Author: CCSD News

Today, the final budget for the Clark County School District (CCSD) 2019-2020 school year was posted. The Trustees are required by state law to pass a final, balanced budget by early June. They will consider the final budget at a special meeting on May 20. There are no major changes from the tentative budget presented to Trustees in April, as we do not know how much additional funding we will receive from the Legislature. We can re-open our budget at any point before December to add in additional funds, including dollars for employee raises. CCSD remains committed to working with…

McKenzie Carmichael is graduating from College of Southern Nevada High School East with 44 college credits and a perfect 4.0 college and high school grade point average. Her peers nominated McKenzie as the school’s Student of the Year, and one student stated how exceptional she is, because of both her intellect and her altruism. Even though McKenzie lives with a life altering disease, she is unshakably optimistic. She takes handfuls of medications with side effects worse than the symptoms of her disease, yet she knows they keep her alive. Many would struggle with this, but not McKenzie. She chooses to…

The Clark County School District (CCSD) Board of School Trustees and I are pleased to see the much-anticipated introduction of a new education funding formula in Nevada with Senate Bill 543. Nevada has the oldest funding formula in the nation. Our current funding formula has been in place since 1967, and no longer serves the needs of our growing, diverse student population. CCSD strongly supports this plan in concept. We look forward to looking at the details to ensure there is sufficient flexibility to address the needs of students in each district. The bill addresses our three biggest concerns with…

Gabriela Hernandez-Lugo was born in Cuba, and came to the United States at the age of five. Raised and educated in Las Vegas, the shy five-year-old was put into the first grade and was told to adapt to her new circumstances. By the third grade, she had learned to read, write and communicate in English. Gabriela has come a long way, and is now the valedictorian of her graduating class, in addition to being the treasurer of Southwest Career and Technical Academy’s chapter of the National Honor Society. She has completed countless hours of community service, and hopes that one…

Board Agenda Item 5.01 – Presentation and Discussion Related to the Clark County School District (CCSD) Balanced Assessment System The CCSD Board of School Trustees received a presentation regarding CCSD’s balanced assessment system framework. With the addition of the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Growth interim assessment, CCSD has an assessment cycle with one assessment that will be administered three times during the school year in grades K-9 to assess students’ progress on the content standards. The balanced assessment system framework includes assessments that educators use to gain valuable data to guide and inform instruction and to better support student…

Congratulations to Amber Chou, Spring Valley High School’s Star Graduate! Amber Chou has earned straight A’s throughout high school, making her a valedictorian candidate. She has four years of perfect attendance, and has chosen to take all of the most challenging courses the school offers, earning top scores on her many AP exams. Amber is a talented performer and gifted artist. Her participation in both Speech and Debate and Model United Nations are particularly noteworthy, as Amber has distinguished herself in these programs, both as an award-winning orator and accomplished delegate. She also completed a stellar AP Studio Art portfolio…

Northwest Career & Technical Academy student Ananya Sahiba Dewan has been named a 2019 U.S. Presidential Scholar among 161 high school seniors in the nation. The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selects scholars annually based on their academic success, artistic and technical excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, and leadership. “On behalf of all Nevada educators, I would like to offer our congratulations and let these outstanding students know how proud we are of them,” said Jhone Ebert, Superintendent of Public Instruction. “It is wonderful that these students are being recognized nationally for their hard…

Melissa Martin Martinez was admitted to the competitive and rigorous College of Southern Nevada High School program, after having arrived in the United States three years earlier with refugee status. She joined the school’s Student Council right off the bat, and became a dedicated member. During her junior year, she suffered and overcame serious ongoing health issues, going months without telling anyone at school what she was going through, worried that people would doubt her capability if they knew. She eventually learned to utilize her resources and to self-advocate, and she continues to prove herself as an enthusiastic and devoted…

Boulder City High School is proud to announce Taylor Cunningham as its Class of 2019 Star Graduate. Never one to shy away from an academic opportunity or challenge, Taylor is a valedictorian candidate with a perfect 4.8 grade point average, an AP Scholar with Honor and scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT. Taylor has the keen ability to manage the pursuit of academia, while maintaining the capacity to relate to her peers. She is not just the head of her class, she’s a three-year varsity cheerleader serving as captain for the past two years, and a four-year varsity…

In 2017, Jacob Ramirez-Morales experienced the natural disaster that changed his life forever, “Hurricane María.” After a month of struggle, he was fortunate enough to migrate from Puerto Rico in the pursuit of a better life. Jacob had missed so many days of school in Puerto Rico; they summed up to 2 months. He planned to enroll into high school once the opportunity arose. Jacob had always dreamt of graduating in a high school in the U.S.; he stated, “Who knew it would have become a reality this way.” During his first day at Western High School, Jacob felt welcomed…