Students first. Advocacy second. Support always.

June 1, 2026

A Note from our New Executive Director,

Selena Torres-Fossett

CSAN Policy & Advocacy Update

SPCSA Board Meeting – May 15

The May SPCSA Board meeting covered several items relevant to our sector. Ten new charter applications were submitted by the April 30 deadline, with six moving forward to full review after passing the completeness check. SPCSA also presented its Language Access Plan under SB318 — a final version is expected at the June meeting ahead of the August 21 deadline.

Sunset Committee – NIAA Discussion – May 22

This one deserves your attention. The Sunset Committee reviewed the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA), and the conversation has direct implications for charter schools. Key takeaways:

Charter schools currently have no voting seat on the NIAA Board of Control, despite being a major part of Nevada's public education landscape. Legislators discussed this gap and signaled interest in adding a charter school seat through legislation. Access barriers to facilities for postseason events were also raised and specifically connected to charter schools. 

We are actively monitoring this space and will flag any proposed legislation that affects your athletic programs.

Commission on School Funding – May 15

The Commission on School Funding met on May 15, and the biggest takeaway for charter schools is this: the way Nevada identifies at-risk students — and the funding that comes with it — may be changing.

Nevada's current At-Risk designation uses an AI-driven formula to identify the bottom 20th percentile of students least likely to graduate. The issue for many schools is that it has been punishing schools for doing good work. When students improve, they lose their at-risk designation — and the funding that supports them disappears. From one school year to the next, nearly 17,000 students lost that designation because their scores improved. CCSD alone lost $36 million.

The Commission is now considering a simpler, more stable alternative called Direct Certification, which ties eligibility to economic disadvantage rather than to a complicated algorithm. Under Direct Certification, the number of qualifying students would grow from roughly 60,000 to as many as 100,000 statewide — and funding swings from year to year would shrink dramatically.

Nevada is also the only state that doesn't allow students to "stack" funding weights, meaning a student who qualifies for both Special Education and at-risk supports only receives one. That's on the table too.

Why This Matters for Your School

If the Commission moves toward Direct Certification, more of your students could qualify for additional funding — and that funding would be far more predictable year to year. We're tracking this closely and will keep you informed as the Commission moves toward recommendations.

Transportation & Capital Reserves

Two other items of note: the Commission passed a motion to include charter schools in the transportation funding calculation, with existing SPCSA-administered grants folded into Tier 1. Capital expenditure differences between districts and charters are still being sorted out. On capital reserves, that conversation is still alive as a possible recommendation for the 2027 legislative session, though it won't be part of a formal BDR.

Reducing Reporting Requirements – An Update

Aligned with early conversations in our Small Schools Taskforce, CSAN continues to advocate for reducing the reporting burden on charter schools — and we are making real progress.

We are currently waiting for the Efficiency study to be released from the Nevada Department of Education. While we hoped to receive it in May, there has been a delay. Once that report is received, we will send it to all school leaders with a detailed process on how your board can make a recommendation on how to recommend the elimination of a report.

If you’ll be attending the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools conference in New Orleans, we’d love to connect! We’re planning a State Happy Hour to bring together Nevada charter leaders, partners, and advocates for an evening of connection and conversation.

📅 June 25

📍 New Orleans

More details to come, including time and location.

CSAN was proud to celebrate National Charter Schools Week by highlighting the great work happening across Nevada’s public charter schools. Throughout the week, we joined school visits with policymakers and state leaders, including Assemblyman Howard Watts, Senator Lori Rogich, the Governor’s Office, and Superintendent Dr. Victor Wakefield, giving them the opportunity to see students, educators, and school communities in action. We also traveled to Northern Nevada to visit Coral Academy Reno and Alpine Academy and hosted a charter school leader happy hour in Reno, sponsored by DMS Delta Managed Solutions. Thank you to all of the schools, leaders, and partners who helped make the week a success and helped showcase the impact of public charter schools across Nevada.