Senate Bill No. 210–Committee on Finance

 

CHAPTER..........

 

AN ACT relating to education; revising provisions governing the regional training programs for the professional development of teachers and administrators and the Statewide Council for the Coordination of the Regional Training Programs; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN

SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

    Section 1. NRS 391.512 is hereby amended to read as follows:

    391.512  1.  The Clark County School District, Douglas

 County School District, Elko County School District and

Washoe County School District shall each establish and operate a

 [regional] :

    (a) Regional training program for the professional development

 of teachers and administrators.

    (b) Nevada Early Literacy Intervention Program through the

 regional training program established pursuant to paragraph (a).

    2.  Except as otherwise provided in subsection 6, the regional

 training program established by the Clark County School District

 must primarily provide services to teachers and administrators who

 are employed by school districts in:

    (a) Clark County;

    (b) Esmeralda County;

    (c) Lincoln County; and

    (d) Nye County.

    3.  Except as otherwise provided in subsection 6, the regional

 training program established by the Douglas County School District

 must primarily provide services to teachers and administrators who

 are employed by school districts in:

    (a) Carson City;

    (b) Churchill County;

    (c) Douglas County;

    (d) Lyon County; and

    (e) Mineral County.

    4.  Except as otherwise provided in subsection 6, the regional

 training program established by the Elko County School District

 must primarily provide services to teachers and administrators who

 are employed by school districts in:

    (a) Elko County;

    (b) Eureka County;

    (c) Lander County;

    (d) Humboldt County; and

    (e) White Pine County.

    5.  Except as otherwise provided in subsection 6, the regional

training program established by the Washoe County School District

 must primarily provide services to teachers and administrators who

 are employed by school districts in:

    (a) Pershing County;

    (b) Storey County; and

    (c) Washoe County.

    6.  Each regional training program shall, when practicable,

 make reasonable accommodations for the attendance of teachers

 and administrators who are employed by school districts outside the

 primary jurisdiction of the regional training program.

    Sec. 2.  NRS 391.516 is hereby amended to read as follows:

    391.516  1.  The Statewide Council for the Coordination of the

 Regional Training Programs, consisting of [eight] nine members, is

 hereby created. The membership of the Council consists of:

    (a) Each coordinator appointed by the governing body of each

 regional training program pursuant to NRS 391.532 . [; and]

    (b) One member of the governing body of each regional training

 program, appointed by the governing body. The member appointed

 pursuant to this paragraph may appoint a designee to serve in his

 place.

    (c) One representative of the Nevada State Education

 Association, appointed by the President of that Association.

    2.  Each coordinator who serves on the Statewide Council is a

 member of the Statewide Council only for the period of his service

 as coordinator of the regional training program pursuant to

NRS 391.532.

    3.  Each member appointed by the governing body pursuant to

 paragraph (b) of subsection 1 [serves] and the member appointed

 pursuant to paragraph (c) of subsection 1 serve a term of 2 years.

    4.  Members of the Statewide Council serve without salary [or

 compensation for their travel or per diem expenses.] , but are

 entitled to receive the per diem allowance and travel expenses

 provided for state officers and employees generally for each day

 or portion of a day during which a member attends a meeting of

 the Statewide Council or is otherwise engaged in the work of the

 Statewide Council. For the members of the Statewide Council

 who are appointed pursuant to paragraphs (a) and (b) of

 subsection 1, the governing body of the regional training program

 represented by those members shall pay the per diem allowance

 and travel expenses. For the member of the Statewide Council

 who is appointed pursuant to paragraph (c) of subsection 1, the

 Nevada State Education Association shall pay the per diem

 allowance and travel expenses.

    5.  The governing bodies of the regional training programs may

mutually agree to expend a portion of their respective budgets to pay

 for the administrative support of the Statewide Council.

    Sec. 3.  NRS 391.520 is hereby amended to read as follows:

    391.520  1.  The Statewide Council shall meet not less than

 four times per year.

    2.  The Statewide Council shall:

    (a) Adopt uniform standards for use by the governing body of

 each regional training program in the review and approval by the

 governing body of the training to be provided by the regional

 training program pursuant to NRS 391.540 and 391.544. The

 standards must ensure that the training provided by the regional

 training programs is of high quality and is effective in addressing

 the training programs specified in subsection 1 of NRS 391.544.

    (b) Coordinate the dissemination of information to school

 districts, administrators and teachers concerning the training,

 programs and services provided by the regional training programs.

    (c) Disseminate information to the regional training programs

 concerning innovative and effective methods to provide

 professional development.

    (d) Conduct long-range planning concerning the professional

 development needs of teachers and administrators employed in this

 state.

    (e) Adopt uniform procedures for use by the governing body of

 each regional training program to report the evaluation conducted

 pursuant to NRS 391.552.

    3.  The Statewide Council may:

    (a) Accept gifts and grants from any source on behalf of one

 or more regional training programs to assist with the training

 provided pursuant to NRS 391.544.

    (b) Comply with applicable federal laws and regulations

 governing the provision of federal grants to assist with the

 training provided pursuant to NRS 391.544, including, without

 limitation, providing money from the budget of the Statewide

 Council to match the money received from a federal grant.

    Sec. 4.  NRS 391.536 is hereby amended to read as follows:

    391.536  1.  On an annual basis, the governing body of each

 regional training program shall review the budget for the program

 and submit a proposed budget to the Legislative Committee on

 Education. The proposed budget must include, without limitation,

 the amount of money requested by the governing body to pay for

 the services of the coordinator of the program appointed pursuant to

 NRS 391.532. In even-numbered years, the proposed budget must

 be submitted to the Legislative Committee on Education at least 4

 months before the commencement of the next regular session of the

 Legislature.

    2.  The governing body of a regional training program may:

    (a) Accept gifts and grants from any source to assist the

 governing body in providing the training required by

NRS 391.544.

    (b) Comply with applicable federal laws and regulations

 governing the provision of federal grants to assist with the

 training provided pursuant to NRS 391.544, including, without

 limitation, providing money from the budget of the governing

 body to match the money received from a federal grant.

    Sec. 5.  NRS 391.544 is hereby amended to read as follows:

    391.544  1.  Based upon the assessment of needs for training

 within the region and priorities of training adopted by the governing

 body pursuant to NRS 391.540, each regional training program

 must provide:

    (a) Training for teachers in the standards established by the

 Council to Establish Academic Standards for Public Schools

 pursuant to NRS 389.520 . [; and]

    (b) Through the Nevada Early Literacy Intervention Program

 established for the regional training program, training for

 teachers who teach kindergarten and grades 1, 2 or 3 on methods

 to teach fundamental reading skills, including, without limitation:

        (1) Phonemic awareness;

        (2) Phonics;

        (3) Vocabulary;

        (4) Fluency;

        (5) Comprehension; and

        (6) Motivation.

    (c) At least one of the following types of training:

        (1) Training for teachers and school administrators in the

 assessment and measurement of pupil achievement and the

 effective methods to analyze the test results and scores of pupils to

 improve the achievement and proficiency of pupils.

        (2) Training for teachers in specific content areas to enable

 the teachers to provide a higher level of instruction in their

 respective fields of teaching. Such training must include instruction

 in effective methods to teach in a content area provided by teachers

 who are considered masters in that content area.

        (3) [Training] In addition to the training provided pursuant

 to paragraph (b) of subsection 1, training for teachers in the

 methods to teach basic skills to pupils, such as providing instruction

 in reading with the use of phonics and providing instruction in basic

 skills of mathematics computation.

    2.  The training required pursuant to subsection 1 must:

    (a) Include appropriate procedures to ensure follow-up training

 for teachers and administrators who have received training through

 the program.

    (b) Incorporate training that addresses the educational needs of:

        (1) Pupils with disabilities who participate in programs of

 special education; and

        (2) Pupils whose primary language is not English.

    3.  The governing body of each regional training program shall

 prepare and maintain a list that identifies programs for the

 professional development of teachers and administrators that

 successfully incorporate [the] :

    (a) The standards of content and performance established by the

 Council to Establish Academic Standards for Public Schools

 pursuant to NRS 389.520 [and other] ;

    (b) Fundamental reading skills; and

    (c) Other training listed in subsection 1.

The governing body shall provide a copy of the list on an annual

 basis to school districts for dissemination to teachers and

 administrators.

    4.  A regional training program may include model classrooms

 that demonstrate the use of educational technology for teaching and

 learning.

    Sec. 6.  NRS 391.552 is hereby amended to read as follows:

    391.552  The governing body of each regional training program

 shall:

    1.  Establish a method for the evaluation of the success of the

 regional training program[.] , including, without limitation, the

 Nevada Early Literacy Intervention Program. The method must be

 consistent with the uniform procedures adopted by the Statewide

 Council pursuant to NRS 391.520.

    2.  On or before July 1 of each year, submit an annual report to

 the State Board, the Commission, the Legislative Committee on

 Education and the Legislative Bureau of Educational

 Accountability and Program Evaluation that includes:

    (a) The priorities for training adopted by the governing body

 pursuant to NRS 391.540 . [;]

    (b) The type of training offered through the program in the

 immediately preceding year . [;]

    (c) The number of teachers and administrators who received

 training through the program in the immediately preceding year . [;]

    (d) An evaluation of the success of the program , including,

 without limitation, the Nevada Early Literacy Intervention

 Program, in accordance with the method established pursuant to

 subsection 1 . [; and]

    (e) A description of the gifts and grants, if any, received by the

 governing body in the immediately preceding year and the gifts

 and grants, if any, received by the Statewide Council during the

 immediately preceding year on behalf of the regional training

program. The description must include the manner in which the

gifts and grants were expended.

    (f) The 5-year plan for the program prepared pursuant to NRS

 391.540 and any revisions to the plan made by the governing body

 in the immediately preceding year.

    Sec. 7.  On or before September 1, 2003, the President of the

 Nevada State Education Association shall appoint one member to

 the Statewide Council for the Coordination of the Regional

 Training Programs pursuant to paragraph (c) of subsection 1 of

 NRS 391.516.

    Sec. 8.  This act becomes effective on July 1, 2003.

 

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