NOTE: The term administrator as used throughout the newsletter refers to administrators and professional-technical employees.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
To date, 1484 bill drafts have been introduced. CCASAPE has analyzed 199 bills. Of these bills, 147 address issues of concern to CCASAPE members.
The following bills are being tracked by CCASAPE and are summarized for your information:
AB70 Revises existing law regarding compensation of school board members to increase the monthly salary to $2,000 in counties with a population greater than 100,000. CCASAPE supports this bill.
AB78 Requires the State Board of Education to adopt a skin cancer education program for grades K-12. While CCASAPE does not oppose this bill, we believe this bill must be amended to ensure that required course content is not further expanded placing an additional burden on schools to meet state content standards. THIS BILL IS DEAD.
AB107 Existing law stipulates that a person who possesses a prohibited weapon is guilty of a gross misdemeanor punishable by not fewer than 15 days in jail and with a fine of not more than $2000. This bill adds a knife with a blade of two inches or more to the list of prohibited weapons. This bill has been amended, but still contains provisions which CCASAPE opposes. CCASAPE believes this bill must be amended to allow for flexibility for dealing with students who unintentionally bring a prohibited knife to school and cannot support the bill in its present form.
AB157 Provides for full day kindergarten.
AB175 This bill requires high schools to offer both classroom and behind the wheel training. This bill represents another expansion of the curriculum and for high schools not on a 4x4 block schedule will be difficult to implement. CCASAPE opposed this bill. THIS BILL IS DEAD.
AB212 This bill requires high schools to develop a 4-year plan for 9th grade students in consultation with the parent; requires each high school to develop a school within a school for 9 th grade students which designates a separate area and designates certain school personnel to work only with 9 th grade students; requires that a uniform grading policy be developed for all public high schools; and requires that a policy be adopted that will limit the responsibilities for school counselors with regard to the school-wide testing program. CCASAPE opposes this bill.
AB280 This bill provides a $2,000 salary increase for each licensed teacher in Nevada . CCASAPE supports this bill as long as it applies to other education personnel.
AB324 This bill requires that a school district pay a subsidy for retiree health care for those retirees who do not enroll in the state health insurance program and remain in a District sponsored plan. The subsidy would be paid at the same rate as the retirees who elect to go into the state health insurance program. CCASAPE supports this bill.
AB337 This bill includes transfer as a subject of mandatory bargaining for administrators and excludes attorneys from the definition of a school administrator. CCASAPE supported this bill. THIS BILL IS DEAD.
AB387 This bill requires the school principal to ensure that a student has a physical examination prior to enrollment in school. This bill creates additional responsibilities for school principals with no additional support or resources. CCASAPE opposed this bill. THIS BILL IS DEAD
AB459 This bill creates a teacher bill of rights. This bill will significantly change the way principals fulfill their supervisory responsibilities with teachers. CCASAPE opposes this bill. THIS BILL IS ADDRESSED IN A SEPARATE LOCATION IN THE UNIFIER.
AB460 This bill specifies a required number of minutes for administrators conducting classroom observations and requires that a statement be placed in the evaluation regarding the number of minutes that the administrator personally observed the teacher and must include a list of deficiencies and what the administrator will do to assist the teacher. This requirement to document time will provide an additional reason for teachers to dispute evaluations. CCASAPE will seek to remove the requirement to include the amount of time the administrator must be in the classroom for evaluation purposes. CCASAPE is opposed to this bill in its present form.
AB563 This is the iNVest bill. CCASAPE supports the intent of this bill with the exception of Section 3 which protects schooldistrict ending fund balances up to 8.3%. CCASAPE will seek to amend this section.
SB2 This bill appropriates sufficient funds to ensure that the money expended per pupil in this State meets or exceeds the most current national average. CCASAPE supports this bill.
SB57 Existing law requires the parole or probation officer who supervises a child who has been adjudicated for a sexual offense or sexually motivated act to provide notice to the superintendent of the school district in which the child resides. If the victim of the sexual offense or sexually motivated act attends a public or private school in this State, the notification must include the name of the victim. This bill requires the parole or probation officer to obtain the written consent of the parent or guardian of the victim before including the name of the victim in the notification. CCASAPE will seek to amend this bill to ensure the principal is notified when both the victim and the offender attend the same school.
SB97 This bill limits salaries of certain school administrators to one and one-half times the salary of the highest paid principal in the district. This restriction applies to administrators who are employed to provide services at the district or regional level rather than the school level. This restriction applies only to contracts and agreements that are executed or renewed on or after July 1, 2007 . The administrative salary schedule for administrators in the CCSD does not provide for a one and one-half times differential in salary between the highest paid principal and a regional or district administrator, but will impact the salary of the superintendent. CCASAPE opposed this bill because it provides legislative-infringement on the collective bargaining process. THIS BILL IS DEAD.
SB110 This bill reduces the number of required examinations administered to students. CCASAPE supported this bill in its original format. This bill has been amended and now stipulates that required tests and assessments must be limited to those which can be demonstrated to provide a direct benefit to pupils or which are used by teachers to improve instruction. This bill also requires a report of the number of hours pupils spend testing in Clark and Washoe Counties . CCASAPE supports this bill.
SB123 This bill makes significant changes to how members of the public may access the public records of a public or governmental agency. CCASAPE has not developed a position on this bill. However, this bill has been amended to delete the provisions which could result in confidential information being released to the public. CCASAPE will continue to monitor this bill.
SB143 This bill has been amended to make the requirement that schools provide a parent report card on the involvement of the parent in the education of the pupil optional. Even in its amended form, this bill still requires a parent signature on the currently required code of honor. Previously, no signature was required. This bill will require additional work and expense for school administrators. CCASAPE remains opposed to this bill contrary to the position expressed by NASA.
SB166 This bill increases the salaries of certain employees who hold national certification. CCASAPE will seek to amend this bill to include professional-technical employees who must hold national certification.
SB223 This bill directs the Legislative Commission to appoint an interim committee to conduct a study to develop a plan for the deconsolidation of the CCSD. CCASAPE opposes this bill.
SB238 Governor Gibbon’s empowerment bill. The funding for this bill has not been finalized.
SB286 This Bob Beers bill will allow teachers to carry a concealed firearm while on school property. CCASAPE opposed this bill. THIS BILL IS DEAD.
SB304 Democrats’ empowerment bill. No funding is provided. THIS BILL IS DEAD.
SB305 This bill authorizes the Board of County Commissioners or the governing body of a city to veto matters passed by the Board of School Trustees. CCASAPE opposed this bill in its original form. The language of this bill has been deleted in its entirety and replaced with a bill which provides money appropriations for various educational programs.
SB328 This bill requires the school board to adopt a program which will require administrators to be engaged in an annual classroom instruction (licensed administrators) and an annual observation (non-licensed administrators) for at least one full instructional day that is appropriate for the responsibilities, position, and duties of the administrator. This bill is the same bill that Senator Beers introduced during the 2005 legislative session. CCASAPE opposes this bill.
SB354 This bill defines the scope of authority of school police officers, including authority to issue traffic citations on any public street near any public school. CCASAPE is opposed to school police officers issuing traffic citations and will seek to amend this bill.
SB397 This is a CCSD bill that has changed significantly from the original CCSD bill draft. This bill requires administrative sanctions similar to those of the juvenile court system be imposed on habitual truants by a school police officer or a person designated by the principal. This bill provides that the parent of the habitual truant may not renew his vehicle registration until all administrative fines imposed against the parent are paid. This bill requires the principal or designee to impose the administrative sanctions and fines and notify the DMV regarding the driver’s license suspension, as well as, collect the driver’s license if it is suspended. Parents may request a hearing before the principal. The principal’s written decision is subject to judicial review in district court. CCASAPE is concerned that the work of the school principal continues to increase and will become more complex. CCASAPE will seek to amend this bill.
SB534 A CCSD bill which authorizes the superintendent to extend the jurisdiction of school police officers to issue traffic citations during the time school is in session on adjacent streets. CCASAPE is opposed to this bill.
The full text of these bills can be found at www.leg.state.nv.us within the 2007 session information. The CCASAPE analysis for each of the 147 bills being tracked is posted weekly to the CCASAPE website at www.ccasa.net. It is suggested that CCASAPE members take the time to become familiar with proposed legislation and contact legislators to convince them of the need to increase funding for K-12 education and to not pass legislation which would be harmful to administrators and education. Email addresses and other information may also be found at www.leg.state.nv.us.
TEACHER BILL OF RIGHTS
ASSEMBLY BILL 459
School administrators are strongly encouraged to review the complete text of Assembly Bill 459. The CCASAPE analysis of this bill may be viewed on the CCASAPE website under the information link at http://www.ccasa.net/1NewsFlash/legislative.htm.
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This bill was introduced in the Assembly by freshman Assemblyman Segerblom. The bill appeared to initially be dead, but later came out of committee and passed the Assembly by a vote of 42 to 0. This bill will drastically change the way in which school administrators complete their supervisory responsibilities with teachers. Virtually ALL meetings with teachers will be subject to the provisions of the bill. CCASAPE believes that this bill will effectively prevent administrators from being able to hold teachers accountable. This bill will remove the authority of the administrator to actually administer the school and will diminish the administrator’s ability to resolve problems, address parent concerns, and improve the performance of teachers. This bill will mandate when and how meetings with administrators are to be conducted. The provisions of this bill stipulate that teacher transfers between schools and within schools must be made on the basis of seniority. It appears that the reassignment of teachers to a different instructional assignment would fall under the provisions of this bill.
The bill also provides broad latitude to a teacher to determine how an investigation of an administrator is conducted. Section 3 of the bill states that if a teacher or his representative requests in writing the investigation of an administrator and provides facts which justify the investigation, the school district may not appoint another administrator or the superintendent to conduct the investigation unless the teacher agrees in writing. If the teacher does not so agree, the school district shall, at its own expense, appoint a disinterested person to conduct the investigation.
Additionally, before a school district may require a teacher to respond to an allegation of improper conduct or performance, the school district must provide the teacher with a detailed written notice of the allegation, including the names of all accusers and the date, time, place, and a detailed explanation concerning the alleged improper conduct or performance. If such written notice is not provided before an investigative interview, the teacher may refuse to answer questions and may not be disciplined for that refusal.
In the April 4, 2007 , Las Vegas Review Journal editorial page, the following quotation was made regarding AB459, “Its intent is apparently to make it impossible for a principal to run his school without consulting a bevy of attorneys over even the most routine conversation with one of his charges.” CCASAPE believes this bill will ensure full employment for attorneys.
his bill is a direct outgrowth of the ongoing discussions which are occurring at various levels regarding the topic of school climate, the failure of the District to hire sufficient numbers of teachers, and the rate of teacher turnover during the first three years of employment. Those who support this bill and speak on its behalf have effectively made use of isolated anecdotes to justify the necessity of the provisions of this bill. A cause and effect relationship has been developed and is discussed repeatedly. The bill’s supporters, and there are many, have convinced legislators that it is the poor treatment of teachers that is the primary cause of the District’s growing inability to hire and retain sufficient numbers of teachers when, as a practical matter, the hiring and retention problem is the direct result of salaries not being commensurate with the rigors, complexities, and increasing expectations for all employees who work in schools.
After reading this bill and/or the CCASAPE analysis of this bill, administrators are encouraged to contact their legislator to express their concerns regarding the negative impact this bill will have. Without your calls and written correspondence to legislators describing your ongoing efforts to establish a positive school climate and culture, this bill has the potential to become reality. The hearing for this bill is scheduled for May 9, 2007 , in the Human Resources and Education Committee. Committee members include Senators Washington , Cegavske, Nolan, Heck, Wiener, Horsford, and Woodhouse.
CCASAPE BELIEVES THIS BILL IS A TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE RESPONSE TO A SMALL NUMBER OF ISOLATED ISSUES.
HEALTH BENEFIT PLAN UPDATE
As previously reported in multiple Unifiers, out-of-pocket costs for administrators and retirees with dependents on POS Plans 1 and 2, and HMO Plan 3 will increase on July 1, 2007 . Because the cost increase constitutes a 125 Plan qualifying event, administrators and retirees will have an opportunity to switch from their current plan to one with lower premiums. Administrators will not be able to add additional dependents at this time unless the addition of the dependent is precipitated by a qualifying event. Open enrollment for the health benefit plan sponsored by the School Administrators’ and Professional-technical Employees’ Welfare Trust will, as always, be held in October and November with an effective date for any changes that are made of January 1, 2008.
Administrators and retirees desiring to change plans due to the July 1, 2007 , cost increase must notify Karen White in the District’s Benefits Office prior to June 29, 2007 . If you have questions regarding plan options and pricing, please contact the CCASAPE office at 796-9602.
FULL-TIME STUDENT ENROLLMENT STATUS REQUIRED FOR HEALTH PLAN ELIGIBILITY
With the spring semester soon to end, health plan participants are reminded that an unmarried child who is under the age of 27 and enrolled in an accredited school is eligible to receive health benefits as a dependent on any of the health benefit plans offered through the Welfare Trust. Students must be enrolled in 6 credit hours to be eligible to participate. In the past, Sierra Health required an annual letter from the registrar’s office verifying that the student is enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours.
ALL HEALTH PLAN PARTICIPANTS ARE REMINDED THAT THIS ANNUAL VERIFICATION IS NO LONGER REQUIRED. ADMINISTRATORS AND RETIREES MUST PROVIDE A “STUDENT STATUS VERIFICATION” ONLY ONCE (WHEN A DEPENDENT TURNS 19, OR AT THE TIME OF ENROLLMENT IF THE CHILD IS 19 OR OLDER). ALL PLAN PARTICIPANTS ARE REMINDED THAT SIERRA EXPECTS THAT EACH ADMINISTRATOR AND RETIREE WILL INFORM THE DISTRICT’S BENEFITS OFFICE (799-5418) WHEN ANY DEPENDENT IS NO LONGER ELIGIBLE FOR INSURANCE COVERAGE.
STUDENTS CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN THE HEALTH BENEFITS PLAN WHO DO NOT RETURN TO SCHOOL IN THE FALL WILL HAVE THEIR COVERAGE TERMINATE ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2007 .
Even though student status verification is no longer required by Sierra Health, the student must remain enrolled throughout the school year, with the exception of the summer months, to maintain health insurance eligibility. Failure to notify the District’s Benefits Office when a student dependent is no longer enrolled as a full-time student will result in Sierra Health terminating health insurance eligibility for that dependent retroactively to the date when the student became ineligible. Claims incurred during the ineligible period will be denied by Sierra and the other health care providers.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
The CCASAPE general membership meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 5, 2007 , from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Palace Station Hotel. The CCASAPE business meeting will begin at approximately 4:45 p.m.
During the CCASAPE meeting, members will:
1. Be provided a review of the highlights of 2006-2007, including an update on the current Nevada Legislative Session;
2. Receive the proposed slate of candidates for the June election and be provided an opportunity to nominate additional candidates;
3. Receive a copy of the 2007-2008 CCASAPE budget; and
4. Have the opportunity to socialize with their current colleagues, as well as, those who have retired.
The Clark County Association of Secondary School Principals and the Clark County Association of Elementary School Principals will hold end of the year business meetings at the same location beginning at 4:00 p.m.
| APRIL REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL MEETING |
On April 12, 2007 , the CCASAPE Representative Council held its regular monthly meeting. The major items discussed and/or actions taken during the Representative Council meeting included the following:
1. The revenue, expenditures, and balances within the CCASAPE Association and Trust Fund Accounts;
2. Old Business:
A. School Administrators’ and Professional-technical Employees’ Welfare Trust – Stephen provided a status report on the tasks remaining to be completed for the Trust to become a free standing entity from the Association. Trust investment guidelines were approved and the status of the RFP for a third party administrator and various insurance policies for the Trust were outlined. Additionally, the two remaining trustee vacancies were approved by the Representative Council. The seven trustee seats have been filled and include Stephen Augspurger, Mark Coleman, Allin Chandler, Nick Venturrini, RJ Lapuz, Bev Smothers, and Pat Painter. Stephen informed the Representative Council that RJ Lapuz was recently appointed to the Sierra Health Appeals Committee, replacing Steven DeMaree who recently resigned from the CCSD;
B. 74 th Nevada Legislative Session – Stephen provided an overview of various bills of interest;
C. 2007-2009 CCASAPE / CCSD Negotiations – The proposed Articles for negotiation were reviewed by the Representative Council. The schedule of meetings between the District and CCASAPE was distributed and CCASAPE team work sessions were scheduled for April 30, May 7, and May 14;
D. CCASAPE Scholarship – Seven applications were received for the CCASAPE scholarship. The scholarship committee will complete their selection in late April or early May. The recipients will be recognized and receive their checks at the May 31, 2007 , school board meeting. Bart Mangino, CCASAPE President, will make the presentations;
E. March 21, 2007 , Administrators’ Advisory Council Meeting – Stephen reviewed the agenda items and discussion from the March 21 st meeting.
3. New Business:
A. Sick Leave Pool Request – The Representative Council approved sick leave pool days to an administrator who had exhausted all available leave;
B. Teachers4Change – Stephen reviewed the nature of the communications and the material on the Teachers4Change website and discussed legal opinions related to the site;
4. Committee Reports:
A. CCAESP – Karen Smallwood, CCAESP President, reported that Linda Gipson was the first recipient of the “Going the Extra Mile Award.” Additionally, Karen reported that networking lunches were being scheduled with elementary principals to enhance communication;
B. CCASSP – No report was provided; and
C. Legal – Charles Anderson, Chairperson, stated there was no Legal Committee activity to report.
5. Executive Director’s Report – Stephen provided a review of the accountant’s report, membership report, and the various CCASAPE activities and the types of assistance provided to CCASAPE members.
