Running head: ARTIFACT #1 SCHOOL BOARD MEETING 1

Artifact #1

Arizbeth Zavala

College of Southern Nevada

EDU 210
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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).”

Keywords: School board, school district, responsibilities

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Artifact #1 School Board Meeting

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.

Summary of CCSD School Board Meeting

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

disappointed to learn of its postponement.

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 Related to Nevada Education Law

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

with the selection.

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

immediate future of the Clark County School District.

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References

Cambron-McCabe, N.H., McCarthy, M.M., & Eckes, S. (2014). Legal Rights of Teachers and

Students. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

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/