Committee on Education-February 18, 2015

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Seventy-Eighth Session February 18, 2015

The Committee on Education was called to order by Chair Melissa Woodbury at 3:21 p.m. on Wednesday, February 18, 2015, in Room 3142 of the Legislative Building, 401 South Carson Street, Carson City, Nevada. The meeting was videoconferenced to Room 4401 of the Grant Sawyer State Office Building, 555 East Washington Avenue, Las Vegas, Nevada. Copies of the minutes, including the Agenda (Exhibit A), the Attendance Roster (Exhibit B), and other substantive exhibits, are available and on file in the Research Library of the Legislative Counsel Bureau and on the Nevada Legislature's website at leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/78th2015. In addition, copies of the audio or video of the meeting may be purchased, for personal use only, through the Legislative Counsel Bureau's Publications Office (email: publications@lcb.state.nv.us; telephone: 775-684-6835).

COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:

Assemblywoman Melissa Woodbury, Chair Assemblyman Lynn D. Stewart, Vice Chair Assemblyman Elliot T. Anderson Assemblyman Derek Armstrong Assemblywoman Olivia Diaz Assemblywoman Victoria A. Dooling Assemblyman Chris Edwards Assemblyman Edgar Flores Assemblyman David M. Gardner Assemblyman Pat Hickey Assemblywoman Amber Joiner Assemblyman Harvey J. Munford Assemblywoman Shelly M. Shelton Assemblywoman Heidi Swank

COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT:

None

Minutes ID: 255

*CM255*

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GUEST LEGISLATORS PRESENT:

None

STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT:

H. Pepper Sturm, Committee Policy Analyst Kristin Rossiter, Committee Policy Analyst Karly O'Krent, Committee Counsel Sharon McCallen, Committee Secretary Trinity Thom, Committee Assistant

OTHERS PRESENT:

Craig M. Stevens, Director, Intergovernmental Relations, Community and Government Relations, Clark County School District

Chris Giunchigliani, Private Citizen, Las Vegas, Nevada Alan Waxler, Chief Executive Officer, AWG Ambassador, Las

Vegas, Nevada Scott Baez, Government Affairs Specialist, Washoe County School

District Christopher G. Nielsen, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the

Governor Deonne E. Contine, Executive Director, Department of Taxation Dale A.R. Erquiaga, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Department of Education Ryan Sanshuck, Private Citizen, Las Vegas, Nevada Lesley Pittman, representing American Federation for Children Janine Hansen, representing Nevada Families for Freedom Lynn Chapman, Member, Nevada Eagle Forum Mary-Sarah Kinner, representing the Las Vegas Sands Tom Greene, Regional Advocacy Director, Western Region,

Excellence in Education National Elizabeth Purtee, Private Citizen, Carson City, Nevada Tray Abney, Director of Government Relations, Reno-Sparks

Chamber of Commerce Justin Harrison, Director, Government Affairs, Las Vegas Metro

Chamber of Commerce Lacy Henderson, Private Citizen, Las Vegas, Nevada Melissa Morgan, Private Citizen, Las Vegas, Nevada Aurora Espinoza, Private Citizen, Las Vegas, Nevada Diana Reyes, Private Citizen, Las Vegas, Nevada

Assembly Committee on Education February 18, 2015 Page 3

Juanita Clark, Board Member, Charleston Neighborhood Preservation, Las Vegas, Nevada

Robert Tzall, Private Citizen, Las Vegas, Nevada Emi Fujiyama, Private Citizen, Las Vegas, Nevada Laura Hirsch, Private Citizen, Carson City, Nevada Elisa Gould, Private Citizen, Las Vegas, Nevada Frederick I. Cooper, Private Citizen, Reno, Nevada Lonnie Feemster, Private Citizen, Carson City, Nevada Dawn Miller, Member, Nevada Parent Teacher Association Terrence Brooks, Private Citizen, Las Vegas, Nevada Andrew Diss, State Director, StudentsFirstNV Victor Joecks, Executive Vice President, Nevada Policy Research

Institute Seth Rau, Policy Director, Nevada Succeeds Jacob Hafter, Private Citizen, Las Vegas, Nevada Victoria Carre?n, Director, Education Policy, Kenny C. Guinn Center

for Policy Priorities Ruben Murillo Jr., President, Nevada State Education Association Patrick Gavin, Director, State Public Charter School Authority Kathleen Conaboy, representing K12 Inc.

Chair Woodbury: [Roll was taken. Committee protocol and rules were explained.] We have a work session today that we will hear first. We only have two bills. I will turn the time over to Pepper Sturm.

H. Pepper Sturm, Committee Policy Analyst: I would direct the Committee's attention to the work session document in front of you (Exhibit C). The first bill for the work session is Assembly Bill 27.

Assembly Bill 27: Makes various changes regarding the licensure of educational personnel. (BDR 34-315)

As you will recall, we heard Assembly Bill 27 on February 9, 2015. There were three amendments proposed by Mr. Erquiaga. You can see those in the mock-up that follows the work session page describing the bill.

Chair Woodbury: Is there any discussion on the bill from the Committee?

Assembly Committee on Education February 18, 2015 Page 4

Assemblyman Munford: Would it ever come to the point where we would sunset it, or we would not have to take this route to recruit more teachers under this type of circumstance?

Karly O'Krent, Committee Counsel: Currently, this bill is not set to sunset at any particular time, but the bill can be amended if the Committee wishes to do so. Chair Woodbury: Is there any further discussion?

ASSEMBLYWOMAN DIAZ MOVED TO AMEND AND DO PASS ASSEMBLY BILL 27.

ASSEMBLYMAN STEWART SECONDED THE MOTION.

THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

Ms. Diaz, do you mind doing the floor statement?

H. Pepper Sturm, Committee Policy Analyst: The next bill in the work session is Assembly Bill 107.

Assembly Bill 107: Revises provisions relating to reports of accountability for public schools. (BDR 34-407)

This is a bill we heard on Monday, February 16, 2015 (Exhibit D). There were three proposed amendments by Mr. Erquiaga on behalf of the Governor's Council on Food Security. There is no mock-up for this; these are just conceptual amendments.

In the second conceptual amendment it is not only for participants; it is for both those eligible and participants.

There is a fiscal note following the work session document. There was mention from the rural districts of concern regarding converting the data into a format that could be used to comply with this bill.

Chair Woodbury: After consulting with the Superintendent, my intent is to send a letter to him asking the Department of Education to assist the school districts in converting their data to comply with this bill. Is there any discussion from the Committee? If not, I will take a motion to amend and do pass, including sending the letter.

Assembly Committee on Education February 18, 2015 Page 5

ASSEMBLYWOMAN DIAZ MOVED TO AMEND AND DO PASS ASSEMBLY BILL 107.

ASSEMBLYMAN GARDNER SECONDED THE MOTION.

THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

Assemblyman Anderson will take the floor statement. I will now open the hearing on Assembly Bill 117.

Assembly Bill 117: Authorizes a school district to lease school buses or vehicles belonging to the school district in certain circumstances. (BDR 34-510)

Assemblyman Elliot T. Anderson, Assembly District No. 15: I am here to present Assembly Bill 117 for your consideration. I would like to thank everyone in the audience for coming here today to support my bill.

Assembly Bill 117 allows school districts in the state to enter into a written agreement to lease school buses or other vehicles owned by the school districts to provide them to private entities that are not a part of a school district program. Across the United States, many states have adopted similar measures--California, Idaho, and Indiana to name a few--that have enabled the use of school buses to transport elderly populations, employees of government agencies, and other people in times of emergencies.

I will walk you through a few of the key provisions of the bill. The bill authorizes the school district to enter into an agreement to lease school buses or other vehicles for special events. A school district's board of trustees must enter into the agreement, and as part of that, must ensure it does not interfere with the regular transportation of the district's pupils--the key mission of the school district, as it relates to school buses. The agreement must charge a fee equal to or greater than the cost to operate the school bus. It is possible if they enter into fees more than that amount, the money could be used to fund the purchase and maintenance of school buses or vehicles. The agreement would also have to indemnify the school district against liability or any claims and associated costs. It would require the lessee to provide proof that the driver would be properly licensed in Nevada, and require proof of insurance to cover the cost of the bus or vehicle.

A detailed amendment (Exhibit E) has been proposed by Clark County School District (CCSD). I fully accept the provisions of that amendment.

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