32:57Um, I think that's one of the fun things
3:32:59at working at that school for so long is
3:33:01like now I have previous students that
3:33:03were in eighth grade when I started
3:33:05working there that are like 25 picking
3:33:06up their cousins in the carline and
3:33:08that's really the community that um we
3:33:11serve is very familiial and is um the
3:33:14special thing about future edge that I
3:33:16think um when we're talking about a
3:33:19school closure or the next steps is um
3:33:22there is a reason for future edge to be
3:33:24there and there is a reason for the
3:33:25school to continue to operate serving um
3:33:28the population that we do serve uh and
3:33:31to continue to provide excellent
3:33:32education and continue to up the
3:33:35standards and the expectations for not
3:33:38only myself but my team and my teachers
3:33:40um because that is what our students do
3:33:42deserve.
3:33:45>> Thank you, Casey. Uh she's also humble.
3:33:48Her staff love her. Uh they're excited
3:33:50to continue to work for her. And so, um,
3:33:53this piece and the restart plan, it's
3:33:56just a slam dunk. We're we're really
3:33:58excited about Casey, uh, being a part of
3:34:00our family. So, uh, talking about
3:34:03staffing, again, along with Casey's
3:34:06expertise and plans to continue on with
3:34:08the campus, she has excellent staff
3:34:11already in place. She's an excellent uh,
3:34:15uh, instructional leader um, and a
3:34:17strong manager. And so we're also
3:34:20confident that a lot of her current
3:34:22staff will remain on with us the
3:34:25following school year. So to that end,
3:34:28uh we will apply the same three-phase
3:34:30approach to our staffing. But ultimately
3:34:33our goal is to ensure that again this
3:34:36process is transparent and comfortable
3:34:39for everyone involved. We really want
3:34:41the current uh future edge staff to
3:34:43become familiar with what AMS is all
3:34:46about and make the the decision to
3:34:49confidently sign on with us next year.
3:34:52So, we are excited about them joining
3:34:55our family as well. And um we plan on
3:34:59opening next year fully staffed and and
3:35:02fully enrolled just like we did at uh we
3:35:04will at AMS Nellis this year.
3:35:08Uh so as I mentioned before and I'll go
3:35:10really quickly because we've hit on this
3:35:12quite a bit. We are really passionate
3:35:14about family and community engagement.
3:35:16And so we intend to leverage the
3:35:19partnerships we've already built in
3:35:22Nevada to assist AMS North Las Vegas in
3:35:26their goal of being a community school.
3:35:28And once again, uh, Casey is already
3:35:30very well connected in the community and
3:35:33will bring a lot of partnerships and,
3:35:35uh, community engagement to the school
3:35:37as well. So, we anticipate the same
3:35:40strong community showing to be the case
3:35:43at at AMS North Las Vegas.
3:35:47So, I will kick it back over to Eric so
3:35:50he can talk about the financial plan.
3:35:52>> Yeah, Eric Greenberg, uh, CEO for the
3:35:54record. Um, I know we've taken up a lot
3:35:57of your time. We'll go quick here. We
3:35:59have a a finance team of a little over
3:36:0210 individuals led by our chief
3:36:04financial officer, Katie Deerman. Uh our
3:36:06approach to finances is one of a lot of
3:36:09non-negotiables. Uh we're very specific
3:36:12in our approach to make sure that
3:36:13financial controls are very rigorous and
3:36:16accurate. Um we do have a conservative
3:36:19financial planning uh approach to ensure
3:36:21balanced and sustainable budgets. Uh
3:36:24this has resulted in our Arizona AMS
3:36:26network of 12 schools to be in excess of
3:36:29150 days cash on hand and that's all due
3:36:32to a comprehensive school operations
3:36:34approach but also very strong financial
3:36:36planning with no audit findings. We uh
3:36:39fully intend and expect to operate uh
3:36:42the schools in or the the future AMS
3:36:46North Nevada school or North Vegas
3:36:47school in the same in the same regard.
3:36:50uh our approach to to to financing and
3:36:52and school budgeting is also a part of
3:36:56the academic plan that you just heard to
3:36:58make sure that all of our staff and
3:37:00students have the resources they need to
3:37:02accomplish their individual goals but
3:37:04also accomplish the goals that we set
3:37:05out for the school. Uh we've heard a lot
3:37:09today and uh of other schools and some
3:37:12financial difficulties that some have
3:37:14experienced uh as we go throughout this
3:37:17year and as Brandy as the administrator
3:37:19goes throughout this year making sure
3:37:21that the future edge financial situation
3:37:24uh stays stable and we close that out.
3:37:26We're going to make sure that moving
3:37:28into this new opportunity and uh the
3:37:30lease that we signed with the with
3:37:32Rosemar, the bond holder that you heard
3:37:33today is one uh that will allow the
3:37:36school to be financially stable uh and
3:37:40to start and build cash. And uh at
3:37:42future moments when we submit those
3:37:44budgets, you'll you'll see that with
3:37:45anticipated enrollment uh
3:37:49that that's more conducive to the market
3:37:51that um that the school is in. Uh so
3:37:54that's our overall financial plan and
3:37:56like I said very conservative approach
3:37:58but one with many negotiables and with
3:38:02that we we turn back uh turn the time
3:38:04back over to you Mr. Chair.
3:38:07>> Thank you very much for the
3:38:09presentation. We'll bring it back to the
3:38:11board for questions.
3:38:14Any questions from board colleagues for
3:38:16AMS
3:38:22member?
3:38:24remember for the record. I love that you
3:38:26looked at me like of course she has a
3:38:27question. Um uh my first question was
3:38:29just a point of clarity. So in the
3:38:32framework for uh proficiency um growth
3:38:37you highlighted year one, year two, year
3:38:38three um and you referenced that there
3:38:41would be a growth over the previous
3:38:43year. I just wanted to clarify what year
3:38:451 constitutes. Is that the 2627 school
3:38:48year or the 2728 school year?
3:38:54Uh Brandy Adams, for the record, I
3:38:57believe that that would be after AMS was
3:39:00in place and would be able to have our
3:39:03programs up and running. Uh although we
3:39:06do intend to support Casey through this
3:39:10next year, we're very aware of what our
3:39:13status is and our responsibilities
3:39:15throughout this year. Any growth we get
3:39:17will be um you know, for sure bonus, but
3:39:21uh until we're fully in control of the
3:39:25uh processes that are in place, we um
3:39:29probably wouldn't make such bold
3:39:30declarations until after we were there
3:39:32and really working
3:39:35with her.
3:39:36>> Perfect. Remember member for the record,
3:39:38I just want to say thank you. I just
3:39:39wanted to clarify that and make sure
3:39:40that that was on the record um because I
3:39:42assumed as such, but it wasn't positive.
3:39:45So, thanks.
3:39:46>> Great clarification. Thank you.
3:39:49>> Thank you, Member Addis. Member Stern.
3:39:52>> Member Stern, for the record, as a
3:39:54followup to um member Addis's question,
3:39:57this is probably for SBCSA staff uh more
3:40:00so than AMS. During this transitional
3:40:04year,
3:40:06would the school be operating as an AMS
3:40:09school given that year one would be the
3:40:11year? Like, who is the school this year?
3:40:14Are they future edge? Are they AMS? What
3:40:17what are are they something else? I I
3:40:19guess I just I'm unclear on what that
3:40:22>> Yeah, Melissa Mcdan for the record,
3:40:24great question. It is confusing. So, for
3:40:27this remaining year, they will be um
3:40:30future edge. This they are in their
3:40:32final year of operation under the
3:40:35administrator Brandy Adams. Then next
3:40:38school year, they will restart with a
3:40:40new contract
3:40:42um under AMS name TBD.
3:40:48member Stern for the record. Okay. So, I
3:40:50appreciate that clarification. So, um
3:40:53AMS would be involved with the school
3:40:56this year in so far as preparing for the
3:40:58following year. Miss Adams would be
3:41:00involved this year as the closing
3:41:02administrator and then obviously in a
3:41:05dual role in support of AMS, but the
3:41:07school would be operating and their data
3:41:10that we would be collecting um as an
3:41:12entity and as a board would be under the
3:41:15future edge. So, the accountability for
3:41:18Um, those decisions would still be
3:41:20futurized.
3:41:21>> Exactly.
3:41:22>> Have that right.
3:41:23>> Yep. You've got it. Perfect.
3:41:25>> I appreciate that clarification.
3:41:28>> Thank you, member Stern. Any other
3:41:30questions from board colleagues?
3:41:35I'm not seeing any hands online.
3:41:38Okay. I will um bring it back for a
3:41:41motion which is um on our online with
3:41:45our board packet and the recommendation
3:41:47memo for agenda item number eight. Um
3:41:52it's a little bit of a lengthy one, but
3:41:53I will entertain a motion.
3:42:00Uh, Vice Chair Whitaker will move to
3:42:03selectmies of math and science AMS as
3:42:06the entity to restart Future Edge
3:42:09Academy pursuant to NAC 388A
3:42:13347.
3:42:15Uh, one move to approvemies of math and
3:42:19science scienc's future edge restart
3:42:22plan as an ex expediated request to
3:42:26amend the existing SPSA
3:42:30sponsored charter contract for expansion
3:42:32pursuant to NAC 388A
3:42:374 or 3471A.
3:42:41approved the addition the addition of
3:42:43the restart future ed academy as an AMS
3:42:47campus beginning with the 202728
3:42:51school year and authorize SPCSA staff to
3:42:55finalize the charter contract amendment.
3:42:58The charter contract term applicable to
3:43:00the restart future edge campus will
3:43:04commence with the 2027 2028 school year.
3:43:08Approval is subject to timely execution
3:43:10of the amendment and satisfaction of all
3:43:13applicable pre-opening
3:43:15requirements including the following
3:43:18school specific conditions. Unique
3:43:21conditions include by May 1st, 2027
3:43:24provide evidence that a school leader
3:43:27has been identified and hired at a
3:43:30public meeting compliant with Nevada
3:43:33Open Meeting Law NRS241.
3:43:36to by June 1st, 2027. Provide evidence
3:43:40of repayment plan acceptable to
3:43:44Ros Mos romar um
3:43:49addressing 100 academy DBA future edge
3:43:53academyy's outstanding bond obligations
3:43:56and related facility arrangements.
3:44:00Three, by June 8th, 2027, submit a board
3:44:04approved final budget that includes
3:44:06revenue based on the fully enrolled
3:44:09student count at the time
3:44:12of the board approval and accurately
3:44:16incorporates expenses including the
3:44:18facility cost. Four, complete the SPCSA
3:44:22pre-opening process for new facilities
3:44:25for the AMS North Vegas campus.
3:44:30that last.
3:44:31>> Oh,
3:44:34>> if approved.
3:44:34>> Oh, if approved, the AMS enrollment caps
3:44:37will include the following.
3:44:40Do I need to
3:44:43>> council? Does he need to read that whole
3:44:45chart?
3:44:48>> He does not need to read the whole
3:44:49chart.
3:44:51>> We see the chart.
3:44:53>> I'm looking for a second.
3:44:55>> Addis for the record. I'll second.
3:44:57>> All those in favor, please say I. I
3:44:59>> I
3:45:01>> Any opposed?
3:45:04Motion carries unanimously. Thank you
3:45:06very much. We're very much looking
3:45:08forward to seeing things be turned
3:45:10around and um feeling hopeful for the
3:45:12future. So, we appreciate uh your
3:45:14commitment to that to our students. All
3:45:17right, that closes out agenda item
3:45:19number eight. Um we are going to take a
3:45:2210-minute break so that um a certain
3:45:25chair can hit the vending machine and um
3:45:28we'll come back and then we'll actually
3:45:30look at agenda item number 12 as that's
3:45:33for possible action. So we will come
3:45:36back at uh 1256.
3:45:39Thank you.
3:56:04All right, it is 12:56. Calling the
3:56:07meeting back to order. We will open up
3:56:11agenda item number 12. Again, taking
3:56:13things out of order, uh the review of
3:56:15the SPCSA strategic plan key initiatives
3:56:18and 2007 key initiatives. Um back to
3:56:21you, Director McAden.
3:56:25>> [clears throat]
3:56:26>> Sorry, I forgot that I was next that we
3:56:29changed the agenda. Um, [snorts]
3:56:32okay. Let's see. Oh, I need to Oh, I'm
3:56:34very illprepared. I'm so sorry, chair.
3:56:36Give me two seconds to pull this up. And
3:56:39>> we'll take another 10-minute recess.
3:56:41>> That won't work.
3:56:43>> I'm just kidding. Just kidding.
3:57:59Okay, it looks like the IT team is
3:58:01working their magic. I am so grateful to
3:58:03them. Thank you, IT team. Uh, Melissa
3:58:06McAdan for the record. Um, as the board
3:58:09will recall, the SPCSA approved its 2025
3:58:122020 2030 strategic plan in December of
3:58:162024. The strategic plan established a
3:58:18series of annual key initiatives
3:58:20designed to advance the authorities's
3:58:22long-term goals and strategic
3:58:23priorities. Today, we will review the
3:58:25progress made towards those initiatives
3:58:27over the past year, celebrate the work
3:58:29that has been accomplished, and identify
3:58:30areas where new or revised key
3:58:32initiatives may be appropriate to ensure
3:58:34the strategic plan remains responsive to
3:58:37the evolving needs of Nevada's charter
3:58:39school sector.
3:58:42The key initiatives throughout this
3:58:44presentation will be in the orange font.
3:58:48So this first key initiative was uh
3:58:51related to goal number one and it was
3:58:53that we will um
3:58:57excuse me well that we will conduct
3:58:58regular site evaluations of SPCSA
3:59:01sponsored schools with a focus on
3:59:02effective board governance and
3:59:04educational programming.
3:59:07The some of the ways that we did that
3:59:08was the site evaluation team this year
3:59:10for the first time um they reviewed
3:59:13recorded board meetings in advance of
3:59:16each visit which allowed them to have
3:59:18you know more informed observations and
3:59:20more meaningful discussions with each
3:59:23with each school's um leaders and boards
3:59:25in their focus groups. We refined
3:59:28governing body focus group protocols
3:59:30during those site visits and then each
3:59:33board was asked to identify strategic
3:59:36priorities and areas for growth during
3:59:38those uh site visits. The second key
3:59:42initiative was to codify expectations
3:59:44for strong governance and training for
3:59:47charter school board members including
3:59:49open meeting law.
3:59:51And the [clears throat] ways that we did
3:59:52this was we have increased our moni
3:59:55monitoring of board agendas and minutes
3:59:57including notes and feedback related to
3:59:59quality. And we've worked closely with
4:00:01schools on monitoring open meeting law
4:00:03requirements and providing early
4:00:05feedback to ensure all inquir
4:00:07requirements are satisfied.
4:00:10The key initiative on this slide was
4:00:12related to goal number two around
4:00:14equitable access to charter schools. And
4:00:17that key initiative was to monitor and
4:00:18report the number of English language
4:00:20learners who reach English language
4:00:23proficiency as measured by the WEDA. The
4:00:26first number I'd like to draw your
4:00:28attention to is the statewide
4:00:30proficiency. I'm going to kind of use my
4:00:32mouse here to draw your attention
4:00:34because I know there's a lot of numbers
4:00:35there. Um is the statewide proficiency
4:00:38rate of 9.6%
4:00:40compared with the SPCASA portfolio rate
4:00:43of 12.6%.
4:00:45In other words, English language
4:00:46learners in SPCSA sponsored schools are
4:00:49attaining English proficiency at a
4:00:51higher rate than in the statewide
4:00:53average. What's even more encouraging is
4:00:55that 23 SPCSA campuses posted
4:00:58proficiency rates that are at least
4:01:00double the state average. That's an
4:01:03outstanding accomplishment and
4:01:04represents meaningful progress for
4:01:06hundreds of students learning English.
4:01:08At the same time, these data illustrate
4:01:10an important nuance. When a student
4:01:13demonstrates English proficiency on the
4:01:15WEDIA assessment, that student exits
4:01:18English learner status and is no longer
4:01:21counted as an English learner in future
4:01:23years. Take Somerset Alley Anti for
4:01:26example.
4:01:28More than 43% of its tested English
4:01:31learners attained proficiency this year.
4:01:33That's an exceptional outcome and
4:01:35exactly what we want for students.
4:01:37However, because so many students
4:01:39successfully exited English learner
4:01:42status, the school's reported English
4:01:44learner enrollment will likely decline
4:01:46in the subsequent year. That creates an
4:01:49important consideration when we evaluate
4:01:51equitable access. A school that is
4:01:54highly successful is helping students
4:01:55become proficient in English may over
4:01:58time appear to serve a smaller
4:02:00percentage of English learners. Without
4:02:03considering student outcomes alongside
4:02:05enrollment data, we risk overlooking
4:02:08schools that are producing exceptional
4:02:11results for these students. This is
4:02:13precisely why this key initiative is so
4:02:15important. Looking beyond enrollment
4:02:17percentages and examining student
4:02:19outcomes gives the board a more complete
4:02:21picture of how effectively our schools
4:02:23are serving English learners.
4:02:27The second key initiative related to
4:02:29equitable access was to ensure that data
4:02:32related to specific subgroups academic
4:02:34performance compared to the state and
4:02:36the school are made accessible. The
4:02:38first thing I'd like to point out is
4:02:39that the SPCSA portfolio and excuse me,
4:02:43let me back up. This slide is related to
4:02:44the Smarter Balance grades 3 through 8
4:02:47ELA and math proficiency. The first
4:02:50thing I'd like to point out is that the
4:02:51SPCSA's portfolio outperforms the
4:02:54statewide average. not only overall but
4:02:56across nearly every student subgroup in
4:02:58both English language arts and math.
4:03:00That includes English learners,
4:03:02economically disadvantaged students,
4:03:04students with disabilities, and students
4:03:05from multiple race and ethnic
4:03:07backgrounds. This is important because
4:03:09it demonstrates that our schools are not
4:03:11simply producing strong overall results.
4:03:13They are producing stronger outcomes for
4:03:15many of the students who have who have
4:03:17historically been underserved. Our goal
4:03:19is not simply to report proficiency
4:03:22rates. It is to ensure that when we
4:03:24discuss equitable access, we also
4:03:26discuss equitable outcomes.
4:03:29These next two slides break those same
4:03:31results down by the remaining campuses.
4:03:33I don't expect everyone to read every
4:03:35number on the screen. Instead, these
4:03:37tables are intended to provide
4:03:38transparency and allow schools to
4:03:41compare their performance to both the
4:03:43state average and the SPCSA portfolio
4:03:46average. One of the strengths of our
4:03:48portfolio is that we have schools
4:03:49demonstrating that high levels of
4:03:51achievement are possible across many
4:03:53different student populations. Those
4:03:56schools provide valuable examples of
4:03:58practices that can be shared throughout
4:04:01the portfolio.
4:04:02Those are the last few schools on that
4:04:04slide. We see a similar pattern when we
4:04:07look at ACT performance for our high
4:04:10schools. So this slide is looking at a
4:04:13high schools. Overall, SPCSA students
4:04:16outperform the statewide average in both
4:04:17English language arts and mathematics.
4:04:19And many student subgroups also perform
4:04:21above their statewide peers. While there
4:04:23is still work to do, these results
4:04:25suggest that our high schools are
4:04:26helping students make meaningful
4:04:28academic progress and preparing them for
4:04:30success beyond graduation. Again, this
4:04:32is exactly why we choose to include this
4:04:34as a key initiative in the strategic
4:04:36plan. Looking at subgroup performance
4:04:39provides a much more complete picture of
4:04:41school quality than looking at overall
4:04:43averages.
4:04:45This slide provides the additional
4:04:47campus level data just as it did with
4:04:49the smarter balance slides previously.
4:04:56This is our third goal and the last two
4:04:59key initiatives that we had. The first
4:05:01was that we would refine the budget and
4:05:03staffing model including staffing to
4:05:05combine site visits and riskbased
4:05:07monitoring and that we would build and
4:05:09implement pathways to streamline the
4:05:11approval of high performing schools.
4:05:15We did [clears throat] combine site
4:05:16visits and riskbased monitoring for the
4:05:18first time this year. I want to
4:05:19recognize the outstanding work of our
4:05:21grants unit, school support team and
4:05:23site visit team all of whom adapted very
4:05:26quickly to implement this change. When I
4:05:28joined the authority, one of the
4:05:30consistent themes I heard from school
4:05:32leaders was the need for a more
4:05:34efficient and coordinated process.
4:05:37Rather than waiting another year to
4:05:39implement improvements, we decided to
4:05:41move forward recognizing that we would
4:05:43continue refining the process as we
4:05:45learned. Having opened a charter school
4:05:48myself, I'm comfortable with an
4:05:49iterative approach, launching a
4:05:52thoughtful process, evaluating what
4:05:54works, and making adjustments along the
4:05:56way. That approach can understandably be
4:05:59uncomfortable, particularly for staff
4:06:00who are accustomed to having every
4:06:02detail finalized before implementation.
4:06:05I appreciate their willingness to
4:06:06embrace the change. While the process
4:06:08was not perfect, it was successful and
4:06:10we learned a tremendous amount about
4:06:12what will strengthen next year's applica
4:06:14or next year's uh not application cycle,
4:06:17excuse me, next year's uh site visit
4:06:19process. Our second key initiative under
4:06:22goal three was to build pathways for
4:06:24high performing schools. To accomplish
4:06:26that, we released the separate request
4:06:29for qualifications for both instate and
4:06:32outofstate proven providers. The instate
4:06:35RFQ was released on an accelerated
4:06:37timeline because we were exploring
4:06:39options for a young charter school that
4:06:41was preparing to surrender its charter
4:06:43contract. Although do we did not receive
4:06:45any applications through that process,
4:06:47it allowed us to establish the framework
4:06:49for f future instate proven provider
4:06:52applications. Several months later, we
4:06:55released the outofstate RFQ. That
4:06:58process was intentionally rigorous and
4:07:00included a two-phase evaluation designed
4:07:02to identify only organizations with
4:07:04exceptional records of performance and
4:07:07organizational capacity. Multiple
4:07:09organizations applied, but only one
4:07:11successfully completed both phases. The
4:07:14Academy is of math of science. Having
4:07:16now worked with AMS through the two
4:07:18restart processes, I am more convinced
4:07:21that establishing a high bar was the
4:07:23right decision. Restarting or expanding
4:07:26a high-erforming charter school is
4:07:28extraordinarily complex work. It
4:07:30requires not only a strong academic
4:07:32model, but also significant operational
4:07:35capacity, financial expertise, and the
4:07:38ability to execute countless details
4:07:40successfully. The rigor of the proven
4:07:42provider process gives me confidence
4:07:44that organizations approved through this
4:07:46pathway are prepared to meet those
4:07:48challenges.
4:07:51As a reminder, all of our key
4:07:52initiatives fall into one of four
4:07:54categories: proactive oversight,
4:07:56strategic growth, expanded support, and
4:07:59recognizing progress. For goal one, we
4:08:02are recommending two key initiatives for
4:08:04the coming year. The first is to fully
4:08:07leverage our new supervisor management
4:08:09analyst position which we just filled
4:08:12honestly I think about a week ago. This
4:08:15position is dedicated to building strong
4:08:17relationships with newly authorized
4:08:19schools and their governing boards
4:08:21providing support as they establish
4:08:23effective governance practices and
4:08:25helping boards understand and implement
4:08:27the SPCSA's governance standards from
4:08:29the outset. The second initiative is to
4:08:32continue monitoring governing board
4:08:35activities for compliance with Nevada's
4:08:37open meeting law. This is not a one-year
4:08:39effort, but rather an ongoing commitment
4:08:41to strengthening governance across our
4:08:43portfolio. We have already seen
4:08:45meaningful improvements in board
4:08:46practices, and we believe continued
4:08:48monitoring, guidance, and support will
4:08:50help schools build on the progress over
4:08:53time.
4:08:56The key initiatives for goal number two
4:08:59that we are recommending are to
4:09:01maintaining the same key initiatives for
4:09:03the entirety of the strategic plan so
4:09:06that we can continue to measure progress
4:09:08over time. Meaningful trends emerge
4:09:11through consistent measurement and we
4:09:13believe it is important to build on the
4:09:14baseline we established this year. As
4:09:17we've discussed this morning, when we
4:09:19talk about equitable access, we should
4:09:22not focus solely on who enrolls in our
4:09:24schools. We should also consider whether
4:09:26students are achieving strong academic
4:09:28outcomes once they are there.
4:09:30Accordingly, for the 2627 school year,
4:09:33we recommend continuing our first key
4:09:36initiative under the recognizing
4:09:39progress and proactive oversight
4:09:40strategies by monitoring and reporting
4:09:43on the number of English language
4:09:44learners who attain English language
4:09:46proficiency as measured by the WEDA
4:09:50assessment
4:09:51and that we ensure that data related to
4:09:53specific subgroups, academic performance
4:09:56compared to the state and school are
4:09:57made accessible.
4:10:01Our final key initiatives fall under
4:10:03goal three. The SPCSA is committed to
4:10:05being a responsive organization. Both of
4:10:08these proposed key initiatives align
4:10:10with the strategic plans expanded
4:10:12support strategy because they focus on
4:10:14improving how we serve schools, the
4:10:17board, and our stakeholders. The SPCSA
4:10:20applied for and was awarded a 22 thou
4:10:23$23,000
4:10:25financial operating and efficiency grant
4:10:27from the Nevada Department of Education.
4:10:29We are in negotiations now with a vendor
4:10:32to help us develop a communication
4:10:34strategy. I know that is music to chair
4:10:36thick pins ears. The first initiative is
4:10:39to evaluate and improve on internal
4:10:41meeting structures and procedures. Over
4:10:44the past few years, we've grown as an
4:10:47organization, and it's important that
4:10:48our internal processes continue to
4:10:51evolve as well. By improving how we
4:10:53coordinate across teams and make
4:10:55decisions, we'll be better positioned to
4:10:57provide timely, consistent, and
4:10:58highquality support to our schools. The
4:11:01second initiative is to evaluate and
4:11:03improve on external communications with
4:11:05schools, the authority board, and other
4:11:07key stakeholders. Neither of these
4:11:09initiatives is as visible as opening a
4:11:12new school or reporting academic
4:11:14results, but they are foundational to
4:11:16becoming the responsive serviceoriented
4:11:18organization envisioned in our strategic
4:11:20plan. By [snorts] strengthening both our
4:11:22internal operations and our external
4:11:24communications, we will be better
4:11:26equipped to support schools and
4:11:27ultimately better serve Nevada students.
4:11:31And with that, I am happy to answer any
4:11:34questions. It's of course dawning on me
4:11:36that I did not give you a proposed
4:11:37motion, which would be when you're
4:11:39ready, when the time is right after your
4:11:41questions to approve the key initiatives
4:11:43as presented in the presentation.
4:11:48>> Thank you, Director Mcin. You read my
4:11:49mind. Um, okay. We're going back to the
4:11:53board for questions or comments.
4:12:04Oh, member Salceto. Okay, I saw you come
4:12:07off mute for some reason. Just pressing
4:12:09buttons over there.
4:12:11>> Getting ready for a motion.
4:12:12>> Okay, [laughter] perfect. I will comment
4:12:15and say I am excited about the um
4:12:17communication strategy. So, that's
4:12:19great. Um okay, thank you so much. Um
4:12:23when you're ready, member Salceto.
4:12:26>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um I make a motion
4:12:30that we approve the key initiatives as
4:12:32presented.
4:12:35Do I have a second?
4:12:38>> Vice Chair Whitaker will second.
4:12:40>> All those in favor, please say I.
4:12:42>> I.
4:12:42>> I.
4:12:43>> I.
4:12:44>> Any opposed?
4:12:46Motion carries unanimously. Thank you
4:12:48very much. Uh, Director Mcadin and team
4:12:50for all the hard work. These stats are
4:12:52very, very reassuring. So, we appreciate
4:12:54it. All right. Let me make sure that
4:12:57I've got us back in order after moving
4:12:59things around. I think we're going to go
4:13:01back to agenda item number 10, the SPCSA
4:13:07prek programs.
4:13:10This is with Miss Marina Cutler.
4:13:16All right,
4:13:18let them make their way up.
4:13:21Good afternoon, chair, trustees,
4:13:23director Macedon, and staff. Um, I'm
4:13:26Connie Zeller for the record and we're
4:13:28so pleased to be able to provide you
4:13:30with an update this afternoon about our
4:13:31early learning work conducted by our
4:13:33staff and schools. To share a bit about
4:13:36myself, I've been supporting charter
4:13:38schools in Nevada for over 10 years in a
4:13:40variety of roles, including principal,
4:13:42director, and currently early childhood
4:13:44programs for the SBCSA.
4:13:47Additionally, I had the opportunity to
4:13:48serve as a trustee for Elco County
4:13:50School District's board uh for a number
4:13:52of years and really appreciate your work
4:13:54and your dedication. So, thank you for
4:13:56your time today. Uh presenting with me
4:13:58today, we also have Marina Cutler who's
4:14:00director of school support and has been
4:14:03instrumental in sustaining growth and
4:14:04quality of our early programs. And then
4:14:07we also have Paige Peek joining us who
4:14:09is our fiscal grants analyst. She
4:14:11supports all of our all of our early
4:14:12learning grants and numerous others and
4:14:15her attention to detail and timeliness
4:14:17has played a large role in the growth
4:14:19and success of our early learning
4:14:21programs. To tell you a bit about our
4:14:23presentation today to scope it out,
4:14:25we'll start with Marina. She's going to
4:14:26share a background of early childhood
4:14:28education and our programs including our
4:14:30growth. We'll have a brief fiscal update
4:14:32from Paige including our grant sources
4:14:34and funds received. and then I will
4:14:37finish up sharing our most recent
4:14:39assessment data and looking forward
4:14:41including state initiatives. So with
4:14:43that I'll turn the time over to Marina.
4:14:48>> Good afternoon Chair Thigpen and members
4:14:51of the board. My name is Marina Cutler
4:14:53and I have the pleasure of serving as
4:14:54the director of school support at the
4:14:56SPCSA. Um this afternoon we wanted to
4:14:58share a bit about our early childhood
4:15:00programs. And I'd first like to focus us
4:15:03on why early childhood programs are so
4:15:06important and why we've invested uh
4:15:09people and staff um to support with this
4:15:12incredibly significant work.
4:15:15Through countless research studies, we
4:15:17know that students who attend
4:15:18high-quality early childhood programs
4:15:20have opportunities to practice social
4:15:22emotional regulation and are more likely
4:15:24to grow up to become lifelong learners
4:15:27and highquality contributing members of
4:15:29our society. And we also know that if we
4:15:31have students um in our buildings
4:15:33earlier, we can support in the work of
4:15:36identifying students who may need
4:15:37additional supports early on. Early
4:15:40identification and intervention can
4:15:41reduce the cost of intervention long
4:15:44term.
4:15:45Um, and lastly, early childhood programs
4:15:47prepare students for kindergarten and
4:15:49the rest of their academic career. Um,
4:15:51supporting students with being on grade
4:15:53level since they're more likely to start
4:15:55on grade level. Um, we can move to the
4:15:58next slide. Thank you. Uh, in order to
4:16:00better define quality, I'd like to touch
4:16:02on some elements that ensure our
4:16:04programs are actually uh, making the
4:16:06difference for our students. And the
4:16:08first is that our prek classrooms often
4:16:10look significantly different than our K
4:16:12to2 classrooms.
4:16:14um as they should. Uh our pre-K
4:16:17classrooms are center-based and focused
4:16:19on having rich classroom environments
4:16:21for students to interact with. In a
4:16:23pre-K classroom, you would likely see
4:16:26centers um like a science center with a
4:16:30balance or measuring tapes or animals or
4:16:32natural materials. Um, you might also
4:16:34see dramatic a dramatic play center with
4:16:37kitchen tools, dress up clothes, um, a
4:16:40play clo cash register, all of those
4:16:42types of materials for students to
4:16:44interact with. Um, these rich
4:16:46intentional environments provide a space
4:16:48for our students to learn through play.
4:16:51Um, second is um, hands-on dynamic
4:16:54instruction. Our students are the ones
4:16:57doing the learning through exploration
4:17:00and play. Um teachers are not delivering
4:17:02information to students through a sort
4:17:04of stage stage on the stage uh model um
4:17:08where you may see a teacher in front of
4:17:10a classroom lecturing. Uh in high
4:17:13quality early childhood environments,
4:17:14students are learning through hands-on
4:17:16exploration and play and teachers
4:17:18facilitate and guide this learning with
4:17:21intentional prompts and interactions. Um
4:17:24high-quality prek programs also include
4:17:27reduced studenttoteer ratios. Um so 10
4:17:31students to every teacher or less than
4:17:34that. Um our programs uh also um
4:17:38participate in the quality rating
4:17:41improvement system Q um which is the
4:17:44system by which uh preK programs are
4:17:47rated in the state of Nevada. And we're
4:17:49happy to report that all of our um
4:17:51programs that have participated in this
4:17:53rating system have received a five-star
4:17:55rating uh which is the highest rating of
4:17:57quality for an early childhood program.
4:18:00Um this is definitely an accomplishment
4:18:02to celebrate and one that requires a lot
4:18:05of hard work from our schools
4:18:07can advance.
4:18:09Perfect. Um so getting into some
4:18:11numbers, our early childhood programs
4:18:13make up a small but growing subset of
4:18:15our students at the SPCSA. Um, in 2024
4:18:19we had just 250 early childhood seats at
4:18:22two charter holders. Um, this past year
4:18:24we nearly doubled to 448
4:18:27seats at six charter holders. Um, and as
4:18:30we move into this upcoming school year,
4:18:32we will have 708 seats at 10 charter
4:18:35holders. So, as you can see, we're
4:18:37growing quickly. Um, I'm now going to
4:18:40pass it over to Paige Pek, who will talk
4:18:43a little bit about our um, early
4:18:44childhood program funding.
4:18:48Great. Paige Peek for the record. Thank
4:18:51you, Marina. Good afternoon, Chair Thick
4:18:53Pen and members of the board. Um, as
4:18:55stated, my name is Paige Pek, and I am
4:18:57the contracted grants and projects
4:18:59analysts assigned to our early childhood
4:19:01education grant programs. Um, I would
4:19:03like to provide just a brief overview of
4:19:05the three main sources of funding for
4:19:07our early learning programs. So the
4:19:09first of which is actually from last
4:19:11fiscal year FY26 and this is the
4:19:14infrastructure expansion grant. In FY26,
4:19:18six SPCSA sponsored charter schools were
4:19:20awarded competitive funding for the
4:19:22early childhood infrastructure expansion
4:19:24grant. The primary goal of this grant is
4:19:27to expand equitable access to
4:19:28highquality early childhood education in
4:19:31Nevada by funding infrastructure
4:19:33projects that directly support the
4:19:35creation and sustainability of Nevada
4:19:37ready prek pre preschool seats. Excuse
4:19:40me. Um, six schools that were funded are
4:19:44Civica Nevada Career and Collegiate
4:19:46Academy, Muturo Academy, Matter Academy
4:19:49of Nevada, Quest Preparatory Academy,
4:19:52Somerset Academy of Las Vegas, and Vegas
4:19:54Vista Academy. By receiving this
4:19:57funding, schools were able to pay for
4:19:59infrastructure and classroom furniture
4:20:00to either add brand new preK programs or
4:20:04they were able to add additional seats
4:20:05to their existing prek programs. Um, in
4:20:09addition to the competitive
4:20:10infrastructure expansion grant, our
4:20:12schools also had great success in
4:20:14applying for another uh source of
4:20:17competitive funding in this fiscal year,
4:20:19FY27. And this is the early childhood
4:20:22literacy competitive funding. These
4:20:25funds will be used to provide literacy
4:20:27based enrichment services for students
4:20:29aged four to six. And this is actually
4:20:31going to be in both preK and K
4:20:34classrooms. This grant was highly
4:20:36competitive across the state. We had 12
4:20:38schools apply for a total of just over
4:20:405.6 million of which six schools were
4:20:44funded for a total of just over $2
4:20:46million. The six schools that were
4:20:48funded our Coral Academy of Science Las
4:20:51Vegas, Dural Academy of Nevada, Matter
4:20:54Academy of Nevada, Nevada Rise Academy,
4:20:57Pinest Academy of Nevada, and Sports
4:20:59Leadership and Management Academy of
4:21:01Nevada. Now looking at the difference
4:21:04between um the FY26 and FY27 per seat
4:21:09prek funding, there has actually been an
4:21:11update to these numbers since the
4:21:13creation of this PowerPoint as we
4:21:15received funding for 10 additional
4:21:17seats. So, um, in FY27, the SPCSA
4:21:21received an increase of funding from,
4:21:24um, just over 3.7 million in FY26 to now
4:21:285, we'll do 5,954,288.
4:21:34And as Marita stated on the previous
4:21:37slide, this is due to the increase in
4:21:39prek seats um, from $448 to a new total
4:21:43of $78 this fiscal year. The new schools
4:21:46for this fiscal year include Pinest
4:21:48Academy of Nevada, Quest Preparatory
4:21:50Academy, Silver Sands Montasauri Charter
4:21:52School, and Vegas Vista Academy. Thank
4:21:55you. I'm going to turn it over to
4:21:57Connie.
4:22:00>> Okay, Connie Zeller again for the
4:22:02record. Thank you, Marina and Paige, for
4:22:03that information. I'd like to um advance
4:22:06to the next slide. Oh, this this is the
4:22:08right side. Thank you so much. Um, and
4:22:10we're going to jump into data now and
4:22:12begin by highlighting our our
4:22:13observation tool that we use. So, as you
4:22:16can see at the bottom of this slide, it
4:22:18mentions that we have 34 subdomains that
4:22:20we're measuring three times throughout
4:22:22the year. This is an a very extensive
4:22:25intensive tool completely embedded and
4:22:28immersed in the instruction that we're
4:22:29providing. We don't do the old school
4:22:31what we call pull and sit for
4:22:33assessments. It's completely immersed in
4:22:35um what the children are demonstrating
4:22:37and showing and and stating throughout
4:22:39the day. Uh I've listed out all the
4:22:41domains for you as you can see. And to
4:22:43give you a couple of examples perhaps
4:22:45under social emotional development,
4:22:47conflict resolution is underneath there.
4:22:49Physical development, health, we have
4:22:51gross and fine motor skills as you might
4:22:52expect. Language and literacy, reading
4:22:55and comprehension, social studies, we
4:22:57have geography and history. Under
4:22:59mathematics, spatial awareness and
4:23:01patterns, and then predicting and
4:23:03classifying to give you another example
4:23:04under science and technology. Now we are
4:23:07going to I'm going to share a couple of
4:23:08the reports um in the in the next coming
4:23:11slides and because this is a grant-based
4:23:13uh fund funding source we are provided
4:23:16to or we are asked to provide uh formal
4:23:19assessment data to NDE which is
4:23:21published by the office of early
4:23:22learning and development and this
4:23:24publication is utilized during
4:23:26legislative session and beyond with the
4:23:28goal of uh Nevada to eventually
4:23:31accomplish universal prek within our
4:23:34state. Okay, so next slide we're going
4:23:36to look at one of the reports provided
4:23:38to NDE. This is a kindergarten readiness
4:23:40report. And just to define how are we
4:23:44coming up with what is kindergarten
4:23:46ready to the right there. That is a
4:23:48minimum average score of 3.75 in each of
4:23:51the domains. An overall average of 4.0
4:23:54or higher range there. And then with the
4:23:57understanding the prek range is between
4:24:00two and five on the scoring scale. We
4:24:02did test all 4 48 of our students. And
4:24:06this is pretty remarkable data. So
4:24:08period one, if you can see it, you kind
4:24:10of can, it's a zero because none of our
4:24:12students that started with us at the
4:24:14beginning of the prek year this past
4:24:16year were considered to be kindergarten
4:24:18ready as was just defined to the right
4:24:20of this slide here. Then we go to period
4:24:232, 46% and that is through the end of
4:24:26February, just for reference. And by the
4:24:28end of the school year in May, 85% of
4:24:31our students were considered to be
4:24:32kindergarten ready. um per the
4:24:34requirements to the right and I think
4:24:36it's also worth noting that uh this
4:24:38grant has been designed to meet meet the
4:24:41most at need and at risk students and
4:24:44does have a 10% IEP requirement within
4:24:46each of our classrooms. So 85% given all
4:24:49things there I think is is outstanding
4:24:52growth definitely showing um supporting
4:24:54research that early learning creates a
4:24:56strong foundation for educational
4:24:58success with that that those
4:24:59measurements of growth there. The next
4:25:02report if we can go to the next slide
4:25:04that I'd like to share with you is
4:25:06growth increase by domain. So, as you
4:25:08can see listed across the top there are
4:25:10the domains that I highlighted earlier.
4:25:12And then to the left there, we're
4:25:13comparing period 1, beginning of school
4:25:16year, against period 3, end of school
4:25:18year for overall growth. Now, as as we
4:25:21recall, the the range for this tool is 0
4:25:24to 7 with preK falling between two and
4:25:26five. So, as you can see, when you look
4:25:28at period three, we're five or above,
4:25:31meaning that we're edging into that K
4:25:33knowledge um basically by the end of the
4:25:36school year. And the average percentage
4:25:38of growth for all of the domains is
4:25:39approximately 28%. So these this is
4:25:42demonstrating substantial learning gains
4:25:44and really basically documenting to the
4:25:47state that our students are becoming
4:25:50more emotionally regulated and are
4:25:52cognitively prepared for kindergarten
4:25:53and beyond.
4:25:56Okay, next slide. So looking forward,
4:25:58always want to plan and forecast and be
4:26:00prepared um as an agency for what's
4:26:03coming. uh you can see that we've had
4:26:05significant growth over the past few
4:26:07years and I do want to mention that we
4:26:09do have an annual audit that is
4:26:10conducted and over the path by NDE and
4:26:13over the past few years we've had zero
4:26:15findings in that audit and I strongly
4:26:17believe that because of that this
4:26:19significant growth has been supported by
4:26:21NDE we are very strong and solid partner
4:26:24for them in this work
4:26:26>> [snorts]
4:26:26>> uh so as as was mentioned we've gone
4:26:28from two to 10 schools in three years
4:26:30but obviously we have many more schools
4:26:32in our portfolio than
4:26:34And we'll see what happens with
4:26:36additional funding for facilities which
4:26:38continues to be a barrier. But I think
4:26:41it's really good for us to understand
4:26:42that you know additional growth could
4:26:44potentially be coming in perhaps at a
4:26:46higher rate depending on what happens
4:26:47with funding. And you know with that
4:26:50sustainability I think is something that
4:26:52we should consider and and be thoughtful
4:26:54about whether that's other districts
4:26:56utilize braiding of funds to basically
4:26:59do what they can to have early learning
4:27:01in each one of their schools and
4:27:03basically any proactive measures that we
4:27:05can take as an agency to bring early
4:27:07learning to all of our schools.
4:27:09Definitely a recipe for success. So with
4:27:12that that concludes our presentation and
4:27:15uh if you want to go to the next slide
4:27:16there I welcome any questions or
4:27:19comments.
4:27:21>> Thank you very much for the
4:27:22presentation. U very reassuring stats. I
4:27:25remember when we approved the or I guess
4:27:28we kind of inherited the first school
4:27:30with prek was a CCSD school, right?
4:27:35it. Uh we had preks in a few of our
4:27:38schools when we brought uh that school
4:27:40on, but that is a very unique school
4:27:42that only offers prek and kindergarten.
4:27:45>> That's why it stuck in my head.
4:27:46>> Yeah. Yep. Yes. Exactly. Yeah. It was a
4:27:48very unique situation.
4:27:49>> Yeah. So, I remember when we did that,
4:27:50we the conversation, well, how do we
4:27:52track things? So, this is really awesome
4:27:55to see. Um so, we appreciate it. All
4:27:58right. Bringing it back to the board.
4:28:00any questions or comments um for the
4:28:02team on this presentation?
4:28:06>> Go ahead, Member Turner.
4:28:08>> Member Turner, for the record, I might
4:28:10have um two or three questions. Um
4:28:12first, I just want to ask the structure
4:28:15of the prek programs in in the schools.
4:28:17Are they all full day?
4:28:20>> So, the grant requires 25 hours a week,
4:28:23and you can kind of choose how you want
4:28:25to do that. Some of our schools are
4:28:26four-day programs and so it would be
4:28:28dependent upon that. But I will tell you
4:28:31you can go above that. So some of our
4:28:33schools choose to align their pre-k
4:28:35hours more in alignment with the the
4:28:36rest of their early grades for ease of
4:28:38parents and drop off and etc. So minimum
4:28:40of 25 hours, but some do go above that.
4:28:44>> Thank you. Um my next question is um it
4:28:47sounds like a lot of the schools that um
4:28:49have and will have the prek programs are
4:28:51are very competitive. Um, so I was just
4:28:54wanting to know, um, in order to
4:28:56continue to increase retention among the
4:28:58schools, um, are students who who are
4:29:02enrolled in preK, do they have priority
4:29:04whenever it comes to enrolling in
4:29:05kindergarten in those schools?
4:29:10>> I may, this is Connie Zeller for the
4:29:11record. I may refer to Director McAden
4:29:13to be sure that I get this correct, but
4:29:15I I can speak to I think a couple of
4:29:18things. So, uh, we do have a handbook in
4:29:20place as far as the requirements, uh,
4:29:22for a school to add prek just to make
4:29:25sure or early learning we can say in,
4:29:27you know, because there is some interest
4:29:28in three-year-olds as well that is
4:29:29potentially coming down the pike. So,
4:29:32there is a vetting process to ensure
4:29:34that the school is prepared and ready to
4:29:36do it successfully. Um, and then they
4:29:39they basically run the lottery. So, the
4:29:41prek students are enrolled in they they
4:29:43go through the lottery process, which is
4:29:45no different than any of the other
4:29:46grades. And then after that, because
4:29:48this is a grant, there are additional
4:29:50requirements to qualify for the grant.
4:29:52So up to 250% poverty if a student is on
4:29:56an IEP. And just this year, they've
4:29:58actually changed um and expanded the the
4:30:01ways that families can qualify. So if
4:30:04they are zoned for a school that is one
4:30:06or two stars, I believe they can now
4:30:08enroll in our pre-K programs. if uh they
4:30:11have an incarcerated parent, if they're
4:30:12considered to be homeless. It's kind of
4:30:14a much longer list as to how they can
4:30:16qualify, but we have to be able to prove
4:30:18that we've vetted our families and that
4:30:20they do qualify if we've enrolled them.
4:30:24And then to answer the lottery question,
4:30:26it depends on the school's enrollment.
4:30:28It has to be part of their enrollment
4:30:30policy, but it is allowable that if they
4:30:34are not in a tuitionfree prek, they just
4:30:37can roll up into kindergarten.
4:30:43>> Okay. Thank you. Um I do have one more
4:30:45question. I'm just I'm interested in in
4:30:48um what kind of um resources are
4:30:50provided for families? Um because um
4:30:53students who are in pre-K, especially if
4:30:54they start as early as three, um there's
4:30:57there's a lot of times where families
4:30:59need support um and knowing how just to
4:31:01parent um and then that's a a time when
4:31:05um you know things start um being
4:31:08identified or um if there you know
4:31:10there's a lot of questions. So what kind
4:31:12of resources are provided for families
4:31:14um in prek?
4:31:16>> Uh Cottisilla for the record. Thank you
4:31:18for that question. We actually have a
4:31:20very strong parent component which is a
4:31:22part of this program. We actually um do
4:31:24a family engagement survey um annually
4:31:27and then rece and that is a an anonymous
4:31:30that so NDE basically provides the link
4:31:32for that and then we get the the data
4:31:34back but we don't see which you know
4:31:35which family filled out what and then we
4:31:38are required each of our schools to
4:31:39create a family engagement plan with
4:31:41goals that we submit annually. So we're
4:31:44very involved with and and in addition
4:31:46to that we minimally uh conduct family
4:31:50events and that includes support. So it
4:31:52can be literacy based and it could be
4:31:54resource based whenever possible. We're
4:31:56sharing resources and sending home books
4:31:58to create home libraries and
4:31:59manipulatives and things that we can do
4:32:02to create sustainability for our
4:32:03families. And I will also state that our
4:32:06schools uh do what they can if
4:32:08screenings are being conducted like for
4:32:10hearing screenings or other medical
4:32:11things that are happening, vision
4:32:12screenings, etc. that our pre-K students
4:32:15are folded into that and also
4:32:16participate in that as well.
4:32:18>> Okay. Thank you so much, Connie.
4:32:21>> Thank you very much. Any other questions
4:32:24from board colleagues?
4:32:30Seeing none, I will say I wish um member
4:32:32homestead was still on the board so she
4:32:34could have heard this update. I'm sure
4:32:35she would have been thrilled. Um all
4:32:38right, thank you very much for the
4:32:40presentation. We'll move right along to
4:32:43agenda item number 11, the charter
4:32:45school application process. And I think
4:32:47this is over to Dr. Brton.
4:33:25All right. Does that work?
4:33:28Perfect.
4:33:29All right. Thank you guys. Good
4:33:31afternoon, Chair Thpin and members of
4:33:32the authority board. My name is Katie
4:33:34Broton and I serve as the director of
4:33:36authorizing for the SPCSA. Today I am
4:33:39going to conduct the annual charter
4:33:41application training for the authority
4:33:43board.
4:33:47Uh Nevada state statute requires that
4:33:49the board be trained annually on the
4:33:51charter school application process and
4:33:53governance of charter schools. The
4:33:55language on the screen was from AB419
4:33:58and from the 2021 session which is put
4:34:01what put this into place and that has
4:34:03now been codified into NRS 388A.155.
4:34:11Now on this screen are several core
4:34:14responsibilities of this board and this
4:34:16training is related to the first one
4:34:18which is evaluating, approving and
4:34:20declining applications to form a charter
4:34:22school.
4:34:30So a little bit about the information
4:34:32regarding a charter school life cycle.
4:34:35It is a the initial life cycle of a
4:34:37charter school is six years. Upon
4:34:40authorization, the charter school enters
4:34:42into year zero, which right now is about
4:34:45a year. In future cycles will be about
4:34:5015 months.
4:34:52During year zero, there are several
4:34:54pre-opening conditions any approved
4:34:56school must meet in order to enter year
4:34:591 and officially open. Charter initial
4:35:02charter contracts are six years. So they
4:35:04run year one through year six. During
4:35:07that process, the schools are held to
4:35:10several accountability measures as
4:35:12measured on the performance framework.
4:35:15And they also receive a site evaluation
4:35:17in years 1, three, and five of the
4:35:20charter contract.
4:35:22In year five, the school will go through
4:35:25the renewal process and if they want to
4:35:28renew the charter contract, then the
4:35:30renewal comes back before this board for
4:35:32ultimate approval in which this sort of
4:35:34starts all over again. Um, one note
4:35:38though, initial charter contracts are
4:35:40six years, any renewed contract can go
4:35:44from 3 to 10 years.
4:35:50So, a little bit about the application
4:35:52process.
4:35:55So, as a reminder, this board does
4:35:57approve the new charter school
4:35:59application each year. So, last this
4:36:01charter application was approved in
4:36:03December of 2025.
4:36:06The process itself has a number of steps
4:36:09beginning with the notice of intent.
4:36:11Currently, that happens and is due at
4:36:13the end of January.
4:36:16Um, and then this process runs all the
4:36:18way through reubmission, which is
4:36:20anywhere from November to December.
4:36:23Any school that submits a notice of
4:36:26intent is eligible to submit a charter
4:36:28school application. It's not required,
4:36:31but it is it does make you eligible. And
4:36:34currently, the application is due April
4:36:3630th. Once it's submitted, SPCSA staff
4:36:40conducts a completeness check where we
4:36:42ensure that the application has all
4:36:44required components.
4:36:46If anything is identified as missing, we
4:36:49send it back and applicants have 48
4:36:51hours to fix that.
4:36:53Any application that makes it through
4:36:55the completeness check then moves to the
4:36:56application review. That process is
4:37:00about five weeks. Um, a team of three
4:37:03people reviews the charter school
4:37:05application. It's one SPCSA staff member
4:37:09that leads the team and then it's two
4:37:11external evaluators who are people that
4:37:13we'll talk about in a second. From
4:37:16there, those reviewers put together a
4:37:18set of clarifying questions which are
4:37:20meant to be sort of factual
4:37:24um not too broad scope questions that
4:37:27clarify elements of the application. And
4:37:30then the evaluation team conducts a
4:37:33capacity interview of the whole
4:37:34applicant team.
4:37:36The recommendation to the SPCSA board is
4:37:39then based upon the findings in both the
4:37:41capacity interview and throughout the
4:37:43written application. And those that
4:37:45recommendation will come before this
4:37:47board with either approve approve with
4:37:50conditions or recommend for denial. Any
4:37:54applicant that is denied does have the
4:37:57opportunity to do a resubmission which
4:38:00allows them to make non-material changes
4:38:04to the application to clarify things to
4:38:06fix things etc. Um and then that
4:38:09resubmission process the resubmitted new
4:38:12charter application comes back before
4:38:14this board in November or December.
4:38:23So again this shows the timeline for
4:38:25each of these steps. You can see the
4:38:28bulk of things is with the initial
4:38:30reviews and capacity interviews. Right
4:38:32now the completeness or the application
4:38:35is due April 30th and then this whole
4:38:36process essentially culminates in late
4:38:39August and then opportunity for
4:38:41resubmission is again November December.
4:38:48The application has a number of required
4:38:51components. The cover sheet is required
4:38:54of all applicants. That part is not
4:38:56necessarily form formally evaluated but
4:38:59provides important information for the
4:39:01context of the application. The meeting
4:39:03the need academic plan, operations plan,
4:39:06and financial plan are requirements of
4:39:09all applicants. And then each of those
4:39:12bullet points represents a subsection
4:39:15within each of those larger sections.
4:39:18The addendum section is required for any
4:39:22applicant that intends to contract with
4:39:24a CMO or an EMO or any CMO that's
4:39:29applying directly for authorization is
4:39:32also required to complete the addendum.
4:39:35So this cycle um we have some but not
4:39:38all applications that have the addendum
4:39:41completed.
4:39:50So the evaluation is obviously a very
4:39:53critical part of this process and we use
4:39:56a rubric
4:39:58um that kind of follows along with the
4:40:00application itself in order to give
4:40:03ratings or scores
4:40:05um on each charter application.
4:40:09So each reviewer completes totally
4:40:12independently of the others a charter
4:40:15school rubric for the application that
4:40:17they've been assigned.
4:40:19On that there are a number of
4:40:20descriptors that each subsection must
4:40:23meet. Um and evaluators determine if
4:40:28those if the application is meets the
4:40:30standard, approaches the standard or
4:40:32does not meet the standard within those
4:40:34descriptors.
4:40:36they then kind of roll that uh
4:40:39evaluation into the subsection. So for
4:40:42example, if a subsection has six
4:40:46descriptors and five of them are rated
4:40:48as meets standard and one is rated as
4:40:50approaches the standard, the evaluator
4:40:52may rate the whole subsection as meets
4:40:54the standard. Um there is some
4:40:59professional discretion that goes with
4:41:00that, but they kind of rank or they rate
4:41:03each each subsection of the evaluation
4:41:06or of the application based on those
4:41:08descriptors and then provide ratings on
4:41:10the subsection and then ultimately all
4:41:13the ratings on the subsection are rolled
4:41:15into a rating on the whole section
4:41:18overall.
4:41:20Um, in order to be recommended for
4:41:22approval, an applicant must be rated as
4:41:25meets the standard in all of the
4:41:29sections that they are required to
4:41:30complete.
4:41:33So if we go back to this uh for any any
4:41:37applicant that does not have an addendum
4:41:39they're required to be rated as meets
4:41:41the standard and meeting the need the
4:41:43academic plan the operations plan and
4:41:45the financial plan in order to receive a
4:41:48recommendation from staff that they be
4:41:52approved. If they had to complete the
4:41:54addendum then they're required to meet
4:41:56the standard in that section as well.
4:42:06There are some additional statutes that
4:42:08are required and important to consider
4:42:10when thinking about charter school
4:42:12applications.
4:42:14Um NRS 388A.246
4:42:17does lay out a number of options that
4:42:20charter schools must aim to accomplish.
4:42:23They don't have to just identify one of
4:42:25these. They can identify multiple of
4:42:27these, but they have to have at least
4:42:29one of these. And that is something they
4:42:30must identify within the meeting the
4:42:32needs section of the application.
4:42:41The demographic and academic needs
4:42:43assessment is another really important
4:42:45thing to consider when considering a
4:42:48charter school applicant.
4:42:50Um, as part of this assessment, the
4:42:52SPCSA is required to identify both
4:42:55demographic and academic needs. And then
4:42:58a charter school applicant must outline
4:43:00and identify which of the needs that
4:43:02their school is intending to meet.
4:43:06Currently in the needs assessment, we
4:43:08have five demographic needs which are
4:43:10listed in bullet points on the screen.
4:43:13Those are student groups that generally
4:43:16um represent a demographic need for
4:43:19improved options for their educational
4:43:21outcomes.
4:43:27So again we have five demographic needs
4:43:30and then there are two academic needs.
4:43:32The first academic need is geographies
4:43:35with consistently underperforming
4:43:37schools. We identify that as zip codes
4:43:40in which a significant number of
4:43:43students um are sitting in schools that
4:43:46are rated as one or two star. So we look
4:43:49to see if those zip codes have primarily
4:43:52high performing or lower performing
4:43:54schools. And if they're lower performing
4:43:57schools, that represents a geographic
4:44:00academic need.
4:44:08The second academic need is serving
4:44:10students who are at risk of dropping
4:44:12out. Um, this identifies students who
4:44:17are likely identified as at risk of not
4:44:20graduating and then designs a program
4:44:23around specifically meeting the needs of
4:44:25those students to ensure that they are
4:44:28able to and on track to graduate.
4:44:37I think this is a really important slide
4:44:39because especially for those of you
4:44:40who've worked in schools before, you
4:44:42know that uh the academic and
4:44:45demographic needs I've gone over are
4:44:47students in every single school in
4:44:50Nevada. And so it's not just about
4:44:52saying that like we will, you know,
4:44:55serve those students. It's actually
4:44:58designing a program around the needs of
4:45:01those students and showing those design
4:45:04elements and showing how that design
4:45:06will serve the group of students that
4:45:08you meet. Because again, if you think
4:45:11back to this slide,
4:45:14students in these demographics are
4:45:16enrolled in every single school. And so
4:45:18it's not just saying like yes, we will
4:45:20serve English language learners, right?
4:45:23It's this is we know that there's a
4:45:25large group of students who are
4:45:27identified as ELLL in this area. We have
4:45:30gone out, we have solicited the
4:45:32community's input. This is how we're
4:45:34going to serve those students. This is
4:45:36why the academic program that we're
4:45:38proposing works for those students. So,
4:45:40it's not simply saying, "Yeah, we're
4:45:42going to serve the students with these
4:45:43demographic needs that show up so much
4:45:46as designing a program that is really
4:45:48going to show demonstrated capacity,
4:45:50credible plans, community input, and
4:45:52thorough research around the demographic
4:45:55and academic need that is identified.
4:46:02This also shows um in terms of the
4:46:05alignment to the academic and
4:46:06demographic needs assignment needs
4:46:09assessment an applicant if an applicant
4:46:11does not meet either an academic or a
4:46:13demographic need they're in the red they
4:46:15cannot be approved. Um if they meet one
4:46:19or more one like one demographic or one
4:46:22academic then they're in the yellow
4:46:24where they technically can be approved
4:46:26but there may be concerns. And really
4:46:28what we look for is in the green that
4:46:30there's both an academic need and a
4:46:32demographic need that's identified.
4:46:41Okay. So the last section of the
4:46:42training itself will be around charter
4:46:44school governance and we'll review
4:46:46several statutes that talk about charter
4:46:48school government governance.
4:46:54So the first is NRS 388A.246. 246.
4:46:58Um, this requires that as part of the
4:47:00charter school application, each
4:47:02applicant include proposed bylaws for
4:47:04the governing body. Um, and there are
4:47:07several requirements within those
4:47:08bylaws. Those are something that we also
4:47:12approve and evaluate throughout the
4:47:14pre-opening process for approved
4:47:16schools.
4:47:17The second important thing is that it
4:47:19does require that charter school
4:47:21applications include opportunities and
4:47:23expectations for involving the parents
4:47:25of students who would enroll in the
4:47:27operation of the charter school and we
4:47:29do that within the meeting the needs
4:47:31section of the application.
4:47:39A committee to form is often the most
4:47:41popular or common group of people that
4:47:44we have who submits a new charter school
4:47:46application. And there are statutes
4:47:49around the membership of the committee
4:47:51to form. Specifically, a committee to
4:47:54form must be at least five people. It
4:47:57must have a member who's a teacher and
4:48:00then a second member who either is a
4:48:02teacher or is a school administrator.
4:48:05Um, there are several licensing
4:48:07requirements and nuances within that,
4:48:09but generally that's kind of what we're
4:48:11looking for there. The third is a parent
4:48:14or legal guardian who is not a teacher
4:48:16or an employee of the proposed charter
4:48:18school. And then it should have two
4:48:21members who possess knowledge and
4:48:23expertise in accounting, financial
4:48:24services, law, or human resources. And
4:48:27schools can kind of decide what people
4:48:29and areas they want to focus that in on.
4:48:33Additionally, a committee to form may
4:48:35include not more than four additional
4:48:37members. So, it has to be at least five
4:48:39and it can't be more than nine. Um, and
4:48:42it outlines kind of the other areas that
4:48:44that can include, but they it can
4:48:47include other members of the general
4:48:48public as long as those first five
4:48:50things are satisfied. It can include
4:48:53representatives of nonprofit
4:48:55organizations and businesses and it can
4:48:57include representatives from colleges or
4:48:59universities within NSI. Um, it cannot
4:49:02include a potential contractor of the
4:49:04proposed charter school. So, anybody
4:49:05that would theoretically be paid by the
4:49:08school in future years. It cannot
4:49:10include a potential lesser of a
4:49:11facility, a representative of an EMO or
4:49:15a person related by blood or marriage or
4:49:17described in the top bullets.
4:49:22Oh, and they must also um a majority of
4:49:24them must be residents of Nevada at the
4:49:26time the application is submitted and
4:49:28the committee to form must be fully
4:49:30established at the time the application
4:49:32is submitted.
4:49:38The SPCSA must establish standards and
4:49:40provide training regarding uh the
4:49:42standards governance standards before
4:49:44the school opens and every three years
4:49:46after that. We provide that training
4:49:48through the pre-opening process and we
4:49:50also make that training available to all
4:49:52of our schools each year.
4:50:00So this year I do want to talk a little
4:50:02bit about the new charter school
4:50:03landscape because I think it's really
4:50:05important that we take kind of a step
4:50:07back and think about the big decision
4:50:09that awaits us in a August. I think in
4:50:12particular based on some of the things
4:50:14that you all have heard today, you
4:50:16understand the importance of this and
4:50:18all of these decisions
4:50:20really are informed very early on at the
4:50:24new charter school application process.
4:50:26Um, we at the SPCSA do want to note and
4:50:29this is factually true that opening a
4:50:32new charter school has become
4:50:33significantly more challenging each year
4:50:35postcoid.
4:50:37This is across the state. We're seeing
4:50:39the same challenges play out in Clark
4:50:41County that we are in Wo County that we
4:50:43are in several of the rural areas. Um
4:50:45the challenges are mainly in
4:50:47identification of a facility and opening
4:50:50at planned enrollment. And while
4:50:52sometimes identifying a facility seems
4:50:55kind of easy through the application
4:50:57process, uh it's really identifying a
4:50:59facility that's financially responsible
4:51:02that really is is where the challenge
4:51:03lies.
4:51:05Facilities are often difficult to
4:51:07identify. They're incredibly expensive
4:51:10um to both acquire and lease and they're
4:51:14complex. Most people that go into this
4:51:17are not experts in coding and permitting
4:51:19and each county and city also has
4:51:22various requirements that are complex
4:51:25and challenging. Um and in a lot of
4:51:28cases we are seeing schools that are
4:51:30facing some unfavorable lease terms
4:51:32above market costs and that can really
4:51:35significantly impact long-term financial
4:51:38sustainability. Um schools that enter
4:51:40into expensive leases particularly in
4:51:42their early years often have a really
4:51:44really hard time kind of readjusting and
4:51:47getting to a financially viable place.
4:51:51Enrollment also remains a significant
4:51:53challenge. This is number one amid
4:51:56declining statewide student enrollment.
4:51:57We're seeing that in Nevada. The school
4:52:00districts are seeing it, but we're also
4:52:02hearing that from charter authorizers
4:52:03all throughout the country. Um, and you
4:52:06know, charter schools are asking parents
4:52:08to do a lot. Asking your kid to asking
4:52:10them to enroll a student in a school
4:52:13that is opening its first year is it's
4:52:16asking a lot. And as schools build their
4:52:19reputation, we see some of those
4:52:20challenges sometimes lessen. Um but that
4:52:24is that is a significant hurdle to
4:52:26overcome.
4:52:32So to put some context to that
4:52:36um on the screen here are the schools
4:52:39that have opened since 2021 2022
4:52:43and I think this is really important. We
4:52:45share this with our new applicants as
4:52:46well as when they think about what their
4:52:48enrollment targets are going to be.
4:52:51uh that sec we didn't identify the
4:52:53schools here but this is you know the
4:52:55number of schools that opened in each of
4:52:56those years and that middle column is
4:52:59what their approved enrollment was. So,
4:53:01in the new charter application, they say
4:53:04this is going to be our enrollment cap
4:53:06for year one.
4:53:08And every school that has an aster or
4:53:10every number there that has an asterk
4:53:12next to it means that that school had to
4:53:15do an amendment to reduce their
4:53:16enrollment in year one. And you'll see
4:53:18that that's the vast majority of them.
4:53:22The column on the right shows the
4:53:23enrollment in October, which is their
4:53:25validated student enrollment day data.
4:53:28And you can see that in the vast
4:53:30majority of cases that number is
4:53:32significantly lower than it is in the
4:53:34middle column. That means that those
4:53:36schools likely opened underenrolled. Um
4:53:39which again can be a challenge
4:53:41financially to ensure sustainability in
4:53:44the long run.
4:53:46We use this not as a way to say the
4:53:48schools can't open, but to really
4:53:51encourage our applicants to set
4:53:53conservative and low enrollment targets
4:53:56and make sure that their school works
4:53:58with those conservative and low
4:54:00enrollment targets. It's a lot easier to
4:54:02adjust a budget and adjust enrollment
4:54:06adjust financial projections for higher
4:54:08enrollment and increase revenue than it
4:54:10is to do in the reverse.
4:54:26So, I'm also going to acknowledge uh the
4:54:28tremendous amount of work that goes into
4:54:30submitting a new charter school
4:54:32application.
4:54:34When you have a group of individuals
4:54:35sitting in front of you in a month, for
4:54:38them to get there has taken months of
4:54:40planning, a ton of hours of
4:54:42collaboration within their team, within
4:54:45their community, often with us, and a
4:54:48deep commitment to students, and a
4:54:50vision for Nevada's students.
4:54:53Every applicant who comes before this
4:54:55board has invested significant time,
4:54:57energy, and passion into this project.
4:55:00And we want to be clear that that
4:55:02deserves recognition in and of itself.
4:55:06At the same time, it is our
4:55:08responsibility to think beyond
4:55:10recognizing that passion. We do believe
4:55:13that passion is essential and it
4:55:15matters, but it is not enough on its own
4:55:18to sustain a successful school. If it
4:55:21was, we likely would not have seen some
4:55:23of the other things that we've seen
4:55:24today.
4:55:26An application must clearly articulate a
4:55:29strong academic model, demonstrate
4:55:31organized capacity, present a financial
4:55:34plan that is realistic and sustainable,
4:55:37and identify a leadership team and
4:55:39governing board that deeply understand
4:55:41the proposed model and have the
4:55:44experience, capacity, and commitment to
4:55:46implement it with fidelity.
4:55:49Opening a charter school has always been
4:55:52challenging. That's true. But the
4:55:55environment today presents many
4:55:57additional hurdles.
4:55:59Declining enrollment has led to an
4:56:02increase in competition for students.
4:56:05Schools are facing rising facility
4:56:07costs, staffing challenges, and
4:56:09financial pressures that honestly make
4:56:11the path to long-term success more
4:56:14difficult than ever.
4:56:16As shown on the previous slide, five of
4:56:19those 14 schools that have opened since
4:56:222021 2022 have already closed.
4:56:27While no authorizer can eliminate every
4:56:29risk, these realities underscore the
4:56:32importance of thoughtful, rigorous, and
4:56:35conservative authorization decisions
4:56:37that are grounded in evidence and
4:56:39long-term viability. And that is the
4:56:41approach that we take when we evaluate
4:56:43these applications.
4:56:46When this board approves a charter
4:56:48school, you are doing more than just
4:56:50authorizing a school to open and saying,
4:56:52"We hope it works out." You are making a
4:56:55decision that will affect students,
4:56:57families, staff, and the broader public
4:57:00for years to come. Our responsibility is
4:57:04to ensure that the schools we authorize
4:57:06have the greatest possible likelihood of
4:57:08succeeding. and not for one year, not
4:57:11for two years, but for as many years as
4:57:13the students who enroll can be impacted
4:57:16by that education.
4:57:19That means that oftentimes we have to
4:57:21make hard decisions and those decisions
4:57:24cannot just be based on the commitment
4:57:27and passion of the applicants. We have
4:57:30to determine whether the application
4:57:32demonstrates a clear, coherent and
4:57:35sustainable plan. Ultimately, our
4:57:38obligation is to minimize risk for
4:57:41students and families by authorizing
4:57:43schools that are well positioned to
4:57:45deliver on the promises they make.
4:57:50And with that, that is the end of my
4:57:53presentation today. So, I'm happy to
4:57:55answer any questions if anyone has any.
4:57:58>> Thank you, Dr. Broton.
4:58:00Uh, appreciate the presentation and the
4:58:02training is always valuable. Every time
4:58:04I see it, I'm reminded of
4:58:07learn something new or reminded of
4:58:09things that are important especially the
4:58:11points you just made and for the new
4:58:14members I think oftentimes we'll
4:58:16encounter um you know people going
4:58:19through the process and you know
4:58:21internally they don't make it before the
4:58:24board right and you'll get pressure from
4:58:26outside sources of you know you need to
4:58:29intervene and on behalf of this
4:58:30applicant and it's like well there's
4:58:32there's a process for a reason and
4:58:34that's because to Dr. Brotten's point,
4:58:36we want to make sure that these schools
4:58:38last for, you know, decades and not just
4:58:41two to three years. Um, so all very
4:58:44important training. It's a lot to
4:58:46absorb, so I would recommend downloading
4:58:48the presentation and going over it in
4:58:50your spare time. Um, and letting staff
4:58:53know if you have uh follow-up questions.
4:58:56Uh, but with that said, um, I will open
4:58:58it up to board colleagues for any
4:59:00questions or comments to um, staff.
4:59:07Go ahead,
4:59:09>> member null, for the record, does the
4:59:11authority provide any feedback for
4:59:13denied applicants during the re
4:59:14resubmission process?
4:59:17>> That's a really good question, Katie
4:59:19Brotten, for the record. So, when we
4:59:22receive an application and we go through
4:59:24the evaluation process, we will produce
4:59:26for this body a recommendation memo. And
4:59:29that recommendation memo is extremely
4:59:32extensive. And the way we design it,
4:59:35especially for applicants that we
4:59:37recommend for denial, is that
4:59:39essentially that should be the
4:59:40blueprint, right, for what's missing.
4:59:42Um, think feedback on a rough draft, so
4:59:44to speak. And so we really try to
4:59:46outline the areas that need
4:59:48improvements.
4:59:49In addition to that, we meet with
4:59:51applicants
4:59:53um that are denied. We we meet and
4:59:56confer with them. There's a certain
4:59:57timeline we have to do that. So if the
4:59:59application is denied, we will reach out
5:00:01to them and set up an opportunity to
5:00:03meet and defer with them and that is
5:00:05when we also provide some additional
5:00:07sort of information around next steps
5:00:09for the application.
5:00:12I will be honest in saying most
5:00:14applications that we deny are not well
5:00:16positioned for the resubmission process.
5:00:18The resubmission process gives them
5:00:21essentially 30 days in which they've got
5:00:23to resubmit an application and they
5:00:26can't structurally make a lot of changes
5:00:28like they can't materially change what's
5:00:30been submitted. They can just sort of
5:00:32fix things um and it it usually things
5:00:36that are like like if for example the
5:00:38budget needs a number of adjustments
5:00:40that's something that could possibly be
5:00:42sub addressed in the resubmission
5:00:44process.
5:00:46Typically though, we we focus our
5:00:49recommendation on the capacity of the
5:00:51team, how the whole plan works together,
5:00:55and those are often things that cannot
5:00:57really be addressed in 30 days. And so,
5:01:01we usually are also pretty transparent
5:01:04around whether or not we think an
5:01:05applicant should pursue the resubmission
5:01:08process. Um, but even if they don't, we
5:01:11do believe that the recommendation memo
5:01:13also gives them an opportunity to
5:01:15consider like what to do if they choose
5:01:17to resubmit in the next cycle in which
5:01:20they can resubmit and they can do, you
5:01:22know, or they can submit again. It's
5:01:24essentially a fresh application. Um, and
5:01:27it gives them a lot of leeway to kind of
5:01:29address some of those things, possibly
5:01:31recruit new people to the committee
5:01:32form, things like that. This year we're
5:01:35in a really unique position because
5:01:36we've changed the timeline of our
5:01:38application. And so for any applicant
5:01:41that is denied, they can essentially
5:01:43start in the new charter application
5:01:46window, which essentially opens with the
5:01:48notice of intent at the end of October.
5:01:50Um, so we think like this is a an
5:01:53interesting timeline, but to answer that
5:01:55was a very long-winded way of saying
5:01:57yes, we provide them a lot of feedback.
5:02:00We make it very clear what the
5:02:01deficiencies are. um both in writing and
5:02:04then through various conversations with
5:02:06the applicant.
5:02:08>> Melissa Mackin, for the record, I'd also
5:02:10just add for our new board members, it
5:02:11is not uncommon for a school to apply
5:02:14multiple times before they get approved.
5:02:20>> That's very true. I was thinking the
5:02:21same thing. I've seen a few people more
5:02:24than once in my time on the board. Um
5:02:28and to Dr. Bron's point earlier there is
5:02:31a lot of passion behind that but um it's
5:02:34very important that they go through the
5:02:36process correctly and the math maths and
5:02:39you know they can stand the test of
5:02:41time. Any other questions from board
5:02:44colleagues
5:02:47checking in online?
5:02:50All right. Well, thank you very much. We
5:02:52will close out agenda item
5:02:56number 11 and open up agenda item 13,
5:02:59the report on site evaluation. And I'm
5:03:02not clear on who is taking the lead on
5:03:04this.
5:03:06>> We have members of our site evaluation
5:03:10team who are going to do this
5:03:12presentation. Um, are you guys all set
5:03:14on how to share? Oh, we got it. Look,
5:03:16look, they're so on top of it. Okay,
5:03:18they are ready. Way more ready than I
5:03:20was. So, um, I'll let them introduce
5:03:22themselves and they'll take it away.
5:03:26>> Um, good afternoon, uh, Chair Tiken and
5:03:30members of the board. My name is Salch
5:03:33Odimemer, uh, director, director of the
5:03:35monitoring and evaluation at the state
5:03:37public charter school authority. I'm
5:03:40joined by my colleagues Dr. Denise Sha
5:03:43and Gretchen Failer. Today we are here
5:03:47to share our site evaluation process
5:03:49with you and share the draft list of
5:03:52schools scheduled for evaluation in the
5:03:55upcoming year. Uh I would like to also
5:03:58invite you to join us for these sites
5:04:00visits if your schedule allows. Uh
5:04:03whether you can attend the full day,
5:04:06half a day or even just for a specific
5:04:09portion of an evaluation uh please let
5:04:11us know. uh we truly enjoy having you
5:04:14with us and appreciate any time you're
5:04:17able to spend to be part of the process
5:04:19and as as I said we will provide the
5:04:21list of the schools if there is any
5:04:23particular schools you're interested
5:04:25please please let us know
5:04:30before we begin um I'd like to introduce
5:04:32our site evaluation team uh the team is
5:04:36composed of four educational programs
5:04:38professionals and one administrative
5:04:41assistant
5:04:44I would like to use this opportunity to
5:04:46brag about the team a little bit. Uh
5:04:49together uh this team brings over 150
5:04:52years of experience in education here in
5:04:54Nevada. Uh the the the team's background
5:04:58is various from a state level work at
5:05:00the Nevada Department of Education as
5:05:03well as extensive district level
5:05:05experience.
5:05:06Uh their collective background includes
5:05:09classroom teaching, school leadership,
5:05:12instructional coaching, literacy
5:05:14expertise, higher education, also you
5:05:18know serving as a Nevada state
5:05:20coordinator for homeless education and
5:05:23contributing the development of the
5:05:25state accountability system, star rating
5:05:27system. So this team is bringing a best
5:05:30experience with with with this and they
5:05:33represents an ex exceptional blend of
5:05:36knowledge, perspective and experience.
5:05:38Uh there is truly no better group of
5:05:41professionals to conduct the the site
5:05:43evaluation.
5:05:46Seeing that now I would like to uh pass
5:05:48it over to Gretchen Failure so she can
5:05:51kick it.
5:05:53>> Good afternoon Chair Figpen and members
5:05:55of the board. Gretchen Faylor for the
5:05:56record. Today we will provide an
5:05:59overview of the SPCSA site evaluation
5:06:01process. We'll begin by highlighting one
5:06:04of the SPCSA's core values and discuss
5:06:07how it guides the work of the site
5:06:09evaluation team. Next, we'll review the
5:06:12purpose, requirements, and focus of the
5:06:14site evaluation process, followed by an
5:06:17overview of what schools can expect
5:06:19during a site evaluation.
5:06:22We'll then share common trends and key
5:06:24findings from the 202526
5:06:26school year before comparing Nevada's
5:06:28site evaluation process with those used
5:06:31in other states to highlight what makes
5:06:33our approach unique.
5:06:36Finally, we'll discuss what's ahead for
5:06:38the 202627
5:06:40school year and we'll conclude the
5:06:42presentation with a summary, answer any
5:06:44questions that you may have, and move
5:06:46into our closing remarks. Next slide,
5:06:49please.
5:06:51One of the SPCSA's values is excellence
5:06:54through improvement, a principle that is
5:06:56reflected throughout the organization's
5:06:58current strategic plan. As a site
5:07:01evaluation team, we embrace embrace the
5:07:04value by continuously reflecting on our
5:07:06practices and maintaining a growth
5:07:09mindset. Feedback from schools and
5:07:12stakeholders plays an essential role in
5:07:14helping us refine and strengthen our
5:07:16work.
5:07:18This commitment is evident in the
5:07:20comprehensive, accurate site evaluation
5:07:22reports that we produce and in our
5:07:25ongoing efforts to improve the
5:07:26evaluation process.
5:07:29Each summer, we review and revise our
5:07:31protocols, tools, and supporting
5:07:34documents to ensure that they remain
5:07:36meaningful, effective, and responsive to
5:07:39feedback.
5:07:40For example, based on input from school
5:07:43leaders, we revised portions of the
5:07:45classroom observation rubric this past
5:07:47summer to make it more equitable and
5:07:50reflective of classroom practice. Next
5:07:53slide, please.
5:07:57Legal requirements are foundational to
5:07:59the SPCSA site evaluation process.
5:08:02Adhering to these requirements ensures
5:08:04compliance with the Nevada revised
5:08:06statutes while providing a consistent
5:08:09framework for the oversight and
5:08:11monitoring of sponsored charter schools.
5:08:14Several of the key statutes that guide
5:08:16our work are listed on this slide.
5:08:18Together they establish the
5:08:20authorities's purpose, responsibilities,
5:08:22and oversight role. Of particular
5:08:25importance is NRS 388A223
5:08:29which specifically requires this SPCSA
5:08:32to conduct site evaluations during the
5:08:34first, third, and fifth year of the
5:08:36charter contract or renewal. The statute
5:08:39also directs the authority to evaluate
5:08:42student achievement and overall school
5:08:45performance, identify any deficiencies,
5:08:48and work collaboratively with schools to
5:08:50develop plans to address those
5:08:52deficiencies. This statutory requirement
5:08:55is reflected in our process for
5:08:57addressing deficiencies and strong
5:08:59recommendations.
5:09:01For your reference, a summary of these
5:09:03legal requirements is also included on
5:09:05page three of the site evaluation
5:09:07handbook.
5:09:09Next slide, please.
5:09:12The site evaluation process serves
5:09:14several important purposes, all of which
5:09:16support the SPCSA's role as an effective
5:09:19charter school authorizer.
5:09:21First, we gather both formal and
5:09:23anecdotal evidence to develop a
5:09:25comprehensive understanding of each
5:09:27school's performance. This evidence
5:09:29strengthens our ongoing monitoring
5:09:32efforts and provides a well-rounded
5:09:34picture of the school's effectiveness.
5:09:37Throughout the evaluation, we assess how
5:09:39well the school is implementing its
5:09:41mission, vision, and educational model
5:09:43while also ensuring alignment with its
5:09:46approved charter contract and compliance
5:09:48with applicable laws and regulations.
5:09:51The process also allows us to recognize
5:09:54and document each school's strengths,
5:09:57celebrate progress towards its goals,
5:09:59and identify opportunities for
5:10:01continuous improvement.
5:10:03As we refine our work, we incorporate
5:10:05best practices from nationally
5:10:07recognized charter school authorizers to
5:10:09ensure our evaluation process remains
5:10:12rigorous, meaningful, and aligned with
5:10:15the highest standards. Finally, the
5:10:18information gathered during the site
5:10:19evaluation
5:10:21provides important evidence that informs
5:10:23significant authorizing decisions,
5:10:26including charter renewals, amendments,
5:10:28and other oversight actions.
5:10:31Next slide, please.
5:10:34The SPCSA conducts two different types
5:10:36of site evaluations. The first shown on
5:10:39the left side of the screen is the
5:10:40comprehensive site evaluation.
5:10:43These evaluations occur during the
5:10:45first, third, and fifth years of a
5:10:46school's charter contract and provide a
5:10:49thorough review of the school's
5:10:50academic, organizational, and
5:10:52operational performance.
5:10:54For schools that earn a four or
5:10:56five-star rating on the Nevada School
5:10:57performance framework, the third-year
5:11:00evaluation may be abbreviated as
5:11:02permitted by Nevada statute. The second
5:11:05type shown on the right side of the
5:11:06screen is a targeted site evaluation.
5:11:09These evaluations are conducted when
5:11:11additional oversight is warranted based
5:11:13on a school's individual circumstances.
5:11:16For example, a targeted evaluation may
5:11:19occur if a school received a previous
5:11:21deficiency or strong recommendation by
5:11:23the site evaluation team, earned a one
5:11:26or twostar NPF rating, or is operating
5:11:30under an academic or organizational
5:11:32notice of concern or breach.
5:11:35This differentiated approach allows the
5:11:37SPCSA to tailor its oversight to each
5:11:40school's performance and support needs
5:11:43while ensuring accountability across all
5:11:45sponsored schools. Next slide, please.
5:11:50Next, I'll provide a brief overview of
5:11:52what happens before, during, and after a
5:11:54site evaluation.
5:11:56Communication with the school begins
5:11:58well before the site evaluation itself.
5:12:01Once the date has been confirmed, the
5:12:02site evaluation team meets with the
5:12:05school's leadership team for a pre-sight
5:12:07meeting. This meeting is an important
5:12:09first step in building relationships,
5:12:11introducing team members, answering
5:12:13questions, and establishing a
5:12:14collaborative partnership before the
5:12:16evaluation takes place.
5:12:19During the meeting, the team works with
5:12:20school leadership to develop an
5:12:22evaluation day schedule that best meets
5:12:25the school's needs while ensuring all
5:12:28required components are included.
5:12:30Following the meeting, the site
5:12:32evaluation team conducts extensive
5:12:34preparation. This includes reviewing
5:12:37school performance data, analyzing
5:12:40academic and organizational information,
5:12:43examining recent governing board meeting
5:12:45materials, and developing customized
5:12:48questions for each of the five focus
5:12:50groups. As shown on the right side of
5:12:52the screen, schools also complete
5:12:55several preparation steps before the
5:12:57evaluation. These include submitting two
5:13:00items through Epicenter, a focus group
5:13:02template with the names of participants,
5:13:04and a presentation that provides an
5:13:06overview of the school. Next slide,
5:13:09please.
5:13:11Let's take a look at what happens on the
5:13:12day of the site evaluation. In most
5:13:15cases, site evaluations are completed in
5:13:17one day and are conducted by at least
5:13:19two members of the SPCSA site evaluation
5:13:22team. We begin by meeting with school
5:13:25leadership to review the purpose of the
5:13:26evaluation and outline the day's agenda.
5:13:30Throughout the day, we facilitate focus
5:13:32groups, conduct classroom observations,
5:13:34complete routine operational checks, and
5:13:37gather both qualitative and quantitative
5:13:39evidence.
5:13:41At the conclusion of the visit, the
5:13:43evaluation team debriefs to identify the
5:13:45school's strengths, challenges, and
5:13:48recommendations based on the evidence
5:13:50that we collected. Before leaving
5:13:53campus, we meet with school leaders to
5:13:55provide a high-level summary of our
5:13:57observations, discuss any compliance
5:13:59concerns, and review the status of any
5:14:02previously issued notices if applicable.
5:14:06After the site evaluation, the team
5:14:08analyzes and synthesizes all of the
5:14:11evidence collected, including focus
5:14:13group feedback, classroom observations,
5:14:15and other data sources. Using this
5:14:18information, we prepare the site
5:14:19evaluation report, which summarizes the
5:14:22school's strengths, challenges, and
5:14:24recommendations. The draft and final
5:14:26reports are shared with the school, and
5:14:28the final report is published on the
5:14:30SPCSA website to ensure transparency.
5:14:33When requested, team members attend
5:14:35governing board meetings to discuss the
5:14:37evaluation findings. If a strong
5:14:40recommendation or deficiency is issued,
5:14:42we continue working with the school
5:14:44leadership to monitor progress and
5:14:46support the implementation of the
5:14:48required improvement plan.
5:14:51Next slide, please.
5:14:55As stated earlier, shown here are the
5:14:58schools the site evaluation team have
5:15:00scheduled for the first semester of the
5:15:032627
5:15:04academic year. We plan to visit 27
5:15:07schools during the first semester.
5:15:11Next slide, please.
5:15:14And shown here, the schools the site
5:15:16evaluation team is scheduled for the
5:15:17second semester of the 2627 academic
5:15:20year. We also plan to visit 27 schools
5:15:23during that semester.
5:15:25I will also I'm apologize. I will turn
5:15:28this presentation over to my colleague
5:15:30Dr. Denise Shaw to discuss the site
5:15:32evaluation experience.
5:15:35Denise Shaw for the record. Thank you
5:15:37Gretchen.
5:15:40[clears throat]
5:15:41This is a little bit more about the site
5:15:43evaluation experience.
5:15:45We aim to provide a high quality
5:15:48experience by utilizing effective
5:15:50communication with the schools,
5:15:52providing meaningful feedback, and
5:15:54building strong relationships with the
5:15:56school stakeholders.
5:15:58The SPCSA site evaluation team strives
5:16:01to meet each of these expectations
5:16:04by weaving the three key elements
5:16:06through each step of the site evaluation
5:16:08process. the pre-sight evaluation
5:16:10meeting, the site evaluation day at the
5:16:13school, and the post site evaluation.
5:16:17Next slide, please.
5:16:20This slide depicts two sample schedules
5:16:22that the site evaluation team may follow
5:16:25when at a site evaluation.
5:16:28Each schedule is tailored to fit the
5:16:30individual school's bell schedule and
5:16:33daily routine. Schedules are determined
5:16:36by the SA evaluation point of contact
5:16:40and the school leader to accommodate the
5:16:42daily schedule at the school. The day is
5:16:45very structured to ensure each time
5:16:47frame allotted receives maximum
5:16:49attention. The site evaluation team
5:16:52strives to be as in inobtrusive as
5:16:54possible with minimum to no disruption
5:16:58of the school's daily flow. Next slide,
5:17:01please.
5:17:03The following are just some of the
5:17:05responses the site evaluation team has
5:17:07received from the school leaders during
5:17:09the 2526 school year. For example, the
5:17:14middle comment, we truly enjoyed having
5:17:17you and your team visit our campus. The
5:17:19report looks great and our team
5:17:21appreciates the time, feedback, and
5:17:23support provided. We look forward to
5:17:26continuing to work hard every day and to
5:17:28our ongoing collaboration.
5:17:31These samples are just a few of the ones
5:17:33the site evaluation team receives
5:17:36yearly. Next slide, please.
5:17:39And here is a few more responses from
5:17:41our school leaders. Some of the
5:17:44responses from school leaders are born
5:17:46from diplomatic and sometimes
5:17:48challenging conversations held during
5:17:50the site evaluation. The site evaluation
5:17:53team often balances oversight with a
5:17:56critical friend lens. Site evaluation
5:17:59team members are often the most frequent
5:18:01faces from the SPCSA that schools see
5:18:04and as such building and maintaining a
5:18:07rapport of trust is crucial. Many school
5:18:10leaders value the relationship building
5:18:12that occurs during the site evaluation
5:18:14process and reach out to us with
5:18:17specific and general questions and
5:18:19guidance. The site evaluation team
5:18:21strives to uphold the motto the school
5:18:24success is our success. Our attention to
5:18:28relationship building is key to our
5:18:30team's success. Next slide, please.
5:18:35Here are some common trends the site
5:18:37evaluation team saw in schools this past
5:18:40year. On the left hand side, we have
5:18:44listed the strengths. We saw strength in
5:18:47an intentional focus on data to drive
5:18:50instruction from leaders and teachers.
5:18:53Or another way to say it would be
5:18:55reinforcement of the culture of
5:18:57continuous improvement.
5:18:59We saw a strength with schools focusing
5:19:02on improving the consistent academic
5:19:04growth of subgroup populations.
5:19:07We saw a rise in student voice and
5:19:10engagement within the classroom.
5:19:12We also saw trends in increased levels
5:19:16of strategic teacher questioning as well
5:19:19as stronger alignment of differentiated
5:19:21professional development to the needs of
5:19:23the student population served.
5:19:26Examples for areas of improvement are on
5:19:29the right hand side of the screen. They
5:19:32include financial instability,
5:19:35reducing chronic absenteeism rates,
5:19:38refining schoolwide systems and
5:19:40structures of tiered support both
5:19:42academically and behaviorally.
5:19:45The initialism for that is MTSS.
5:19:49We saw a need for increased parental
5:19:52involvement and engagement as well as
5:19:55in-depth professional development in
5:19:57traumainformed practices centered around
5:20:00strategic ways to address classroom
5:20:02emotional and mental health concerns to
5:20:05support students with learning. As you
5:20:08know, chronic absenteeism continues to
5:20:11be a challenge for our schools, as
5:20:13already mentioned earlier in today's
5:20:16meetings with um instances of enrollment
5:20:19as well. While many schools have
5:20:22decreased their averages to below 10%,
5:20:24many others struggle with chronic
5:20:26absenteeism.
5:20:28Next slide, please.
5:20:33Here are some data from the 2526 site
5:20:36evaluation team school visits.
5:20:38Evaluations took place between September
5:20:41of 2025 to April of 2026.
5:20:44The number of schools the site
5:20:46evaluation team visited for site
5:20:48evaluations were 51. The team observed
5:20:51667
5:20:53elementary school classrooms, 360 middle
5:20:57school classrooms, and 28 high school
5:21:00classrooms for a total of 1,245
5:21:04observed classrooms.
5:21:06During the 2526 school year, the site
5:21:09evaluation team completed seven new
5:21:12school evaluations and 14 targeted site
5:21:15evaluations.
5:21:17Seven schools received strong
5:21:19recommendations and six schools received
5:21:22deficiencies from the site evaluation
5:21:24team.
5:21:25All schools with a charter contract in
5:21:29years 1, three, and five were evaluated
5:21:31as scheduled. Follow-up site evaluations
5:21:34were conducted for schools with strong
5:21:36recommendations and/or deficiencies.
5:21:39Next slide, please.
5:21:43Site evaluation team arrives at the
5:21:46school prior to the beginning of the
5:21:47school's day and is often there after
5:21:50the conclusion of the day debriefing
5:21:52with the leadership team. Each report
5:21:55that the site evaluation team writes is
5:21:57between 25 to 30 pages in length. During
5:22:01the 2526 school year, the site
5:22:03evaluation team wrote approximately a
5:22:05total of 1,500 pages of reports.
5:22:09Each site evaluation was conducted by a
5:22:12team of at least two SPCSA staff
5:22:15members. Each site evaluation requires
5:22:18on average a total of 50 to 55 staff
5:22:21hours. All available site evaluation
5:22:24reports can be found on the SPCSA
5:22:27website for public access. You can find
5:22:30this at our website
5:22:32charterschools.nb.gov.
5:22:36Next slide, please.
5:22:39Nevada distinguishes itself by
5:22:41integrating both qualitative and
5:22:43quantitative evidence into a standard
5:22:46standardized evaluation process. This
5:22:50balanced approach provides a more
5:22:52comprehensive understanding of school
5:22:54performance and supports both
5:22:56accountability and continuous
5:22:59improvement. The site evaluation team
5:23:02evaluates school feedback, anecdotal
5:23:05feed, uh, field notes, and data
5:23:07collected from school leadership teams
5:23:09every summer, and revise our practices
5:23:12and materials accordingly. We examine
5:23:15and edit clarity and language, enhance
5:23:18ways in which to streamline the process
5:23:20for schools. For example, this summer,
5:23:23the site evaluation team collectively
5:23:26edited the classroom observation rubric.
5:23:29We added hyperlinks to the handbook that
5:23:31were not previously available and
5:23:33revised guidelines to the more
5:23:35reflective to be more reflective of our
5:23:37process. The leadership presentation
5:23:40slide deck in which the school completes
5:23:42now contains explicit examples of
5:23:45responses from the school eliciting more
5:23:48robust quantifying data. We extended the
5:23:52leadership presentation time to 90
5:23:54minutes to allow the school a greater
5:23:56opportunity to provide more data points.
5:23:59Each alteration in our process requires
5:24:02the team's input through frequent and
5:24:04regular meetings, multiple drafts, and
5:24:07internal norming of our instruments. Our
5:24:11review process ensures a growth mindset
5:24:14for the upcoming 2627 school year. The
5:24:17site evaluation team has updated our
5:24:19handbook, the classroom observation
5:24:21rubric, and the school leadership
5:24:23presentation slide deck. Next slide,
5:24:26please.
5:24:29Moving forward, our focus is on
5:24:31continuous improvement as well as the
5:24:33SPCSA's core value of excellence through
5:24:36improvement, which serves as a pillar
5:24:38for the site evaluation team. and we are
5:24:41excited to enhance our practice of
5:24:43conducting quality site evaluations for
5:24:46this upcoming year. We are looking
5:24:48forward to the 2627 school year. Now I
5:24:52will return the presentation back over
5:24:54to Dr. Odeir.
5:24:58>> Thank you Dr. Sha
5:25:00Salic Ozir for the record. Uh this
5:25:03brings us to the end of our
5:25:04presentation.
5:25:06Thank you for your time and
5:25:07consideration and we are happy to take
5:25:10any questions you might have.
5:25:12>> Chair Sigpin, can I add one thing really
5:25:14quickly? Um I just want to reiterate for
5:25:16those of you who've been on the board
5:25:18for a while, you you remember that we
5:25:19used to do um school visits on Thursday
5:25:22afternoons and as the makeup of our
5:25:23board has changed um that just we were
5:25:26having more and more of those scheduled
5:25:28where no board members could come and
5:25:30that was totally understandable. You're
5:25:33a volunteer board. you're already giving
5:25:34up one day day a month and tons of prep.
5:25:37So, it's I don't say that to, you know,
5:25:39embarrass anyone or anything, but when a
5:25:43school is, you know, we were making
5:25:44arrangements for the school to that they
5:25:46we were coming and then we weren't
5:25:48coming and it was just like not a good
5:25:49situation. But we also recognize that
5:25:52you you do want to get in schools when
5:25:55it works for your schedule. And so, I
5:25:57really want to reiterate what Dr. Osmir
5:26:00said at the beginning of this
5:26:02presentation. They are giving out a list
5:26:05of all the schools that they're going to
5:26:07be visiting this year. And if you see
5:26:09one that is a school you want, you're
5:26:12interested in going, even if it's like,
5:26:14hey, I can only stop by for 30 minutes
5:26:16versus or I Oh, yeah. I'll hang out all
5:26:18day. Whatever works for you and your
5:26:20schedule, please don't hesitate to reach
5:26:22out to them. We're going to try this
5:26:24approach this year and see if it doesn't
5:26:27meet both the board's needs um and get
5:26:30more board members out into school. So
5:26:32that's kind of the approach we're going
5:26:33to try this year and see if it works out
5:26:35better. So um just wanted to really
5:26:38reiterate that that's what we're doing.
5:26:43>> Awesome. Thank you, Director Mcadin and
5:26:45site evaluation team for the
5:26:46presentation. We appreciate it and I
5:26:49might have to take you up on that
5:26:51invitation.
5:26:52Um any questions or comments from uh
5:26:55board colleagues?
5:26:59Go ahead. Uh member Salceto,
5:27:02>> just really quick, um that uh that list
5:27:06of of schools you're visiting this year
5:27:08and the calendar for it and all that.
5:27:09Where can we find that?
5:27:12Sal OR for the record. Thank you, Member
5:27:15Soido. We when we have we didn't assign
5:27:18the specific dates. We only look at for
5:27:20a semester for right now. when we have
5:27:23the specific date assigned, we can
5:27:25definitely email you and then you can
5:27:27just see that specific date in which
5:27:30campus we going to be and then if you
5:27:31want to join us, you can let us know.
5:27:33We'll be more than happy to provide that
5:27:35list.
5:27:36>> Thank you.
5:27:38>> Thank you. U members Stern,
5:27:42>> um very quickly, I I I would also be
5:27:45interested in receiving the dates. I
5:27:46think just any of them so that if um I
5:27:49think probably all of my board
5:27:51colleagues would like that if that could
5:27:53be communicated so that um I think we
5:27:56all try to make it when we can make it.
5:27:58But I did want to um just particularly
5:28:01express appreciation for when you
5:28:03mentioned the examples of slide decks
5:28:05that schools can now see. I know schools
5:28:07have asked for things like that where
5:28:09they can make sure that they are meeting
5:28:11expectations and so I appreciate that
5:28:14we're now providing that and just also
5:28:16expressing appreciation for the
5:28:18extraordinary amount of work that your
5:28:20team does um and the thoughtfulness and
5:28:23it's incredibly ambitious to go to 27
5:28:26schools each semester. So, just
5:28:29acknowledging the extraordinary effort
5:28:30and commitment of your team. I
5:28:32appreciate it.
5:28:35>> Thank you, members.
5:28:39All right, seeing no other hands up, we
5:28:41will close out agenda item number 13 and
5:28:44go to agenda item number number 14, the
5:28:47long range calendar.
5:28:49>> This one will be very short and sweet.
5:28:51Those long range calendars are there um
5:28:54for you to see. As always, they're just
5:28:56there as a reference point for you. We
5:28:58ask that if you do know of any absences
5:29:01that you're going to have, please let us
5:29:04know so we can always ensure that we
5:29:05have a quorum. [snorts] And then as a
5:29:08reminder, I think I announced this last
5:29:10month, but as a reminder, um, starting
5:29:12in January, when the session starts, our
5:29:15meetings will move from this location to
5:29:18the Nevada Department of Education. So,
5:29:20we'll be back over there during the
5:29:22session. Once that ends, we'll be back
5:29:24here. So, just as a point of reference
5:29:26for you. And as always um if there's
5:29:30something that you are um interested in
5:29:33hearing about or knowing about please
5:29:35don't hesitate to reach out to Chair
5:29:36Thigpin or me and we will ensure that we
5:29:39get it on the long range calendar.
5:29:43>> Awesome. Thank you very much uh Director
5:29:45Mcadin
5:29:47and we will open up our final period of
5:29:50public comment. Do we have public
5:29:51comment? Oh do we have a question?
5:29:54Okay,
5:29:55>> just a quick clarification on that long
5:29:57range calendar. The meeting in August,
5:29:59which I know is a big one for new
5:30:02applicants and things of that nature,
5:30:03it's on a Thursday. Is that correct?
5:30:05>> Thank you for pointing that out, uh,
5:30:07member Salceto. Yes, we had to
5:30:11originally we had to adjust that meeting
5:30:14because we have to appear at the audit
5:30:16subcommittee at the subcommittee meeting
5:30:18at the legislature which required that
5:30:20adjustment. So yes, please make note of
5:30:23that. It is weird. Our meeting is on a
5:30:26Thursday which is not normal and it is a
5:30:29very very important meeting because it
5:30:31is the meeting where we will be
5:30:32approving new charter school
5:30:34applications.
5:30:38>> Thank you.
5:30:41>> Any other questions on the long range
5:30:42calendar?
5:30:45All right, we'll close that agenda item
5:30:48out and open up the final period of
5:30:50public comment. Do we have any in the
5:30:52boardroom? I don't think so. Any public
5:30:56comment online?
5:30:59>> Thank you, chair. If you would like to
5:31:01provide public comment, please press
5:31:03star 9 now to take your place in the
5:31:05queue.
5:31:24Can everyone hear me?
5:31:27>> Yes.
5:31:29>> Thank you so much. Uh, chairs and
5:31:32members of the board. Thank you for the
5:31:33time. My name is Robert Diaz
5:31:34representing the sheet metal workers
5:31:35smart local 88. Um, I'm here on agenda
5:31:38item seven. was sad to hear about the
5:31:40news of the $25,000 that's been stolen
5:31:42by the staff, the stage, collegiate, and
5:31:44public charter schools under the same
5:31:45agenda item as presented by Mr. Kern.
5:31:48The anger and disappointment expressed
5:31:50by this board in today's hearing is
5:31:51completely warranted and understandable
5:31:52in our opinion. As a representative of
5:31:54labor organizations and fighting for
5:31:56working families every single day, I too
5:31:58express those same sentiments when the
5:32:00wage theft is committed against those
5:32:01workers in our community. I say this to
5:32:03bring the attention to the Eagle Charter
5:32:05School that was under the agenda item
5:32:06seven. Well, in consideration to all the
5:32:08closing matters this board has before
5:32:10you, I would like to bring to the
5:32:12attention of this board an open an open
5:32:15case with the Office of the Labor
5:32:16Commissioners under NLC 2500581.
5:32:21Given the fact that this is an open
5:32:22case, I will not discuss details outside
5:32:24of the fact that we filed this complaint
5:32:26on behalf of those workers who perform
5:32:27work on this project believing the wage
5:32:30has been committed against them. Should
5:32:32the labor commissioner find merit in our
5:32:34complaint, I would ask this board to
5:32:35consider how these funds that would be
5:32:37paid to those workers be appropriated
5:32:39given the request of Mr. Kern to be
5:32:41released as the closing agent and the
5:32:43limited funds still available in the
5:32:44Eagle account. Uh without falling any
5:32:48more of my scripted
5:32:50public position, I'd like to uh bring to
5:32:53effect a few of the other agenda items
5:32:55you guys have discussed in in noticing
5:32:58getting a few of the reappropriations of
5:32:59schools that have closed and trying to
5:33:02reopen. Um I was doing a little bit of
5:33:05map search following along with you guys
5:33:07and realized how close some of these
5:33:09charters are to current schools and or
5:33:11other charter schools in the areas. I
5:33:13wonder if that's part of the
5:33:14consideration of this board when doing
5:33:16approvals.
5:33:18That would be all I have for the public
5:33:19comment. Thank you.
5:33:21>> Thank you, sir.
5:33:26>> Chair, we have no additional callers to
5:33:28provide public comment at this time.
5:33:31>> Thank you very much. With that said, uh
5:33:33it is 2:34 p.m. We will call for
5:33:36adjournment. Thank you all for your
5:33:38commitment to service and have a great
5:33:40weekend.

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