1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 10, the empowerment team of a public school, other than a charter school that is sponsored by the State Public Charter School Authority or by a college or university within the Nevada System of Higher Education, that develops an empowerment plan pursuant to NRS 388G.120 shall submit the proposed empowerment plan to the designee of the board of trustees appointed pursuant to this subsection for review and approval pursuant to this section. The board of trustees shall designate a person to review each proposed empowerment plan and recommend the approval or denial of the plan to the board of trustees.

2. The board of trustees shall approve or deny the empowerment plan. The approval or denial of an empowerment plan must be based solely upon the contents of the plan and may not consider the amount of money required to carry out the empowerment plan if the plan is within the limits of the total apportionment to the school pursuant to subsection 4 of NRS 388G.120.

3. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 10, if the board of trustees approves an empowerment plan, the president of the board of trustees, the principal of the public school and the chair of the empowerment team, if the principal is not the chair, shall each sign the plan. The empowerment plan is effective for 3 years unless the empowerment team determines that the school will no longer operate under the plan or the board of trustees of the school district revokes the plan.

4. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 10, if the board of trustees denies an empowerment plan, the board of trustees shall:

(a) Return the plan to the empowerment team with a written statement indicating the reason for the denial; and

(b) Provide the empowerment team with a reasonable opportunity to correct any deficiencies identified in the written statement and resubmit it for approval. An empowerment plan may be resubmitted not more than once in a school year.

5. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 10, an empowerment plan for a public school is not effective and a public school shall not operate as an empowerment school unless the plan is signed by the president of the board of trustees of the school district, the principal of the public school and the chair of the empowerment team, if the principal is not the chair. If an empowerment plan includes a request for a waiver from a statute contained in this title or a regulation of the State Board or the Department, a public school may operate under the approved plan but the requested waivers from state law are not effective unless approved by the State Board pursuant to subsection 7.

6. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 10, the empowerment team may submit a written request to the board of trustees for an amendment to the empowerment plan approved pursuant to this section, including an explanation of the reason for the amendment. An amendment must be approved in the same manner as the empowerment plan was approved.

7. If the empowerment plan includes a request for a waiver from a statute or regulation, the board of trustees shall forward the approved empowerment plan to the State Board for review of the request for a waiver. The State Board shall review the empowerment plan and may approve or deny the request for a waiver from a statute or regulation unless the statute or regulation is required by federal law or is required to carry out federal law.

8. If the State Board approves the request for a waiver for a school, the Department shall provide written notice of the approval to the board of trustees of the school district that submitted the empowerment plan on behalf of the school.

9. If the State Board denies a request for a waiver, the State Board shall:

(a) Return the request to the school district with a written statement indicating the reason for the denial; and

(b) Except as otherwise provided in subsection 10, provide the empowerment team with a reasonable opportunity to correct any deficiencies identified in the written statement and resubmit it for approval. A request for a waiver may be resubmitted by the school district, after the empowerment team corrects any deficiencies, not more than once in a school year.

10. If an empowerment team has not been established pursuant to the exception provided in subsection 2 of NRS 388G.100, the principal of the school shall carry out the responsibilities and duties assigned to the empowerment team pursuant to this section.

(Added to NRS by 2007, 3281; A 2011, 879) — (Substituted in revision for NRS 386.745)