AB426 - Revises provisions relating to the organization of large school districts. (BDR 34-1048)

(Reprinted with amendments adopted on April 18, 2025) FIRST REPRINT A.B. 426 - *AB426_R1* ASSEMBLY BILL NO. 426–ASSEMBLYMEMBERS KARRIS, ANDERSON, NGUYEN, DALIA; GONZÁLEZ AND MOORE MARCH 13, 2025 ____________ Referred to Committee on Education SUMMARY—Revises provisions relating to the organization of large school districts. (BDR 34-1048) FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: May have Fiscal Impact. Effect on the State: No. ~ EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted. AN ACT relating to education; revising provisions governing the plan of operation for a local school precinct; revising provisions governing the expenditure of certain money by a local school precinct; revising provisions governing members of the organizational team for a local school precinct; revising provisions governing the duties of certain entities when a vacancy occurs in the position of principal for a local school precinct; requiring the principal of a local school precinct to provide the organizational team with a briefing containing certain information; and providing other matters properly relating thereto. Legislative Counsel’s Digest: Existing law provides that each public school within a school district in this 1 State which has more than 100,000 pupils enrolled in its public schools (currently 2 the Clark County School District) is deemed to be a local school precinct. (NRS 3 388G.530, 388G.600) Existing law requires the principal of a local school precinct 4 to: (1) establish an organizational team for the local school precinct; (2) develop a 5 plan of operation that contains a budget for the use of money allocated to the local 6 school precinct; (3) present the plan at a public meeting before the organizational 7 team conducts a vote to approve the plan; and (4) if at least 75 percent of the 8 members of the organizational team vote to approve the plan of operation, submit 9 the plan to the school associate superintendent for approval. (NRS 388G.700) 10 Section 2 of this bill requires, for each meeting at which the organizational team is 11 scheduled to vote on approval of the plan of operation, the principal to: (1) at least 12 3 days before the meeting, send a copy of the budget included in such a plan to the 13 members of the organizational team through electronic mail; and (2) provide the 14 – 2 – - *AB426_R1* organizational team with a report containing information regarding certain 15 expenditures. Section 3 of this bill: (1) requires the principal to, at least 3 working 16 days before holding a public meeting to present a plan of operation, send a copy of 17 the agenda to the parents or legal guardian of a pupil enrolled in the local school 18 precinct unless the parents or legal guardian have opted not to receive a copy of the 19 agenda; and (2) sets forth certain requirements governing the posting of the agenda 20 and minutes and plan of operation on various Internet websites maintained by the 21 large school district or the local school precinct. Finally, section 3 provides that: (1) 22 after the plan of operation has been approved, if the principal determines that an 23 adjustment to the budget is necessary, the adjustment may not be made unless the 24 principal notifies the organizational team and conducts a meeting of the 25 organizational team and school associate superintendent for any adjustment to 26 the budget in an amount of at least $80,000 for an elementary or middle school or 27 $125,000 for a high school; and (2) any expenditure of money generated by pupils 28 enrolled at the local school precinct must be approved by the organizational team. 29 (NRS 388G.710) 30 Existing law requires the organizational team for a local school precinct to 31 include elected members who are: (1) teachers or other licensed educational 32 personnel at the local school precinct; (2) employees of the local school precinct 33 who are not teachers or other licensed educational personnel; and (3) parents or 34 legal guardians of pupils enrolled at the local school precinct. (NRS 388G.720) 35 Section 4 of this bill: (1) prohibits the principal of a local school precinct from 36 being elected as a member of an organizational team in any capacity other than as 37 principal; and (2) provides for the designation of certain alternate members in the 38 event of a vacancy. Section 4 additionally requires the superintendent of the large 39 school district to provide the staff of the large school district with a directory of 40 contact information for members of each organizational team within the large 41 school district. 42 Existing law sets forth certain requirements governing meetings of 43 organizational teams and the terms of members of organizational teams. (NRS 44 388G.730) Section 5 of this bill: (1) sets forth certain requirements for the school 45 associate superintendent who oversees the local school precinct concerning such 46 meetings; and (2) sets forth the procedure to fill a vacancy in the organizational 47 team from among the candidates who received votes in elections for members of 48 the organizational team. 49 Existing law sets forth certain duties that the organizational team and 50 superintendent of the large school district are required to carry out when a vacancy 51 occurs in the position of principal for a local school precinct. (NRS 388G.740) 52 Section 6 of this bill: (1) requires the organizational team to conduct a meeting to 53 obtain input from the public concerning the vacancy; (2) sets forth requirements for 54 how the organizational team and superintendent must use the list of qualifications 55 for candidates prepared by the organizational team; and (3) requires the 56 organizational team to hold a meeting to introduce the person selected to serve as 57 principal. 58 Existing law requires the board of trustees of each school district to submit to 59 the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Department of Taxation an annual 60 report containing certain information concerning budgets and expenditures. (NRS 61 387.303) Section 1 of this bill requires the principal of a local school precinct to 62 provide the organizational team with a briefing containing certain information 63 contained in the report. 64 – 3 – - *AB426_R1* THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. Chapter 388G of NRS is hereby amended by 1 adding thereto a new section to read as follows: 2 The principal of a local school precinct shall, not later than 45 3 days after the board of trustees submits the report required 4 pursuant to NRS 387.303, provide the organizational team for the 5 local school precinct with a briefing comparing the budget 6 included in the plan of operation for the local precinct pursuant to 7 subsection 3 of NRS 388G.700 for the previous school year with 8 the actual expenditures of the local school precinct for the 9 previous school year. 10 Sec. 2. NRS 388G.700 is hereby amended to read as follows: 11 388G.700 1. The principal of a local school precinct shall: 12 (a) Establish an organizational team for the local school precinct 13 consisting of the members described in NRS 388G.720 on or before 14 October 1 of each school year; 15 (b) Develop the proposed plan of operation for the local school 16 precinct for the next school year with the assistance and advice of 17 the organizational team; 18 (c) Before any vote on a proposed plan of operation for the local 19 school precinct, make every effort to notify the members of the 20 organizational team for the local school precinct of the date, time 21 and location of the scheduled vote; 22 (d) At least 3 days before any vote on a proposed plan of 23 operation for the local school precinct, send a message through 24 electronic mail to the members of the organizational team for the 25 local school precinct that contains a copy of the budget included 26 in the proposed plan of operation for the local school precinct 27 pursuant to paragraph (b) of subsection 3; 28 (e) If the proposed plan of operation for the local school precinct 29 is approved by a vote of at least 75 percent of the members of the 30 organizational team for the local school precinct who are present at 31 the time of the vote, submit the proposed plan of operation to the 32 school associate superintendent for approval; [and 33 (e)] (f) If the proposed plan of operation for the local precinct is 34 not approved by a vote of at least 75 percent of the members of the 35 organizational team who are present at the time of the vote, notify 36 the school associate superintendent in accordance with NRS 37 388G.750 [.] ; and 38 (g) At each meeting in which the organizational team is 39 scheduled to vote on the proposed plan of operation for the local 40 school precinct, provide the organizational team with an itemized 41 – 4 – - *AB426_R1* report describing any expenditures that will not be completed 1 within 1 year and the reason for the timing of the expenditures. 2 2. In accordance with the applicable collective bargaining 3 agreement, the principal of the local school precinct shall select staff 4 for the local school precinct as necessary to carry out the plan of 5 operation from a list provided by the superintendent. 6 3. The plan of operation for the local school precinct must 7 include, without limitation: 8 (a) A plan to improve the achievement of pupils enrolled in the 9 local school precinct, regardless of whether such a plan is required 10 to be prepared pursuant to NRS 385A.650; and 11 (b) A budget which itemizes the manner in which the local 12 school precinct will use the money allocated to the local school 13 precinct. 14 4. The budget included in the plan of operation for the local 15 school precinct pursuant to subsection 3 must be based upon the 16 average unit cost for each type of employee of the local school 17 precinct established pursuant to paragraph (a) of subsection 1 of 18 NRS 388G.650, the actual cost for the procurement of equipment, 19 services and supplies for the local school precinct and the actual cost 20 of any other item included in the budget of the local school precinct. 21 The budget must be developed in accordance with the criteria for 22 determining budgetary priorities established by the board of trustees 23 of the large school district pursuant to NRS 387.301. 24 Sec. 3. NRS 388G.710 is hereby amended to read as follows: 25 388G.710 1. Before the organizational team conducts a vote 26 on approving a plan of operation for the local school precinct, the 27 principal of the local school precinct shall present the plan at a 28 public meeting held in accordance with [subsection] subsections 2 29 and 3 at the local school precinct to which the plan of operation 30 applies. 31 2. The principal shall [post] : 32 (a) Post notice of the meeting not less than 3 working days 33 before the date on which the meeting will be held [.] ; 34 (b) Send a copy of the agenda for the meeting to the parents or 35 legal guardian of a pupil enrolled in the local school precinct by 36 electronic mail or through other electronic means not less than 3 37 working days before the date on which the meeting will be held, 38 unless a parent or legal guardian of a pupil opt not to receive a 39 copy of the agenda; and 40 (c) Post a copy of the agenda and minutes for the meeting on 41 the Internet website maintained by the local school precinct. Any 42 agendas or minutes posted pursuant to this paragraph must 43 remain posted on the Internet website maintained by the local 44 school precinct for not less than 3 years. 45 – 5 – - *AB426_R1* 3. Members of the public must be allowed to attend any portion 1 of the meeting, except any portion of the meeting during which 2 confidential information is discussed, and each meeting must 3 include a period for public comment. A meeting held pursuant to 4 this [subsection] section is not subject to the provisions of chapter 5 241 of NRS. 6 [3.] 4. Before any vote on a proposed plan of operation for the 7 local school precinct, the principal of the local school precinct must 8 make every effort to notify the members of the organizational team 9 for the local school precinct of the date, time and location of the 10 scheduled vote. 11 [4.] 5. The principal shall not finalize the plan of operation for 12 the local school precinct unless the plan of operation has been 13 approved by at least 75 percent of the members of the organizational 14 team who are present at the time of the vote. If the plan of operation 15 for the local school precinct is finalized by the principal, the 16 principal must submit the plan to the school associate superintendent 17 for approval. After receipt of the plan of operation pursuant to this 18 subsection, the school associate superintendent must approve or 19 deny the plan of operation within 10 days. The plan of operation 20 must be approved unless any provision of the plan violates any 21 federal or state law or policy of the large school district. 22 [5.] 6. If the school associate superintendent: 23 (a) Approves the plan of operation for a local school precinct, 24 the school associate superintendent must notify the principal of the 25 local school precinct and cause the plan of operation to be posted on 26 the Internet website of the large school district and on the Internet 27 website of the local school precinct and make the plan of operation 28 available to any person upon request. The plan of operation must 29 remain posted on the Internet website of the large school district 30 and on the Internet website of the local school precinct for not less 31 than 5 years. 32 (b) Does not approve the plan of operation for a local school 33 precinct, the school associate superintendent must notify the 34 principal of the local school precinct of the reasons for not 35 approving the plan and post those reasons on the Internet website of 36 the large school district and on the Internet website of the local 37 school precinct and make the plan of operation available to any 38 person upon request. The school associate superintendent must 39 assist the principal as necessary to revise the plan of operation. 40 [6.] 7. [Any] For any adjustment to the budget that the 41 principal of the local school precinct determines is necessary after 42 the pla [Text truncated for display. Full text available on LegiScan.]