- 82nd Session (2023)
Senate Bill No. 71–Committee on Education
CHAPTER..........
AN ACT relating to education; renaming the Nevada State Teacher
Recruitment and Retention Advisory Task Force; revising the
membership of the Task Force to include education support
professionals; revising the powers and duties of the Task
Force; making an appropriation; and providing other matters
properly relating thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing law creates the Nevada State Teacher Recruitment and Retention
Advisory Task Force for the purpose of evaluating and addressing the challenges in
attracting and retaining teachers throughout this State. (NRS 391.490-391.496)
Under existing law, the Task Force is composed of 20 teachers from various school
districts in this State. (NRS 391.492) Section 3 of this bill defines the term
“education support professional” for the purpose of the Task Force to include
paraprofessionals, security officers, school nurses, counselors, psychologists and
social workers, school bus drivers and clerical, food service, custodial and
maintenance staff. Sections 7.2 and 7.4 of this bill revise the name of the Task
Force to the Nevada State Teacher and Education Support Professional Recruitment
and Retention Advisory Task Force. Section 7.4 requires the Task Force be
composed of 20 members employed by a school district in this State. To the extent
practicable, section 7.4 requires 10 of those members to be teachers and 10 to be
education support professionals. Section 7.6 of this bill establishes: (1) the
qualifications for membership on the Task Force; and (2) the procedure for
appointment to the Task Force. Section 7.8 of this bill expands the duties of the
Task Force to include evaluating and addressing the challenges throughout the State
in attracting and retaining education support professionals. Section 7.85 of this bill
makes an appropriation to the Department of Education for travel costs for the
members of and staff costs for the Task Force.
EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN
SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Chapter 391 of NRS is hereby amended by adding
thereto the provisions set forth as sections 2 to 7, inclusive, of this
act.
Sec. 2. As used in NRS 391.490 to 391.496, inclusive, and
sections 2 and 3 of this act, unless the context otherwise requires,
the words and terms defined in NRS 391.490 and section 3 of this
act have the meanings ascribed to them in those sections.
Sec. 3. “Education support professional” means a person,
other than a teacher or administrator, who is employed to work at
a public school. The term incudes, without limitation:
1. Paraprofessionals;
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2. School police officers, school resource officers and other
providers of security services at a school;
3. School nurses;
4. School counselors;
5. School psychologists;
6. School social workers;
7. Drivers of school buses;
8. Secretaries;
9. Members of the custodial or maintenance staff; and
10. Workers in food services.
Secs. 4-7. (Deleted by amendment.)
Sec. 7.2. NRS 391.490 is hereby amended to read as follows:
391.490 [As used in NRS 391.490 to 391.496, inclusive,]
“Task Force” means the Nevada State Teacher and Education
Support Professional Recruitment and Retention Advisory Task
Force created by NRS 391.492.
Sec. 7.4. NRS 391.492 is hereby amended to read as follows:
391.492 1. There is hereby created the Nevada State Teacher
and Education Support Professional Recruitment and Retention
Advisory Task Force consisting of the following 20 members:
(a) One licensed teacher or education support professional
employed by each school district located in a county whose
population is less than 100,000, appointed by the Joint Interim
Standing Committee on Education;
(b) Two licensed teachers or education support professionals
employed by each school district located in a county whose
population is 100,000 or more but less than 700,000, appointed by
the Joint Interim Standing Committee on Education; and
(c) Three licensed teachers or education support professionals
employed by each school district located in a county whose
population is 700,000 or more, appointed by the Joint Interim
Standing Committee on Education.
To the extent practicable, the Joint Interim Standing Committee
shall appoint 10 licensed teachers and 10 education support
professionals to the Task Force.
2. After the initial terms, each member of the Task Force
serves a term of 2 years and may be reappointed to one additional 2-
year term following his or her initial term. If any member of the
Task Force ceases to be qualified for the position to which he or she
was appointed, the position shall be deemed vacant and the Joint
Interim Standing Committee on Education shall appoint a
replacement for the remainder of the unexpired term. A vacancy
must be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
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- 82nd Session (2023)
3. The Task Force shall, at its first meeting and each odd-
numbered year thereafter, elect a Chair from among its members.
4. The Task Force shall meet at least quarterly and may meet at
other times upon the call of the Chair or a majority of the members
of the Task Force. In even-numbered years, the Task Force shall
have three meetings before the final meeting of the Joint Interim
Standing Committee on Education. In even-numbered years, the
fourth meeting of the Task Force must be a presentation to the Joint
Interim Standing Committee on Education of the findings and
recommendations of the Task Force made pursuant to NRS 391.496.
5. Ten members of the Task Force constitute a quorum, and a
quorum may exercise all the power and authority conferred on the
Task Force.
6. Members of the Task Force serve without compensation,
except that for each day or portion of a day during which a member
of the Task Force attends a meeting of the Task Force or is
otherwise engaged in the business of the Task Force, the member is
entitled to receive the per diem allowance and travel expenses
provided for state officers and employees generally.
7. Each member of the Task Force who is an officer or
employee of the State or a local government must be relieved from
his or her duties without loss of his or her regular compensation so
that the member may prepare for and attend meetings of the Task
Force and perform any work necessary to carry out the duties of the
Task Force in the most timely manner practicable. A state agency or
local government shall not require an officer or employee who is a
member of the Task Force to make up the time the member is absent
from work to carry out his or her duties as a member, and shall not
require the member to take annual vacation or compensatory time
for the absence.
8. The Department shall provide administrative support to the
Task Force.
Sec. 7.6. NRS 391.494 is hereby amended to read as follows:
391.494 1. Each member of the Task Force must:
(a) Be a licensed teacher or an education support professional
with at least 5 consecutive years of experience teaching or serving
as an education support professional, as applicable, in a public
school in this State;
(b) Be currently employed as a teacher or an education support
professional and actively teaching or serving as an education
support professional, as applicable, in a public school in this State,
and remain employed as a teacher or an education support
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- 82nd Session (2023)
professional, as applicable, in a public school in this State for the
duration of the member’s term; and
(c) Not be currently serving on any other education-related
board, commission, council, task force or similar governmental
entity.
2. On or before December 1, [2019,] 2023, the Department
shall prescribe a uniform application for a teacher or an education
support professional to use to apply to serve on the Task Force.
3. A teacher or an education support professional who wishes
to serve on the Task Force must submit an application prescribed
pursuant to subsection 2 to the Joint Interim Standing Committee on
Education on or before January 15 of an even-numbered year. On or
before February [1] 15 of each even-numbered year, the Joint
Interim Standing Committee on Education shall select one or more
teachers [,] or education support professionals, as applicable, to
serve as a member of the Task Force.
Sec. 7.8. NRS 391.496 is hereby amended to read as follows:
391.496 The Task Force shall:
1. Evaluate the challenges in attracting and retaining teachers
and education support professionals throughout this State;
2. Make recommendations to the Joint Interim Standing
Committee on Education to address the challenges in attracting and
retaining teachers and education support professionals throughout
this State, including, without limitation, providing incentives to
attract and retain teachers [;] and education support professionals;
and
3. On or before February 1 of each odd-numbered year, submit
a report to the Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau for
transmission to the Legislature describing the findings and
recommendations of the Task Force.
Sec. 7.85. 1. There is hereby appropriated from the State
General Fund to the Department of Education for travel costs for
members of and staff costs for the Nevada State Teacher and
Education Support Professional Recruitment and Retention
Advisory Task Force created by NRS 391.492 as amended by
section 7.4 of this act the following sums:
For the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 ...................................... $5,998
For the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 ...................................... $5,998
2. Any balance of the sums appropriated by subsection 1
remaining at the end of the respective fiscal years must not be
committed for expenditure after June 30 of the respective fiscal
years by the entity to which the appropriation is made or any entity
to which money from the appropriation is granted or otherwise
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transferred in any manner, and any portion of the appropriated
money remaining must not be spent for any purpose after
September 20, 2024, and September 19, 2025, respectively, by
either the entity to which the money was appropriated or the entity
to which the money was subsequently granted or transferred, and
must be reverted to the State General Fund on or before
September 20, 2024, and September 19, 2025, respectively.
Sec. 7.9. The amendatory provisions of this act do not affect
the current term of appointment of any person who, on June 30,
2023, is a member of the Nevada State Teacher Recruitment and
Retention Advisory Task Force created by NRS 391.492, as that
section existed on June 30, 2023, and each such member continues
to serve until the expiration of his or her term or until the member
vacates his or her office, whichever occurs first. On and after
February 15, 2024, the Joint Interim Standing Committee on
Education shall make appointments to the Nevada State Teacher and
Education Support Professional Recruitment and Retention
Advisory Task Force in accordance with NRS 391.492, as amended
by section 7.4 of this act.
Sec. 8. The provisions of subsection 1 of NRS 218D.380 do
not apply to any provision of this act which adds or revises a
requirement to submit a report to the Legislature.
Sec. 9. This act becomes effective on July 1, 2023.
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