The Ed-Watch series is designed to increase access to information on what decisions
are being made regarding public education in Clark County and Nevada.
Washoe County School District Board of Trustees
What is the Board of Trustees & what are they responsible for? The Washoe County School District Board of Trustees are publicly elected decision-makers for the school district. They are responsible for providing oversight to the Superintendent and establishing District-wide policy. Trustees are accountable to work with their communities to improve student achievement.
Click here to learn more and see a list of current Trustees.
How often does the Board of Trustees meet? Trustees meet twice per month (second and fourth Tuesdays) at 2 pm both virtually and at the Central Administration Building Board Room, 425 E. 9th St., Reno, NV 89512.
Click here for a full list of Trustees meetings.
Can community members engage at Trustee meetings? Decision-making bodies benefit greatly from hearing public input and multiple perspectives. Currently, members of the public can submit comments on agenda and non-agenda items through email or voice recording. Public comment can be provided in person or via email. Email comments should be submitted to publiccomments@washoeschools.net.
Tuesday, July 24, 2024
Washoe County School District Board of Trustees Meeting
Click here to see the meeting agenda.
Watch the meeting playback.
What happened at this meeting?
Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda
Consent agenda highlights include:
- Grant applications to the Nevada Department of Education
- Memorandum of Understanding between the District and Truckee Meadows Community College for a high school program
- Several facilities items
- Several curriculum and programming items
- Approval to prepare pre-litigation due diligence into the SPCSA decision to approve Mater Academy of Northern Nevada
Explore the consent agenda here.
Trustees Approved Performance Targets for the Performance Evaluation of the WCSD Superintendent
Trustees reviewed the cycle and timeline for evaluating the new Superintendent of WCSD. There will be a mid-year review in February 2025, a summary review of performance indicators in September 2025, and the summative evaluation will be completed in October 2025. Ratings between highly effective and ineffective will be used to determine performance.
Trustees rated each of the 31 current targets to determine the final targets for the performance evaluation and were encouraged to focus on the 13 highlighted targets. Trustees selected the following six of the targets for evaluation:
- Safety & Belonging: Expanded opportunities for parents, guardians, and family members to be involved with their child’s education.
- Safety & Belonging: Improved Student Safety including (a) reducing the number of major assaultive incidents among students, (b) improved physical safety in buildings with a single point entry project completed, and (c) increased educators’ sense of safety as indicated in the annual survey.
- Student Voice & Advocacy: Expand access to both extra and co-curricular clubs and activities matched to the needs and interests of each school’s student community to decrease chronic absenteeism rates at all schools.
- Student Voice & Advocacy: Implement at all middle and high schools’ student advisory councils, that take an active role in supporting school improvement efforts.
- Academic Growth & Achievement: Strengthen recruitment, retention, and advancement pathways for all WCSD staff.
- Safe & Welcoming Schools: Increase participation, access, and success for all students to advanced coursework, dual credit, and CTE classes.
- Safe & Welcoming Schools: Expand district partnerships with local businesses and community-based organizations to increase internships and out-of-school time learning opportunities.
Explore the presentation and the target rating sheet.
Trustees Approved a Bill Draft Request Proposal
Each legislative cycle, Washoe County School District can submit one bill draft request (BDR), due September 1, 2024, for the legislative session that begins February 3, 2025. Several topics and priorities were discussed at a previous board meeting, with different BDR opportunities presented at today’s meeting:
- Reducing non-wage barriers to becoming a teacher (eliminating hiring barriers, increasing hiring flexibility, and finding new pathways for licensure, for example), in alignment with the priority of improving access to qualified personnel
- Streamlining testing and assessment requirements and alleviating burdens put on teachers and staff, allowing for more teaching time, in alignment with the priority of restoring lost educational time
- Reexamining current and lapsed strategies to evaluate their role in the modern classroom, in alignment with the 2023 BDR (which did not pass).
After discussion, Trustees voted to move forward with having the Superintendent and staff to research proposals in service of developing more detailed language for a BDR pertaining to improving access and removing barriers for qualified personnel for the District.
Trustees will need to approve the final BDR prior to the September 1 deadline.
Explore the presentation.
Trustees Approved Proposed Amendments to Board Policy 9070
Trustees voted to provide preliminary approval to Board Policy 9070, removing the two-year rolling calendar for automatic review of policies and allowing the Superintendent or the responsible office to recommend additions, repeals, or amendments to board policies on an as-needed basis. This initiates the 13-day public review and comment period.
Explore the proposed changes.
Trustees Approved Proposed Amendments to Board Policy 9100
Trustees voted to provide preliminary approval to Board Policy 9100, removing the three consecutive term limit provision for volunteers. This initiates the 13-day public review and comment period.
Explore the proposed changes.
Trustee Reports
Report highlights included:
- School support activities
- High school graduation ceremonies
- Announcement of a Trustee’s newborn baby
- Fill the Bus event
- Thanks to outgoing Interim Superintendent McNeil
Superintendent’s Report
Report highlights included:
- Meeting with teachers, principals, associations, and higher education representatives as part of planning and onboarding efforts
- Gratitude for the leadership team in ensuring a strong start to the school year
- Gratitude for the leadership and guidance of Interim Superintendent McNeil
Public Comment
- Quality of education
- Connecting educators and parents for student success
- Reading content for students
- Election processes
- Goal-setting for the Superintendent
- Issues with democracy and public comment
- Public comment periods and First Amendment rights
The next Meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for August 13, 2024, at 2:00 p.m.
