Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Artifact #1
Arizbeth Zavala
EDU 210
ARTIFACT #1 2
Abstract
School boards play an essential role in the local governance of our schools. They are composed
of a group of elected Trustees who are responsible for guiding the school district in the best
interest of students. It is encouraged that parents, teachers, students, or anyone interested in the
future of education invest time into school board meetings so that they are fully aware of current
issues and laws regarding their local school district. It is also crucial that as a community, we
understand the roles and responsibilities of the school board so that when needed, we are able to
voice our concerns appropriately and expect answers from the elected officials. As stated on the
Clark County School District website, the Trustees “are dedicated to ensuring the success of
every student in the district through clear, concise direction to the superintendent (“Get to
Know).”
The Clark County School District or CCSD hosts numerous school board meetings
throughout the Las Vegas valley, most commonly at their Edward A. Green Education Center. A
multitude of different issues, topics, current events, and legislation related to education are
addressed by the Trustees during these important meetings. As students currently enrolled in
Nevada Education Law, it is imperative that we learn how to summarize the content of these
meetings, understand how our school governance operates, and comprehend how information
presented during these meetings pertains and is relevant to our knowledge of Nevada education
law.
On February 22, 2018, CCSD Trustees held a Regular Board Meeting to discuss a variety
of items including the recommendations of the Budget Task Force and gender diversity-two very
important topics. Following the flag salute, Trustee President Deanna Wright, began the meeting
by introducing herself and informing the audience that there would be fifteen minutes allotted for
public comments where thirteen randomly selected individuals would have a minute to voice
their comments or concerns. During the adoption of the agenda, Trustee Child cast a motion
proposing to remove item 4.02 from the agenda “until after the state of education acts on a
proposed regulation regarding gender diversity and bullying (Clark County School District,
2018, 9:24).” The Trustees voted against his motion and item 4.02 remained on the agenda.
However, it was later notified that item 4.02 would be postponed until a bigger venue that could
accommodate more people was listed. Postponing item 4.02 caused an uproar and many people
departed the building, including Trustee Child and Trustee Garvey. It was obviously noted that
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item 4.02 was a motivating reason for such a big public turnout and that people were highly
Furthermore, the presence of the Budget Task Force regarding their recommendations for
the budget shortfall was extremely important. A PowerPoint presented by Mr. Christiansen,
Chair of the Superintendent’s Budget Task Force, revealed strategic ways it would combat the
current crisis. Superintendent Skorkowsky stated, “Tonight we have the recommendations of this
group who will not only help guide us in the future with developing a budget and working within
out fiscal constraints, but also potential work that could be done in the legislative session in 2019
(Clark County School District, 2018, 38:30).” The presentation itself only lasted twenty minutes,
but the comments and questions following the presentation prolonged the stay of the Budget
Task Force. Many of the Trustees were concerned that the strategies listed would not prevail
because as seen in the past, people have invested time and effort into plans that are never
implemented. Eventually, the Budget Task Force was dismissed and the board meeting came to
an end.
Relevant issues pertaining to Nevada education law emerged throughout the board
meeting. One noticeable issue was the constitutional right of Freedom of Speech listed under the
First Amendment. To reiterate, randomly selected members of the public were allowed to speak
during specified times, whether their comments were for praise or criticism. Two speakers that
sparked attention were Autumn Tampa and Robert Cole, both CCSD teachers who addressed
urgent concerns like the insufficient professional growth provided to support staff and the
scheduled protests that were to arise in response to the Parkland Shooting. In addition, the Equal
Protection Clause was brought up, in this case, regarding gender diverse students and agenda
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item 4.02. As stated in the textbook, Legal Rights of Teachers and Students, the Equal Protection
Clause declares that no state shall deny any person equal protection of the laws, which includes
school districts (p. 119). The public demanded action from the Trustees and many people
expressed frustration because they believe the civil rights of transgender students are being
suppressed by the inability of the trustees to create policy to protect those students.
Moreover, other relevant issues pertaining to Nevada Education Law include the current
budget shortfall and the search for the new superintendent. Most recently, the budget shortfall
has caused cuts to classroom budgets, programs, and even a surplus of support staff throughout
the district. As previously learned in class, the state already spends well below the average on
resources for schools, which leaves the public and teachers assuming that CCSD’s current
financial situation will not improve for a while. Additionally, the transparency in the search for
the new CCSD superintendent allows the public to stay well informed. Although the
superintendent is hired, unlike other public officials, parents, teachers, students, and those
interested in the school district are able to stay up-to-date with the hiring process and be aware of
the credentials of the candidates. This way, the public can voice concern if they are unsatisfied
Conclusion
To conclude, we have learned that school boards, which are composed of elected trustees,
play a fundamental role in the governance of students and policies throughout school districts.
These trustees conduct public school board meetings so that those concerned can stay updated
with current topics, events, and legislation related to education. The CCSD school board meeting
that took place on February 22, 2018 addressed many issues, most importantly, the
recommendations of the Budget Task Force to combat the budget shortfall and the policies that
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could determine the way bullying of transgender students is approached. Although agenda item
4.02 was postponed until further notice due to an unprecedented audience turnout, it proved that
people who are bothered with current regulations or who demand change, will get together to
speak out. Finally, in relation to Nevada education law, four different issues were identified:
freedom of speech, the Equal Protection Clause, the budget shortfall, and the search for the new
CCSD superintendent. These issues are important to identify because they apply to the
References
Cambron-McCabe, N.H., McCarthy, M.M., & Eckes, S. (2014). Legal Rights of Teachers and
Clark County School District. (2018, February 22). Regular Board Meeting. Retrieved from
https://ccsd.eduvision.tv/play.aspx?qev=CT1wecDsedB2c27%252bzkjfujQQOCUTjbh
wAKZHwCFOrFrTFG5jjXKIZXkZHhl0AYd50oB0ZYj%252fMkBDiH8e5GRea3TRS
ATjqQ91jgudHH7Pw%253d
Get to Know Your Board of Trustees. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2018, from
http://ccsd.net/trustees/