NSEA
commends the Senate Democratic leadership for introducing SB 304 which establishes
a program of local empowerment and accountability for public schools.
"We
applaud the commitment the Democratic Senate leadership demonstrated in introducing
SB 304," said NSEA President Barbara Clark. "We support programs
that will enhance student learning and this empowerment plan involves a variety
of groups to assure this happens. Since LEAPS should have little impact on
the state general fund, it is fiscally responsible and therefore, will not
take current funds away from key programs already in place."
Local Empowerment
and Accountability for Public Schools (LEAPS) provides site-based decision
making to local principals, teachers, parents, and community members in exchange
for increased accountability for student performance and achievement. In
a power point presentation, leadership pointed out that implementing LEAPS
should have little impact of the state general fund. The presentation
further states, "It is a fiscally responsible policy that gives autonomy
for local schools to have more control over the dollars that currently exist."
"A
lot of work went into putting this program together and we are confident
in the final product," added Clark. "We look forward to working
with our members to see their share of the empowerment program goes as smoothly
and efficiently as possible."
The program
gets started by creating a team consisting of at least two, but no more than
four, of the following representatives: parents, teachers, education support
professionals, community and business leaders, school principals, and a facilitator
of the school support team if one exits.
"We
have long supported parental, community, and business involvement and are
pleased to see that if SB 304 becomes a law we will see a greater participation
and hands-on experience of educating a child," concluded Clark. "With
each step taken to provide our students with great public schools we are
ensuring we preserve the basic right of every child in Nevada."