I'll call the special meeting to order to make it easier for residents to voice their comments. There will be two public comment periods. There will be one at the beginning of the meeting designated for comments related items on the agenda and one at the end of the meeting for general public comment. Speakers will be limited to three minutes to state their comments. This meeting is being video recorded live and streamed on the internet. Mrs. Harrell, please confirm posting and roll call. Mayor, this meeting has been posted in accordance with Nevada Open Meeting Law. All members of the council are present and you have a quorum. Thank you. Now is the time for our first public comment for the special meeting. If you wish to make a public comment, please come to the podium, state your name and zip code and you will have three minutes to speak. Mayor, there is no one in the first public comment queue. Thank you. I'll close public comment. Mrs. Garcia-Vaas, are there any changes to the agenda? Mayor Romero, there are no changes. Thank you. May I have a motion to accept the agenda as presented? Please vote. All members voted in favor of the motion made by Councilwoman Carrie Cox and it passes. Mayor and Council, we have four items of business before us today to review the applications of four prospective charter schools. Before we begin, I would like to invite Mayor Romero to make a few welcoming remarks. First of all, thank you all to everybody who's here today. We're so excited to have you be part of this journey with us. We have recognized the time and effort that has been put into each and every application. We're excited to move forward and continue working with you to get our schools approved and open. We recognize that our residents view quality education as one of our highest priorities and you are all part of that. So we thank you for the work that you're doing to improve the lives of kids in our community. We look forward to this, next step and I'm hoping all will go well. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Now I would like to invite Tara Phoebus, Division Head and Michael Dang, Charter School Sponsor Officer from our Education Initiatives Team to provide an overview of the application process and then lead us through each of the charter school applications for review. I will introduce them after the opening comments. Thank you. Good afternoon. For the record, my name is Tara Phoebus and I serve as the division head for education initiatives here at the city of Henderson. So in 2023, as background, the legislature approved a bill that allowed for municipalities to serve as charter school sponsors. Following that legislative change, council directed city staff to develop an application and seek approval from the Nevada Department of Education to sponsor charter schools. In preparing that application, the city brought on a consultant with national expertise and best practices for authorizers. Amy Ruck-Kagan from Lumen Impact Group is here with us today. And we worked with her to develop sponsoring principles, as well as a mission for this work. And in May of 2024, the city of Henderson was approved by the Department of Education to sponsor charter schools. So as Part of that work in developing sponsoring principals here at the city, we have those outlined here and that helps to inform the work that we are doing in this space. So our sponsoring principals include ensuring high performing charter schools, addressing community needs, making sure that we're aligned with Nevada's charter school law, adhering to the state public charter school authorities standards, recognizing their length of work here in Nevada as an authorizer, and then implementing a transparent evaluation system. So making sure that we have processes and procedures in place that we're communicating throughout the way so that everybody understands how we are conducting this process. During that application process, we also developed a sponsoring mission. And our mission is to meet the evolving needs of our community. The Henderson Charter Sponsoring Division aims to cultivate premier learning environments that empower every student to be well prepared for success, enhancing the quality of life for all who live, play, and work in Henderson. Through innovative education practices, strong systems of accountability, community engagement, and a commitment to developing well-rounded individuals, we aim to foster a thriving and inclusive educational ecosystem where every student has the opportunity to fulfill their potential. So in order to achieve this mission, we look to best practices for authorizing high quality charter schools in our community. And central to implementing these best practices is agency commitment and capacity to ensure that we have strong application and review process, So you can see as those kind of go around that agency commitment and capacity that we are designing contracts with approved schools that support quality implementation. We have ongoing oversight and evaluation of schools in our portfolio, maintaining strong accountability standards. And then at the end of those contract terms, we're using best practices to make decisions about renewals. So today, we are focusing on the application and review process for the four applicants that we have on the agenda. In developing this process and working with our applicants, we adhered to these principles to support a quality decision. We're relying on evidence, ensuring transparency and fairness to support you all in making these high-quality decisions today. So here we have the timeline for our first application cycle. These are the milestones over the last seven months or so that are the work leading into today. So we have our notice of intent from January. We held information sessions for applicants between January and March. The application deadline was at the end of April. We held capacity interviews in June. And then we are here today on August 5. We also developed recommendation reports, finalizing those the week of July 14th, and sent them to all of the applicants in advance of today's meeting on July 22nd. So our evaluation process, generally in reviewing applications, we're looking for programs to show us that their proposed models will yield positive outcomes for students, and that they have developed a comprehensive plan that shows they're ready to implement that model within our community. So to To conduct these reviews, we established evaluation teams comprised of internal city staff as well as external experts from across the country. We've continued to work with our consultant throughout the process and she was really instrumental in helping us to find those national experts to lend that expertise to us in our review process. We are very grateful to those external reviewers for taking the time to review these applications and provide their detailed feedback. It is no small task to review these applications, and we're grateful for their help in this process. For the review process, we had reviewers assigned per application. So each application had a review team that looked at all of their information. We used a standard-based rubric that was provided to applicants in advance. And then we held debrief meetings with the review teams to discuss ratings and develop interview questions leading into the capacity interviews. The capacity interviews were held in June. Those were face-to-face to kind of assess leadership readiness and vision that go beyond the written application. And then in our final steps, we are... We had developed the recommendation reports after we've rescored, following the interviews, have a final consensus meeting and develop those recommendations. So before we discuss individual applications and review the findings and the recommendations that we're putting before you today for each, we want to talk about what happens following decisions made today. So all applicants following the meeting today will receive a formal notice of the decision made during this meeting. For those that are denied, then they will have the opportunity to address those deficiencies and resubmit their application within 30 days for reconsideration by the city. As noted here, applicants who intend to resubmit must do this within 30 days of notification, but they can submit earlier if they are prepared to do so. Staff will begin the review of their resubmission upon receipt. For those that are denied upon resubmission, they are then eligible to submit their application to the state public charter school authority for consideration. Additionally, here it's important to note that even if applicants are denied at any time during this process, they are still eligible to submit applications to the city in future application cycles. So as we transition to the discussion of our first application, there are some key considerations to keep in mind to understand how the recommendations were developed and that these parameters were communicated to applicants in advance of their application submission. So here we can see the city may approve or deny an application to form a charter school. Applicants to receive, for staff to recommend approval, an applicant must receive a meets standards rating in all applicable rubric categories. However, if an applicant is rated as meets standards in all but one category, and in that remaining category they're rated as approaches standards, then staff may recommend approval if the remaining issues are specific and limited and the outstanding deficiencies can be clearly addressed through conditions. Applicants that are approved today would be required to complete all of our pre-opening procedures. Any failure to fulfill any pre-opening conditions or conditions for authorization are all grounds for delayed opening or for charter revocation. So with that, I would like to invite our charter school sponsoring officer, Mike Dang, to come up and review the recommendation for each individual application. Mayor and Council, I think I'm going to introduce each item, and then Michael will give the overview. So item number one is charter school application, Founders Classical Academy of Henderson, and the recommendation is to deny. Michael. Thank you, City Manager, and thank you, Tara. Mayor Romero, City Council members and other stakeholders, good afternoon. My name is Mike Dang. As Tara mentioned, I am the charter school sponsoring officer for the City of Henderson. To start with, I will present each application recommendation for each of the four applications for one possible action by you at a time. And after I present each recommendation, I will invite a representative of the applicant to say a few words. After any comments they may have, we will invite questions or comments from you, or if you have none, we then invite your possible action on staff's recommendation for the application being presented. Finally, after your action on the application recommendation before you, we will present the next application and staff's recommendation on that application and repeat this process until we have completed, presenting the recommendations for all four applications. Before presenting the applications and recommendations, we want to first thank each of the applicants for their interest in providing high quality academic opportunities in the city of Henderson. We recognize that it takes a lot of time and a lot of effort by a good team to plan, develop, and explain these applications. Founders Classical Academy of Henderson. The mission of Founders Classical Academy of Henderson is to provide a rigorous liberal arts curriculum paired with character and civic virtue instruction. Founders proposes starting with K through eight grade levels with 252 students in year one. They would then grow each year to be a K-12 school with 812 students by year six. This applicant is related to Founders Academy of Las Vegas located in the northwest part of the valley. That campus teaches around 1100 elementary, middle, and high school students. Their school year 24 Nevada State Academic Performance Ratings were three stars for their elementary, middle, and high school. According to the rubric used to review the applications, Applicant must receive a meet standard rating, as we discussed, in all applicable categories. As you can see here, founders received a rating of approaches standard in three categories, and it does not meet standard in their fourth category. Therefore, the application is recommended for denial. A few reasons for the founder's denial recommendation include that In the meeting the needs section, the application lacks evidence of strong demand for the model or of how the school will meet the needs of under-resourced or diverse learners in Henderson. In the academic plan section, the application does not demonstrate how the model will drive transformational outcomes for all students, particularly those furthest behind. In the financial plan section, the founder's application did not include a financial plan that appropriately accounted for facilities costs or addressed potential shortfalls upwards of over a half million dollars in the first few months of operation. For these and other reasons outlined in the application recommendation report, we recommend denial of the founder's application at this time. At this time, we would like to provide the applicant with a few minutes to add their comments. Hi, City Council. Hi, Mayor. So I'm Dr. Kuzma. I've been a Henderson resident since 1992. I opened Green Valley High School with Carol Johnston. My wife taught at St. James Gibson Elementary School, and they still teach at our charter school right now. So I'm very well aware of what Henderson needs. The application process is long and tedious, and I really thank these people for looking at it and judging it. but it's like plain school, it's not real school. I just left Founders Classical Academy of Las Vegas, where we have a wait list of 800 students, we have over $4 million in reserves, we serve 40% Hispanic students there, we have special needs students, we have ELL students. This report's a little bit inaccurate in that we don't want to open as K-8, we want to start K-3 with 252 students, We are working with Founders Classical Academy of Las Vegas to give us a loan of the $500,000. So what I'm asking today is, I'd like for you to delay your vote. Do not vote on a denial. Give us the time before this process takes place. It's better for the city of Henderson and it's better for us. It would tarnish both our reputations for us to get a denial. I'd like to also introduce Rami Hernandez. Hi, my name is Ramir Hernandez. I'm a local attorney here in Nevada. I'm also the, I served on the Founders Board for six years, where I was also the president of the board for four years. Our academy offers a one-of-a-kind educational offering in this city. To our knowledge, there are no existing classical school models, model schools in Henderson, except for two private religious schools that cost up to $10,000 per year. Founders, like all charters, will be tuition-free, open to all. Our classical model was developed by the Barney Initiative of Hillsdale College, which promotes classical education in the public schools nationwide. There are dozens of schools all over the US, but only one in the Valley, Founders Classical Academy of Las Vegas, and not yet in Henderson. And I'd like to add that we recently assisted a school in Elko to open up there as well. So we have a track record of opening schools and getting them ready to go. What do I mean by classical education? It's everything the city champions as education. It's centered around civic virtue, moral character, patriotism, hard work, and meritocracy. We offer esteemed-focused liberal arts education. We teach young Americans, not academic subjects. We use Socratic dialogue and prime source materials. Actually, our students actually get books where they get to build their own little library at home of books that we teach. We don't teach a test or use rote memorization. We don't give out participation awards. We push students to excel. I would argue that of all Nevada schools, founders most closely aligns with this council's priorities and values more than any other school. We already suggest what you might design if you started a school entirely from scratch. And I'd like to introduce Mark Gardberg now. Good afternoon, Mark Gardberg, for the record. I am legal counsel to the school and just had a really quick point to make. And that is that when Ms. Phoebus talked about the options of what you could do today, one option is absolutely that you could take no action. And the statute, which I'm happy to give to Mr. Pascop, 388A 252-1, allows you to punt this and not make any decision. If the school agrees, we obviously agree. So thank you for your time. And Mr. Marquez. Thank you. Good afternoon, council members. For the record, my name is Jesus Marquez, and I am proud to be here with the Founders Classical Academy team. I want to briefly talk about the strengths and stability that Founders brings to the table. Over the past 11 years, Founders has consistently added or ended each fiscal year with a balanced budget, always operating in black. The level of success has earned the confidence of the free market. In 2020 and 2023, founders successfully sold bonds to raise a total of $33.5 million for acquiring and expanding our facilities. And how did Wall Street evaluate us in 2023? SMP gave us a BB minus rating, one of the highest available to any charter schools not backed by the government or a management organization. That rating shows that we are considered a low, very low risk organization. It is a testament to our track record of managing a school effectively, balancing budgets and making wise decisions. After 11 years of success, We believe we are well prepared to bring that same stability and quality to the city of Henderson. Thank you for the opportunity to hear this today, and thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration. Thank you, and God bless. So just to summarize, I'd like to invite all of you to come and visit Founders Classical Academy of Las Vegas. When you leave, you'll be a changed person. It's different than any school you've ever seen. Henderson needs a school like this. And I say this as a Henderson resident. If you have any questions, I would love to answer those questions. Thank you all for speaking. I guess my first question would be to Nick about the options that we have that were just stated. Yeah, one of the things staff has done a good job of explaining is that this process is pretty prescribed and we want to be real careful as we dip our toes into this water that we follow the process to a T. Part of the process is for this initial hearing and then an opportunity for applicants that are denied to resubmit and come back. At this point, staff is most comfortable following that process to a T. That doesn't mean you don't have some discretion, but given the evidence before you and staff's recommendation, far better choice, I think, based on what staff has told you to keep going down this path than to continue. And again, you're going to have time to hear this again. You're going to have, what was that last sentence? Sorry. You're going to have, they're going to have time to resubmit, an opportunity to resubmit and hear this again. Okay. So can you, Refresh my memory on how long another submittal, so like are they allowed to submit like next week? Tara can correct me if I'm wrong because she's the real expert in this area, but I believe they have up to 30 days to resubmit. Right. Yes. No, but I mean, okay, so they only have the 30 days though or they have to wait a year, correct? So if they complete the process and get a denial, then they can resubmit. again in the next cycle, correct? Or if they withdraw, they could resubmit. OK, but it's a year that they wait. No, Tara, sorry. Yeah, I'm sorry. No, that's OK. Yeah, so they They can resubmit within the 30-day window. If they choose not to do that, they can reapply in our next cycle. And we are planning to have annual cycles as long as we have capacity under our enrollment caps. And our next cycle would start, you know, the notice in January and applications in April. Okay, and the 30 days would start? The 30 days would start upon official notification. We will send that official notification tomorrow. So that would start tomorrow. Okay, can I ask founders a question really quick? So can you resubmit in 30 days or before that's up? What I would like to recommend is this application is like guess my word in a sense. I would love to work with the people here that make the judgments and work with them to help me fill in the blanks so we get it right. It's hard to kind of guess what your future budgets are gonna be. We're still looking for a site. I mean, if anything was gonna give us a reason for pause, we're looking for a site in Henderson. It's hard to find property here. So whichever route you go, I wanna sit down with these people and help me fill in the blanks. Help me fill out the Excel spreadsheet, the financial worksheet. Tell me what numbers you wanna see in my staffing plan. I try to go super conservative and lean, because I don't wanna go bankrupt in the first year or two. But I think, again, you've gotta look at the model we have. Please visit our school. People in Henderson, we have students in Henderson that drive there. We have people that teach there that live in Henderson, live in Henderson also. So there's a demand for it, and it's something that we need here in Henderson. And it's free. It's not a private school. Right, well our staff is wonderful, so I hope that, and I know they're available to work with you. Yeah, and I can add too that we did send out last week kind of office hours that we were scheduling with folks that were interested either Thursday or Friday this week so that we could work with them immediately upon that official notification and answer any questions they might have about the recommendation report to support that resubmission. Thank you. Got a question for founders. What does that have a denial do to you today? I understand the process. I understand how the city attorney laid it out, but does that affect financing? Does that affect some steps moving forward? I think it looks bad that we're a successful school that gets denied for our application because it sounds like we are unable to recreate that, and I don't want that to be the case. So I, like Mr. Garber, is suggesting I'd rather you just delay the vote, not vote out at all. I understand that. And then the question for the city attorney is if we were to make a motion, what I don't want to do is we're going to delay any decision, which then again extends another 30-day period. What I'd rather, if it would be allowed, I know we have a little bit of discretion, and if we get to that point, would it be allowable to make a motion to where, hey, we're going to continue this discussion, but That 30 days is the 30 days that was discussed as far as there are any appeal or resubmittal process, and then we hear it within 30 days, and then they have no other recourse other than to follow the next steps, whether applying to the state, et cetera. Does that make sense? Council can answer that. Oh, I'm sorry, sorry. City Attorney, please. We're splitting hairs a little bit here, quite frankly. Giving them a denial with the additional 30 days still gives us the opportunity to work with this applicant. That's really the safest, best bet in staff's opinion at this point. So I understand the concerns and I understand the business risks and all those things, but again, staff is pretty clear that the best course of action here is to deny and let them resubmit and hear them again. Again, what we're not... Staff is certainly here to help and Tara can chime in here. Our job as the evaluators here is really to take a critical look at the application. We're of course happy to work with them. We can't write the application for them, but we can provide them critical feedback that can improve it and they can come back in the 30 days. Okay, all right, thank you. Can I see something really quick? But I'm with Jim on this. If it's gonna make them look bad, and I happen to know that that will, It's concerning to me that if we have the option to take no action, but I don't feel like we have that option right now. And so I wanna feel like I have that option because I don't wanna go against staff. Do you know what I'm saying? So now I find myself in a position where I'm having to decide whether I'm gonna go against staff or say no to an 11 year charter school that has a record you know, that I'm hearing the process is what hung them up. And I'm saying our process is great, so I'm not talking about that in a negative way, but my concern is that this might be the one exception that we will hear today, you know what I mean? Because it will cause them some issues because they currently have a school in place. I understand that, and I guess part of this might be more detailed explanation from Tara on some of the weaknesses of this applicant and why they were there. But what I will tell you is if there's a desire to do anything other than what staff has recommended and follow the process to the T, I'd want you to build a really strong record on why you differ with staff's opinion and really dig into the application on that. And so that, yeah. Okay, thank you for that explanation. So I just wanted to add to that in the way that that we're understanding the process is that if we don't make a decision today, then we essentially will be reviewing the exact same application at a later date. The point for review and resubmission happens after a denial at this initial meeting. So what I don't want to do is have us make a recommendation to do that and then nothing happens for a period of time. We come back and have the same conversation again later. Nick, you can clarify, but the way that I read it is that after the initial denial is when we have the 30-day window to work together with the applicant to address the deficiencies and resubmit. And so that's why we're making that recommendation to you all. Stay there. Sure. So my understanding, and correct me if I'm wrong, either one of you, is that our process differs a little bit from our charter authorizer guidelines differ a little bit from that of the state in that there is an automatic, if there's a denial the first time, there is an automatic 30 days that the applicant is given. So it's, for lack of a better term, a soft denial because the goal here is to work with everybody. The goal here is to get everybody across the finish line and get the schools approved and open. And so my understanding is because of that difference, that is why we are obligated to take an action today of some sort to kick in that automatic 30-day window and then proceed to help them get through this next 30-day process. Is that correct? So it's, for lack of a better term, a soft denial with a strong encouragement. Go to the meetings on Thursday and Friday, work with staff. The goal is to get everybody where they need to be for approval within the 30 day window and if they are done before that 30 days, we will work with them on a timeline to get them through the process as quickly as possible, is that correct? Yes, that's correct. the statute, and I don't have it in front of me right now, but it does state that following that initial denial, then we are required to send official notice of the decision, including that timeline of that 30-day window to resubmit. So we would tell them when that is due. And yes, as staff, we are willing to work with the applicants immediately following this meeting to answer any questions they have about that recommendation report so that they can revise their application and resubmit. Just my two cents on this. I agree with Nick and Tara on this, that we have a process that we need to stick to pretty closely because we're all learning at this. This is our first time out the gate, and we want to make sure we do it right. And so we really need to kind of stick with the process as it has been outlined. Granted, the application process might not be perfect, but that's all we as a city have to compare individual applicants is their application. So to be transparent and fair, we've got to keep the playing field level using the same criteria for each application. And if we start kind of moving the goalposts here and there, then we're going to get ourselves in trouble. Just my thoughts. Thanks. So again, this is Mark Gardberg. To that last point, the original date for this meeting was June, I think June 7th or so. And your staff needed more time. And they asked for seven more weeks, and we were absolutely happy to give it to them. And it was going to put a crunch on the facilities, but we understood that it was the first time they were doing it. It's really the same question again. but from our perspective instead of from yours. Could we please have the extra three or four weeks? And again, it's really the same process that, you know, that request is absolutely possible for you to push this off. It's a discretionary decision. For example, and going back to one of the things that Dr. Kuzma said, it's not just that there's a level of guesswork, but there's also a level of guesswork as to how their process worked internally One of the things that we did not find a mention of in the report was that we are averaging a 3.67 star rating over the last four cycles. This is when a majority of CCSD schools and Nevada schools are one or two stars. And we were at 3.67 with a couple of five star rankings in those. And there was only one mention of it in passing in a part of the report that was criticizing one of our sections. We don't understand why there wasn't more credibility to our team and our application afforded by our track record. We're the only applicant before you today that is functioning at an elite level here in the Valley as of right now. Now one is close and you'll hear from them soon, but this is the top of the four. And it seemed to be that there was no perspective to that as to what we actually are balancing a budget. And so we didn't put facilities costs in because we don't have them yet. But we understand and we just wanted to use the next few weeks to have that process that Councilwoman Cox and CBOX were recommending where we could get to know a little bit more of how we fell short but without the denial, and I will say it's something I couldn't quantify, but a denial is a reputational harm. It matters if we go back to the SPCSA, they will know that this occurred. And so again, going back, Councilman Stewart, we respectfully just, we're just asking for the same time that we were happy to give your staff and it really would not scramble any eggs in our opinion. I'm not gonna get into an argument with an attorney, so. Look, the process is set out. If we, as the sponsor agency, wants to extend it a little bit, that's fine. But as long as we are fair with every applicant, every applicant had the same amount of time extended. So, to me, it's been fair, equitable, and transparent. I'm just trying to stick to what we've laid out and so we don't stub our toe the first time out of the gate. I wish everybody would be, as the mayor said, we'd like everybody to open charter school here in Henderson. That's, next public safety, it's our biggest priority. But we have to stick to the rules that have been in place so we can fairly and equitably determine and measure each of the applicants. Thank you. I have another question for you, Nick. Is there a such thing as a soft denial with the caveat that the condition is you have 30 days to come back and make the changes needed? I think what you've heard from staff, Terry in particular, is completing this process now with the denial and giving them 30 days to submit is the best way to advance this application to successful completion down the road. It gives staff the most opportunity to continue to work with this applicant. So if we want to consider that a soft denial, it's still a denial and it allows the process to move forward. I understand the applicant's concerns about reputational risk. On the other hand, there is risk to all these kind of regulatory processes. So that comes with the territory. Does anybody have any other questions? It's just a hard position to be in because I get it. I mean, there's a process that we have to protect, and I agree with everything that's been said up from the dais today. My problem is I'm in the charter world, and I get it. that if there's harm done, it makes your job harder even if you get an application through with us to get the job done. Is that correct or no? That what I'm understanding, that it's going to bring other things, you're going to have other mountains to climb. And so Tara, is this coming from the state in their rules or is this our rules, our policies, and how were they set that we have to follow because I agree the process needs to be followed. I'm just trying to understand how we came to this process where there's not anything that gives us an out as a council member like a soft denial. The process around approval and denial is outlined in NRS. So it's in statute. The part that was mentioned earlier about the timeline for review, there is a piece in there that says, you know, we have 60 days to review applications unless a later date is agreed upon by the applicant and the sponsor. That language, to my recollection, is not in this section around making the decision. So... the decision for this kind of process was not ours, it's in NRS. Okay, so the statute says, to be clear, that when we're at this stage, that we have approval or denial. And that's a Nick question. Right? I am not an attorney, let me put that on the record. I just want to know and understand the statute fully, so I know what my requirement is right now. Sure. I may ask for some assistance from Assistant City Attorney Amanda Kern, who's really our expert in our office on this and has been helping staff through this process to kind of outline the actual statute for you. Good evening. The statute is NRS 388A252, and it provides that the council shall consider the application at a meeting held not later than 60 days after receipt of the application unless a mutually agreed upon timeframe has been agreed to, which is what happened here. And Tara can speak to that a little bit more. I'm not entirely sure that that was just for the benefit of staff. I think maybe that was for the benefit of everyone. When the applications came in, I think staff felt that more time was needed to get the information that they needed. So I just wanted to sort of clarify that point. But then, yeah, once the denial is issued, then they have 30 days to resubmit. And then from that point, you have to have another hearing in 60 days, unless a later date is agreed to by the parties. In your opinion, then, the city attorney's offices, they're denied, but yet they're still appealing. They're still following the process. Their application is still active, right? Yes. It's not completely done. It's not like we send a letter saying you're done. You have to go to the state. So they're still considered active in the application process. process, correct? Yes. I know it's a matter of semantics, but it does, it could make a difference. So as far as the City of Henderson is concerned, even if we follow, and we follow the recommendation of the City Attorney in your office, their application is still active and they're not complete through their entire application process yet because they're still going through the clarified steps, correct? Right, that's correct. So can I ask one more question? I'm sorry to belabor this, but why do we then have the option to take no action? Where does that fit in the in the NRS statute? Well, those are the words of the attorney that you heard from. That's not in the statute. Oh, OK. So that's not in NRS. So we have to make is it in NRS? I mean, I'll defer to Nick, but you have the option to not make a decision. I think you always have that option. Is it in the statute that we must make a decision? You must consider the application at this meeting. That's what the statute says. I'll just say you're rarely under an obligation to actually take action, right? Very few statutes require that. But when there's an item before you and there's a specific statutory process, you read the statute as a whole and you follow the process. Again, I think what you've heard from staff is that continuing to follow the process outlined by the statute and giving a denial here is not the death knell for this application. It's the death knell. first part of an iterative process that hopefully will get them to success at the end. I know that's tough sometimes for applicants to hear, but it's the beginning, not the end. Just to be clear, it's tough for us as well. So I think we have a full understanding of what the city attorney and the staff recommendation is. I want to be clear for the record This, our absolute goal is to have everybody across the finish line, to get everybody through the process, to answer the questions, and to have everyone be successful. At the same time, this is our first out of the shoot evaluation, and I personally feel strongly that we need to follow those steps with the very clear understanding that this is just the next step. absolutely are hoping that you meet with staff on Thursday and Friday, you begin this process, and within 30 days, and sooner if possible, you're able to answer those questions and then get this moving even quicker for you. And again, we have a wonderful staff who is ready, willing, and able to help you get across that finish line, but my personal opinion is that we need to follow the process that has been laid out so that we don't make any missteps and mess up our ability to be a charter. And with that, I would make a motion of denial with the very clear caveat that this is just the first step and we would absolutely like to see you back within 30 days, if not sooner. And that would be my motion, if my computer will work. All members voted in favor of the motion made by Mayor Romero and it passes. Item number two is Charter School Application Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy Henderson and the recommendation is to deny. And before we get started on this one I believe everyone on the dais has some disclosure statements to make and I actually have two. So as to Pioneer Technical Arts, I want to note for the record that Annette Dawson Owens is a proposed member of the Board of Directors for Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy. She also currently serves on the Henderson Community Education Advisory Board a position I nominated her for. In addition to her involvement in education, Annette recently announced her candidacy for the 2026 city election to represent Ward 3. In my personal and political capacity, I have endorsed her candidacy. Having said that, I do not believe that my professional and political affiliation with Ms. Dawson Owens will impact the independence of my judgment on this item for Pioneer Technical and Arts Academy or the independence of the judgment of a reasonable person in my position. However, in an abundance of caution and to ensure transparency, I'm making this disclosure pursuant to my obligations under the Nevada Ethics in Government Act. I have been advised by the city attorney that having made this disclosure, I'm not required to abstain from deliberating and voting on this item. My second disclosure is I also want to note that Trish Nash is a proposed member of the Board of Directors for Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy. She is also a close friend of mine and we have had a long professional relationship through mutual involvement in nonprofit and community organizations in Henderson. Having said that, I do not believe that my friendship with Ms. Nash will impact the independence of my judgment on this item for Pioneer Technical and Arts Academy or the independence of the judgment of a reasonable person in my position. However, in abundance of caution and to ensure transparency, I'm making this disclosure pursuant to my obligations under the Nevada Ethics and Government Act. I've been advised by the city attorney that having made this disclosure, I am not required to abstain from deliberating and voting on this item. Next. I want to note for the record that Annette Dawson-Owens is a proposed member of the Board of Directors for Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy. She also currently serves on the Henderson Community Education Advisory Board. In addition to her involvement in education, Annette recently announced her candidacy for the 2026 city election to represent War III. In my personal and political capacity, I have wholeheartedly endorsed Annette Owens' candidacy for the 2026 city election to represent Ward 3. In my personal and political capacity, I have endorsed her candidacy. Having said that, I do not believe my political affiliation with Mrs. Dawson Owens will impact the independence of my judgment on this item for Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy. or the independence of the judgment of a reasonable person in my position. However, in an abundance of caution and to ensure transparency, I'm making this disclosure pursuant to my obligations under the Nevada Ethics in Government Act. I have been advised by the city attorney that having made this disclosure, I'm not required to abstain from deliberation and voting on this item. I have one as well. I want to note for the record that Annette Dawson-Illins is a proposed member of the Board of Directors for Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy. She also currently serves on SEAB and Annette recently announced her candidacy for the 2026 City Council Ward 3 race. I am the current City Councilwoman and I'm running for re-election in 2026. to retain my seat. That makes us political opponents. Having said that, I do not believe that my political opposition to Ms. Dawson Owens will impact the independence of my judgment on this item for Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy or the independence of the judgment of a reasonable person in my position. However, in an abundance of caution, To ensure transparency, I'm making this disclosure pursuant to my obligations under the Nevada Ethics in Government Act. I have been advised by the City Attorney that having made this disclosure, I'm not required to abstain from deliberation and voting on this item. We all have to make these. I want to note for the record that Annette Dawson-Owens is a proposed member of the Board of Directors for Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy. She also currently serves on the Henderson Community Education Advisory Board. In addition to her involvement in education, Annette recently announced her candidacy for the 2026 city election to represent Ward 3. In my personal and political capacity, I have endorsed her candidacy. Having said that, I do not believe my political affiliation with Mrs. Dawson-Owens will impact the independence of my judgment on this item for Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy or the independence of the judgment of a reasonable person in my position. However, in an abundance of caution and to ensure transparency, I am making this disclosure pursuant to my obligations under the Nevada Ethics and Government Act. I have been advised by the city attorney that, having made this disclosure, I am not required to abstain from deliberation and voting on this item. I want to note for the record that Annette Dawson-Owens is a proposed member of the Board of Directors for Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy. She also currently serves on the Henderson's SEAB. In addition to her involvement in education, Annette recently announced her candidacy for 2026 the 2026 city election to represent Ward 3. In my personal and political capacity, I have endorsed her candidacy. Having said that, I do not believe that my political affiliation with Mrs. Dawson-Owens will impact the independence of my judgment on this item for Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy or the independence of the judgment of the judgment of a reasonable person in my position. However, in abundance of caution and to ensure transparency, I'm making this disclosure pursuant to my obligations under the Nevada Ethics and Government Act. I have been advised by the city attorney that having made this disclosure, I am not required to abstain from deliberation or voting on this item. Thank you. Ms. Mr. Ding. Go ahead. Mr. Thank you. of Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy Henderson summarizes to empower underserved students to become global leaders through a STEM STEAM curriculum focused on creativity, collaboration, and innovation. Their graduates would be equipped for advanced degrees and fulfilling STEAM careers. Their plan is to open as a K-5 school with 396 students and grow into a K-12 school with 1,382 students by year six, the last year of our planned charter contract terms. On this next slide, you can see the summary level ratings of the application regarding the major application categories shown. Staff rated the Pioneer application with five approaches, the standard summary level ratings out of five possible ratings. As a reminder, the rubric used to evaluate the applications does not state that applicants must receive a meet standards rating in all applicable categories to be recommended for approval. Excuse me, it does state that. A few reasons for the pioneer ratings and our recommendation are that in the meeting the needs section, the pioneer application lacks specificity about how the proposed model is tailored to meet the needs of the identified population. The application also does not demonstrate how feedback from the target Henderson community has informed the design of the school model. In the academic plan section, the Pioneer application does not adequately articulate benchmarking goals or a structured process for monitoring incremental progress toward the important goal of achieving a four or five star rating by the end of the contract term. In the operations plan section, the Pioneer application does not clearly outline key performance indicators or targets the board will use to evaluate school success. In conclusion, for these and other reasons outlined in the application recommendation report, we recommend denial of the Pioneer application at this time. At this time, we would like to provide the applicant with a few minutes to add their comments. Thank you, Madam Mayor. council members, city manager, and the incredible Henderson staff. Good afternoon. My name is Erin Phillips. I'm the board chair of Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy. I want to start by saying thank you. From the very beginning, your team has been professional, thoughtful, and very supportive. We've felt the excitement from the Henderson community as a whole, and it's only confirmed with what we already believe, that this is a great place to bring something new and meaningful to families. Earlier this year, we submitted our application. We sat for a capacity interview, followed up with requested materials, and have worked hard to meet the high standard your team expects. We recently learned that staff are recommending denial. While we respect that, we truly believe the remaining concerns are minor refinements, not deal breakers. PTAA brings something special to Henderson. Future ready classrooms with one-to-one devices, robotics, and cutting edge AI tools. STEM learning fused with creativity, drone choreography, video game music, and 3D printed art. Open evenings with free coding nights and maker spaces for families and seniors. Personalized learning plans for every student. Our request today is similar to the previous school, and we respectfully, we came to respectfully ask the council to defer today's vote for a few short weeks. We want the opportunity to sit down with your team and work through the final details and submit an amendment that fully meets every standard before you make your final decision. Because we know that 30 days, as we've heard already on the record, can easily turn into 90 days, which is potentially pushing a successful opening to even the next school year. We believe a short pause now avoids resubmitting later and gives Henderson students access to an innovative school by the fall. Thank you guys for your time and your consideration. I'll be followed by my colleagues and we're happy then to answer any questions. Thank you. Madam Mayor, honorable council members, city manager, and outstanding city of Henderson staff, good afternoon. My name is Rudy Pamantuan and I'm a proud 12 year Henderson resident and a proud board member of Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy. Thanks to your leadership, Henderson is flourishing. We're growing in technology, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, financial services, life sciences and logistics. Our city's attracting global companies from Google's data center to Haas Automation, and high-wage roles in cybersecurity, AI, and advanced manufacturing, and they're all multiplying right here in our own backyard. But here's a challenge. Too often, these opportunities are filled by people moving here, not by the young people growing up here. If we want Henderson's children to step into these high-paying careers, we must prepare them now, starting K-12, not after they've left for college or other cities. That's where PTAA is built for Henderson's future. STEM plus arts integration because creativity is as essential as coding in tomorrow's economy. Industry grade labs, robotics, augmented reality, and tools that mirror Henderson's tech corridor. Alpha One AI platform, our proprietary privacy forward AI that customizes each lesson in real time. Endorse by the US Department of Education and ready for Nevada classrooms. Picture a Green Valley 10th grader, Tommy, who dreams of cyber defense. Tommy earns his CompTIA certification plus before graduation, apprentices remotely with a federal sock, and walks across the high school stage graduating, holding a $70,000 offer from a Henderson employer. This is not just a win for Tommy and his family, it's a win for Henderson's economy, security, and community. We do look forward to continuing the process for approval. To the evaluation team, thank you for the rigor, the late night emails, and the shared purpose of excellence. To the city leadership, thank you for championing innovation without compromising standards. And to my neighbors watching at home, thank you for believing Henderson can and should lead Nevada's tech future. As a Henderson resident, I believe PTAA will help build the next generation of Henderson's workforce. Together, I hope that we can make it happen. Thank you so much and we'll be here for any questions. Madam Mayor, honored council members, city manager and the remarkable Henderson staff who walked every step of this review with us. Good evening. I'm Shubham Pandey, founder of Pioneer Technology and Arts Academy and the creator of Alpha One, the engine that propels every classroom into the future. I love Henderson. Why Henderson and why now? Henderson is racing towards an economy defined by cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, and artificial intelligence services. Yet, many local families still search for seats that many rigorous academic with next generation skills. PTAA was built for precisely that moment. We blend STEM, arts, the industry partnerships so that child passion for robotics is nourished alongside her talent for painting because innovation lives at that intersection. How are we different? What makes us so different? Author One is not just another adaptive worksheet. It is a privacy forward real time co-pilot that personalizes every lesson diagnose every student's need within seconds, and auto-differentiate content to keep in the sweet spot of challenge and confidence. It generates instant feedback, formative assessments, so the teachers spend time, not weekends grading, and more time mentoring. It assists and helps the student's population with special education, 504, ESL. It extends to the living room. Parents receive plain language lesson plans. and curated resources becoming super parents who can coach with confidence. I often say this, AI will not replace teachers, but teachers who embrace AI will replace those who don't. Alpha One lets Henderson educators lead that evolution rather than chase it. Our validations are at the highest level. Federal excitement. The US Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon was recently quoted as an AI Summit, A1 is going to revolutionize education in America. State engagement, our team is briefing every education head in every state, top officials across the country on the Alpha 1. We provide staff with hands-on Alpha 1 demonstrations so they and you can experience firsthand how this will transform education in Henderson. We request after this meeting and when we work with the staff to to basically allow us to do this demonstration one-on-one in person so they can at least see the extent of our platform. To the evaluation team, thank you for painstaking diligence and constructive spirit. To the city leadership and support staff, thank you for insisting that innovation never outruns quality. And to fellow Henderson families watching, thank you for dreaming big enough to demand a school worthy of this community. I'm excited about the Henderson growth and I look forward to doing my part to contribute to this amazing community. We were here, just like last applicant, to ask you to defer the vote. I would like to also add that point that it's not just 30 days, it's actually 30 plus 60 days. So, because by the time you come back with the decision, it can take up to 90 days. And that puts us, all of us, back in November, December timeframe, which makes it very hard for opening in 2026. But it is what it is. We thank you for your time, your trust, and your unwavering commitment to Henderson Children, and we welcome any questions you may have. Thank you so much. Thank you. Does anybody have any questions? I just want to say I think we're at the same spot that we were with founders. And otherwise I would ask more questions and I don't want you to feel that I'm not interested in your application because I am, but I think we've already gone down the road and I have all my answers as to where we are as a city. But I do appreciate all of you for coming out. I know many of you personally and you know I support charter and I support you. But like I said, we've gone down the road, but thank you for coming and sharing your testimonies today. Thank you, Board Member Cox. I again wanna thank you, I think you have an incredible team. I think you're very close to, as the rubric said, you're approaching standards on every category. I would love to see you meet with staff, continue to work, and again, this is just the next step in the process. We fully expect to see you back within 30 days and hopefully sooner, but we're gonna have to follow our process. And with that, can I have a motion? Please vote. All members voted in favor of the motion made by Councilman Dan Stewart, and it carries. Item number three is Charter School Applications, Signature Preparatory West, and the recommendation is to deny. The mission of Signature Preparatory West is to provide the greatest educational experience in a moral and wholesome environment to as many students as possible. The vision of Signature Preparatory West is learn, take action, never quit. The school plans to open in year one as a K-12 school serving 750 students and then to grow by year six to be serving 1,380 students. On this next slide, you can see the summary level ratings of the signature application, namely two does not meet standards ratings and three approaches the standard ratings for the five applicable summary ratings. A few reasons for the ratings and recommendation include that in the meeting the needs section, the signature applicant does not demonstrate meaningful engagement with the target community in Henderson, nor provide reasonable evidence of outreach specific to the proposed zip codes. In the academic plan section, the applicant does not articulate specific student-centered performance targets or a clearly defined theory of change showing how academic outcomes will be improved for the intended population. In the financial plan section, the applicant relies heavily on optimistic enrollment projections and recruitment strategies that lack grounding in data or demonstrated demand, which if not realized could have a material impact on the applicant's long-term financial sustainability. evidence of demand which might support an argument of strong support for the school was not submitted. In conclusion, for these and other reasons outlined in the application recommendation report, at this time we recommend denial of the signature Preparatory West application. We would now like to provide the applicant with a few minutes to add their comments. Good afternoon Mayor Romero and dear City Council members. I am Gabe Shirey, Executive Director of Signature Preparatory and the school's founder nine years ago. My colleague is Dr. Carrie Roybal Benson, the brilliant principal of our school. Together we'll spend a few minutes talking about our favorite subject, Signature Preparatory, and explain why we'd like the Council to eventually authorize our second campus in Henderson. That's exactly where I'd like to begin. Of the four applicants before you today, we are the only school that already has a Henderson footprint. We are so proud to have spent the past seven years here in this community, putting our time, passion, and hard work into educating Henderson children. As you may know, we currently teach over 1,000 children at our facility on South Boulder Highway in City Council Member Seabox Ward 1, just two blocks away from here. In fact, we've hosted tours for several of you, including Mayor Romero, Jim Seabock, Tara Phoebus, and Michael Dang. We'd be honored if all of you could join us and visit and see firsthand the magic that occurs in our hallways. We have a school community like no other, and the telltale sign of a strong school is strong enrollment. When we talk about evidence of demand, ours has grown year on year, leaving us essentially no room to expand on our campus. We exceeded our enrollment target in year one. Later, as the pandemic arose, we were at 750 students. And next week, we anticipate our Eastside campus opening with nearly 1,100 students. We've literally doubled our pupil enrollment in just a few years. That is the market talking. We're honored to have Henderson families choosing us when they have options like district schools, magnets, private schools, religious academies, et cetera. Among those 1,100 students, three are my children who go in 2nd, 4th, and 6th grade. That is what signature preparatory means to me. That is why I built a school here in Henderson. Meanwhile, unfortunately, a number of Henderson schools are straining and overloaded. In the specific zip code, we've focused on 890521. The lone CCSD middle school is over capacity and astonishing the two high schools are at more than 120% of capacity. Moreover, in that zip code and certain neighboring ones, some of the local district schools aren't high performing. Some are doing less with more, whereas we are doing more with less. Henderson's children deserve a top-notch education in facilities which can accommodate them. That should not be controversial or unobtainable. That should be the floor of our expectations, not the ceiling. Signature Preparatory is here to help make that happen. I'd like now to turn the time over to my colleague, Dr. R.B., as he's known by his students. He's too modest, so I'll note that he has over 20 years of experience leading schools, has multiple advanced degrees, and is a fluent Spanish speaker, among other things. Dr. R.B.? Thank you, Gabe, for that introduction. Carrie Roybal Benson for the record, and thank you for the opportunity to come speak on behalf of the school. I want to say thank you to you all that read all of those because I was tapped to write the application, and I know what that experience is like, and then you had to read all of this, right? So big hats off and applause to them for that. done a doctorate I know what that process is like and you guys read many dissertations over the last couple of weeks. As Gabe said, we're not necessarily an untested concept at Henderson. We want to duplicate a model that we've shown that our residents here in Henderson want to gravitate towards. And it begins with this replication of our model of partnering with parents to form good human beings first, right? And that's encapsulated in our acronym PRAISE. PRAISE is an acronym for purpose, respect, accountability, integrity, service, and empathy, okay? And that goes into having high, not only academic standards, but social standards for growing youth, right? Partnering with these parents in order to TO HELP THEIR CHILDREN BECOME GOOD PEOPLE AND GOOD CITIZENS HERE IN THE CITY OF HENDERSON. MORE OVER THE SCHOOL MOTTO AS MICHAEL HAD READ EARLIER LEARN TAKE ACTION NEVER QUIT KIND OF HELPS TO BOLSTER THAT. IN IMPLEMENTING THE MISSION STATEMENT AND OUR MOTTO know that they talked about we approach the standards of meeting the need and the possibility for helping those that are more at-risk community. Our school is a Title I school. We're at the corner of Basic and Boulder, right? We're 61% free and reduced lunch, okay? Over 80% of my students come from ethnicities and races of people of color, okay? I myself am in a bi-racial and bi-cultural household. I've raised my children bilingual in Spanish. I'm the Spanish model. My wife is a Spanish. She's a round one. She was the English model, okay? I'm dedicated. This is where my heart has been as an educator is serving this specific community. Beyond that, 15% of our 1,000 students have an IEP, an Individualized Education Plan. We serve students that come from at-risk circumstance. And we've demonstrated, as I'm going to share, that we're operating with this community at a top-notch level. And when I say some of the comparisons that I'm going to say, I was a Clark County School District educator. I grew up as a teacher trainer there. I was a principal in the Clark County School District. I was also a private school principal for nine years at a Catholic school here in town. So I'm not comparing my brothers and sisters of what they're doing, what their shortcomings are. I can only talk about what I do on a daily basis and who I have to look at in the mirror every single day. However, in SPF rankings, yes, my elementary school is currently a two, two star. We're 7.5 points away from a three. As for the middle school, we are a three star and we were just about 3.5 points away from being a four star there. IN BOTH SITUATIONS, IF YOU DIG DEEP, MY DISTRICT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THAT SITS RIGHT BEHIND ME, AND I LOVE THAT PRINCIPLE, AND WE GET ALONG, AND WE SUPPORT EACH OTHER, EVEN THOUGH SHE'S DISTRICT AND I'M CHARTER, OKAY? BUT OUR NSPF INDEX SCORE WAS 42.5. THEIRS WAS 18, OKAY? WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OUR DISTRICT MIDDLE SCHOOL, THAT WAS A TWO-STAR SCHOOL. WE SCORED 66.5 POINTS ON THAT NSPF INDICATOR. that school scored a 31.5. To reiterate what Gabe said, we're trying to do the very best that we can and try to make more out of the less resource that we have. And I feel like we've done that through the unique partnerships that we're forming with these families, okay? And out of that, in terms of finance, in terms of operations, this school, that we're currently operating in at Corner, Boulder, and Basic is a state public charter school approved school, right? On their operations framework scores, we've scored 100% every time, except for one year. We got a 95, okay? So our operations are on point. A lot of you walked these halls with me and saw me interact with these kids. It's an amazing place, and it operates very, very well because we've created a unique organization. location with dedicated individuals who are pretty like-minded in wanting the best for the kids. Having said that, I'm going to turn this back over to Gabe so we can finalize the discussion. I want to say thank you again for all of your time. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. R.B. again. For the record, this is Gabe Shirey. So by now you may be wondering why ask Henderson for this opportunity instead of our existing authorizer? And I'll answer with a story. Signature Preparatory had a breathtaking $40 million expansion opportunity nine months ago. The facility, which unfortunately was not in Henderson, used to be the headquarters of a major bank. And I won't specify which, but I'll just ask you what's in your wallet. It was a gorgeous state-of-the-art campus. It had finished offices, finished cafeteria, finished lobby, receptionist, finished gym, nurses area. It was ready to go. And to our dismay, the state was unwilling to consider it, giving our elementary schools two but nearly three star rating. That was it. Case closed. No more discussion. It didn't matter that our Henderson location, our students are thriving massively and outperforming nearby district schools whose point tallies are half of ours. It didn't matter that we had, and listen, 1,700 students sign up for that new campus in a matter of five weeks. We were getting applications of over a hundred a day when again we talk about the evidence of demand. It didn't matter that one-third of those students, 650 of them, we had recruited from at-risk populations, which was a requirement of the SBCSA. So I'll answer with the question back to you. Why did this city choose to authorize charters? Was it perhaps to prioritize education over upstate politics? Was it to meet local community needs that will otherwise go unmet? Was it to embrace what the charter school movement is all about? Innovation, flexibility, vitality, and put Henderson Children's first? I believe the answer to all those questions is yes, and that's why I am before you today. We at Signature Preparatory are serving this community now, achieving great progress with some of the most at-risk populations, and we want to do more. Henderson children are counting on us and we're humbly asking you to let us serve them. Excuse me. There is an elephant in the room we haven't acknowledged yet. As you heard, staff did not recommend approval and we want to be clear. We appreciate them immensely. Ms. Phoebus and Mr. Deng's credentials are impeccable and we have happily worked with Mr. Deng for many years. We also want to express disappointment in ourselves. not making this a slam dunk from the outset. As you can tell, we know we'll succeed, but we failed to communicate the what, how, and why to your staff. We can do better, and we're asking that you give us that chance. We didn't agree with staff in all respects, and it's our duty to clarify and explain why. Our request is that the City Council take no action today but to send this back to your staff and my team collectively. We will work on explaining our vision, correcting clerical errors, acknowledging our strengths and weaknesses, and getting them to yes. With that, I will end by simply saying, we're here to answer any questions and to thank you again for your service to the city and its children and for your time today. Thank you very much. Thank you. Again, I just want to reiterate to all the applicants today, I am so hopeful after hearing all of your questions and your speeches, our kids are in good hands. They are so lucky to have people as passionate and willing to go to the mat to help them obtain a phenomenal education here in Henderson. I appreciate it. I am so excited that you're continuing to work with our staff who have equal dedication to our students and who want to see it. Again, this is a process that we have to follow, but again, it's the first step in the process. I'm hoping you already have your meeting scheduled for Thursday or Friday to meet with staff to keep that process going, and I look forward to you working with them, and with that, I would take a motion. Can I say something really quick? I know this is heartbreaking. It is for me to sit here and hear it, and I know you really have an impassioned speech that you gave and that your heart is there and this is no reflection on the schools that have come before us today. It is a process completely that we have to support because it is our first time out of the gate. So thank you for understanding. May I have a motion? All members voted in favor of the motion made by Councilwoman Larson and it carries. Item number four is the charter school application for Kesher Academy and the recommendation is to approve. Mike Dang, for the record, our fourth and final application is that of Kesher Academy. The mission of Kesher Academy is to cultivate meaningful connection, the foundation of their name and work. They indicate... would seek to empower students through strong ties between language and identity, community and self, heritage and innovation. They say they would do this through a rich Hebrew language program, inclusive culture, and whole child approach. Their mission states, we prepare compassionate, curious, and globally minded leaders. Kesher Academy would be related to Lashon Academy, which operates multiple Hebrew language charter schools in Southern California. The Kesher plans to open with grades K-2 with 125 students and then grow to a K-7 school with 375 students by year 6 and then to a K-8 school in their next contract term. On the next slide, you can see the summary level ratings of the application regarding the major application section shown. Kesher Academy's application received a meet standards rating in all four categories. A few reasons for the ratings and recommendation are that in the meeting the needs section, the applicant submitted written evidence of parent and student interest, which reflects about 70% of their proposed year one enrollment. In the academic plan section, the application clearly outlines how curriculum materials are aligned to the Nevada academic content standards and how instructional strategies will support all learners, including multilingual students and those with disabilities. In the operations plan, the Kesher Academy application presents a comprehensive and equity-focused recruitment and enrollment plan, including targeted outreach to underserved communities, and multilingual communication strategies. Kesher Academy intends to include the Hebrew language in its curriculum to prepare students to thrive as compassionate, curious, and globally-minded leaders. Kesher Academy has committed to operating as a non-sectarian school in full compliance with Nevada law. That means there will be no religious component to their educational programs, policies for admission or employment practices, remaining a nonsectarian school will be a required condition of their charter contract if they are approved here today by the Council. If you have any specific questions about their operations, the applicant can address them in more detail. In conclusion, for these and other reasons outlined in the application recommendation report, we recommend approval of the Kesher application at this time. At this time, we would like to provide the applicant with a few minutes to add their comments. JOSH STOCK, M.D. Thank you, Mr. Dang. Good afternoon, honorable mayor, city council members, and esteemed Henderson city staff. My name is Josh Stock and Sarah Garcia, and we are the lead petitioners. Thank you for allowing us the time to speak with you today. We are here on behalf of a group of educators, parents, and community leaders who share a deep belief in a strategic plan our city has laid out. Together we're working to open Kesher Academy, a new K-7 public charter school rooted in Henderson, built specifically to meet the needs of our community. The word Kesher means connection in Hebrew, and that's truly the heart of this school. Connection to language, connection to self, connection to the community around us. Our mission is to nurture students to become academically prepared, emotionally aware, culturally grounded, and ready to step into the world with purpose. Kesher Academy is not just a new school. It's a reflection of the values we want our children to grow up with. Inclusion, curiosity, compassion, and the belief that every child deserves to be seen, heard, and challenged. Over time, families in Henderson began reaching out to us, sharing their hopes for a school that offers academic excellence, culture depth, and more personalized learning experience. We listened. We walked the neighborhoods, visited schools, and reviewed the data. The message was clear. There's a strong desire for something more, something different here in Henderson. Many schools in the neighborhood are working hard, but some continue to face challenges. Families consistently express a desire for more options. They are academically rigorous, culture inclusive, emotionally supportive, and to help children build meaningful friendships across diverse backgrounds. While interest in language immersion and global education is growing, there remains a gap in public school options that fully reflect these values. Kesher is designed to fill this gap, not as a replacement, but as a meaningful addition to the public school landscape here at Henderson. Our model is simple but powerful. Every child will engage daily in a rigorous academic program designed to build strong thinkers, problem solvers, and learners. Through this foundation of academic excellence, students also gain access to unique and rich language. It enhances their cognitive development and connects them to a culture of creativity, compassion, and global connection. Our instructional model is grounded in project-based learning. This allows students to engage with real-world problems in hands-on, innovative ways. It encourages inquiry, voice, and a sense of purpose in learning. Layered through everything we do is our strong commitment to social-emotional learning. We create classrooms where students feel emotionally safe and supported, and where community building and restorative practices are part of their daily rhythm. We know that for students to thrive, they need to feel like they belong. Kesher is modeled after LaShawn Academy, a TK-8 charter school in Van Nuys, California, that we established over 12 years ago. LaShawn serves over 700 students from diverse backgrounds with over 16 primary home languages. It has become a place where students not only succeed academically, but truly feel at home. LaShawn has been recognized twice as a California Distinguished School, and we've ranked in the top 10% of California elementary charter schools by US News and World Report. But beyond the awards, what makes it successful is the culture. Students are known, teachers are supported, and families feel like true partners. Keshire is bringing the same heart and structure here to Henderson with the local leadership, staffing, and governance to make it uniquely responsive to this community. We've built in supports for all type of learners, English learners, students with disabilities, gifted students, and those who need extra time and care. We're opening with a small intimate model, just K through second grade in year one, with plans to grow steadily year by year to serve up to 375 students being a K through grade seven. Families are already on board, educators are eager to join, and children are ready to thrive in a school built for excellency, connection and opportunity. Kesher Academy is excited to be the school in Henderson. I would like to thank the staff who so thoroughly worked really hard and vetted us, And it was no easy process, but they worked day and night, reading our applications, interviewing us, asking many, many, many questions. We really appreciate your commitment to the future of the city of Henderson. Thank you. Keshire, I want to thank you for your thoroughness in your application and working with our staff to get to this point. Thank you to our staff. I can't say thank you enough. You guys have, it has been a long haul and a lot of work and you have done an outstanding job and represented the city of Henderson in a way that makes us proud. So thank you so much. And with that I would take an- Just real quick, Mayor, I just want to congratulate Kesher. Yes, congratulations. You're the first one that we get to approve, so very honored to be able to be a part of that vote. And look forward to providing more school choice for our community here in Henderson, so congratulations getting past the finish line. Thank you so much. Thank you. I'll take a motion. Do you have a comment, if I might? Oh, sorry. No, no, that's fine. Michael stated very clearly that this is a nonsectarian school, and it has to be. The optics, I know we all don't want to deal with optics, but the optics make it look like a sectarian school. And obviously it isn't, but What do you say to that? So that actually hits the nail on the head and brings it home for me. Why? Because I think in today's world, the most important thing is to take complicated things that people have a certain vision of and really teach kids that that's not what it is, right? No one speaks about the two million Arabs that live in Israel. No one speaks about that there is... Israel is not a religious state. So really teaching the kids of what people think versus teaching them what it's about is our mission really. And that's why we have 16 different languages in our school. We have kids from all backgrounds. We have majority Latina kids, black kids, and teaching them a complicated issue, which is Hebrew and Israel. And that way they can be sensitive to others, to their neighbors, and to the greater community. That's really where we lie. So we do not teach zero religion. We, like I said, we've been around for 12 years and we're totally, you know, non-sectarian school. No, I appreciate that. You just got to understand, coming from the city's point of view, it's very, very important that that is adhered to. So I just get that on record. And it's very important to us. It's part of our, like I said, mission and vision and where we are. Thank you. Really quick, when is your final, like when you'll be moving in? When we're gonna be moving in? So next school year, not this school year, the following school year. Awesome, thank you. It's really exciting that you've made it through the process. Welcome to Henderson in a new location. Thank you so much. Now may I have a motion? Please vote. All members voted in favor of the motion made by Councilwoman Larson and it carries. Now is the time for Mayor and Council comments for the special meeting. Are there any comments? I just have a really brief, Tara and her team, outstanding effort. Even the summaries, the 80 pages of summaries I had to read on top of the backup that was reviewed. It was thorough, it was articulate, and spells out what's needed. The process was rigorous, and I appreciate you holding that bar high. I also want to encourage and really thank the schools that are putting in to make our community better. and working with Tara and her team because all of you are going to bring something to the table that this city really needs. So thank you for that. And finally, Tara, I would just ask, as you heard, time is of the essence to a lot of these schools. So as much as you can push things, get it worked through to get them back in front of us so we can get this approval going, I'm very optimistic for the remaining three that we all get to that finish line. So thank you again for everyone, for your time, and for all your team's work. Thank you. All right, now is the final public comment for the special meeting. If you wish to make a public comment, please come to the podium, speak directly into the mic, and state your name and zip code. Mayor, there is no one in the second public comment queue for the special meeting. I will adjourn the special meeting at this time, and the regular meeting will begin shortly.