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Nevada Executive Branch Agencies
Nevada Department of Education
Administrative History
The Constitution of the State of Nevada (Article XI, Section I) instructed the first state Legislature to provide for a state Superintendent of Public Instruction and provide for a uniform system of common schools (Section II). This constitutional mandate was addressed by the 1864-1865 Legislature which provided for the election of a state superintendent of public instruction at each general election.
In 1895 the Legislature created the State Board of Education, naming the Governor as president, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction as secretary, and the State Surveyor-General as a member. In 1931 the membership of the Board was increased to seven: the Governor, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and five elective members, with the Superintendent serving as Secretary of the Board. An act of 1956 increased the membership to eight, all elective, with the Superintendent continuing to be the board's secretary. The biennial reports that the State Superintendent of Public Instruction submitted to the Governor previous to 1956 show that the report originated from the "State Department of Public Instruction," indicating how both the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education regarded their agency.
The statutory creation of the State Department of Education, however, took place on March 2, 1956, when the Legislature did create and specify the title of the Department. The Department consisted of the State Board of Education, State Board for Vocational Education, and State Textbook Commission; other agencies and officers were later added.
The Nevada Revised Statutes state that the purpose of the State Department of Education is "to exercise all administrative functions of the State relating to the supervision, management and control of schools..."
Although the school laws of 1864-1865 provided for the election of county school superintendents, with duties to visit the schools in the county, appoint school trustees, provide for teacher examinations, apportion district school moneys, and report yearly to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, there were no specific academic qualifications that would enable these officials to function effectively. To improve this situation the Legislature provided in 1907 for the appointment of five deputy superintendents to supervise their respective districts. Their offices could be regarded as branches of the State Department of Public Instruction.
NOTE: The Nevada State Archives does not have student records. For records of students in K-12 public schools contact the local school districts. For University of Nevada students contact the respective universities and community colleges. For records of defunct vocational and trade schools contact:
Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education
1820 E. Sahara Ave., Suite 111
Las Vegas, NV 89104-3746
702-486-7330
| Records Description |
Dates: 1866-1998 |
Volume: 123 c.f.
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| State Board of Education |
1866-1985 |
37 c.f. |
| State Superintendent of Public Instruction |
1866-1893/1905-1958 |
| This series consists of the annual and biennial reports made by this first education officer in the State to the Governor. It also includes financial reports, statistical information, and correspondence. |
| Minutes, Agenda, Working Files |
1867-1994 |
| Consists of proceedings of the State Board of Education meetings that were generally held together with the Board for Vocational Education. Between 1986-1988 the latter became the Board for Occupational Education. Included also in this series are the minutes of the Public School Teachers Retirement Salary Fund Board, State Educational Diploma Receipts, and Bureau of Certification Deposits with State Treasurer. The latest addition to this series is 19 c.f. of meeting agendas and support documents of the Nevada State Board of Education/Nevada State Board for Occupational Education, 1986-1993; the Commission on Professional Standards in Education and Public Hearing Records; as well as 2 c.f. of audio cassette tapes of the State Board meetings, 1987-1994. |
| Correspondence |
1982 |
| State Department of Education |
1914-1993 |
74 c.f. |
| Minutes |
1969-1977 |
| Budgets |
1945-1965 |
| This series consists of budgets of county and district schools submitted for approval. The collection includes tentative and final budgets. |
| School Districts Audit Reports |
1918-1965 |
| The yearly audit reports are made by auditing agencies arranged according to counties and districts. |
| School Districts Annual Reports (bound volumes) |
1914-1966 |
| These are reports submitted annually by the State Deputy Superintendents as well as the County Superintendents. |
| Administrative Services Reports |
1980-1993 / 1918-1957 |
| Computer printouts of monthly enrollment and attendance, including a separate ethnic report. High School and elementary reports are those submitted by superintendents and principals, arranged by supervision districts and alphabetical by counties within the districts. |
| Apportionment of School Moneys (bound volumes) |
1922-1960 |
| Shows the monthly apportionment of State distribution, county, and relief school funds. |
| State Textbook Commission |
1956-1981 |
| These are minutes of the Commission meetings. |
| Nevada Vocational Association |
1980-1990 |
| Agendas, minutes of meetings, conferences, newsletters, including video tapes. |
| Teachers Service Records and Teachers' Examinations |
1937-1968/1908-1934 |
| The Teachers Service Records are on microfilm. The Teachers' Examination is a bound volume of records. |
| Advisory Board for the Programs for Improvement of Writing by Teachers and Pupils |
1987-1991 |
| Records of this board up to the period it became defunct. |
| Correspondence |
1931-1982. |
| General Correspondence of the department, arranged chronologically and by counties. |
| Special Collection |
|
12 c.f. |
| This subgroup consists of records of two organizations: |
| 1) Nevada Future Homemakers Association (FHMA) |
1950-1997 |
10 cu.ft. |
| These are records and scrapbooks of the FHMA. |
| 2) Nevada Future Business Leaders Association (FBLA) |
1971-1998 |
2 cu. ft. |
| Scrapbooks, memorabilia collected by the organization. |
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