Nevada Ed-Watch: 09/27/22

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. 9^th 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, September 27, 2022

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:

• Approval of a document management system maintenance agreement
• Bid approval for installation of Braille signage at several schools
• Final approval of several Board policies to update formatting and clarify language

Item 2.06, an interlocal agreement between Washoe County School District (WCSD) and the City of Reno, Parks and Recreation Department, was pulled from the consent agenda.

The following items were pulled from the consent agenda for individual discussion, and passed on separate votes:

• 2.08 – Approval of a Memorandum of Understanding between WCSD and the Washoe School Principals’ Association providing for signing incentives and/or end of year stipends for principals selected for or retained at an assignment at Acceleration Schools
• 2.12 – Directing the Superintendent to enter into a contract with Balanced Governance Solutions for the facilitation of the Superintendent evaluation process
• 2.16 – Preliminary approval of revisions to Board Policy 9088 on Trustee/Superintendent relations
• 2.17 – Preliminary approval of revisions to Board Policy 9100 on public bodies
• 2.20 – Preliminary approval of revisions to Board Policy 9115 on meetings of the Board of Trustees

Explore the consent agenda here.

Trustees Received a Presentation on the New Logo and Mascot of JWood Raw Elementary School

Staff detailed the design, community engagement, vetting, and voting process for the new branding, logo, and mascot of JWood Raw Elementary School. A stakeholder group reviewed nominations and selected finalists, and then reviewed brand color options and logo concepts. Final concepts were sent out for a vote via online survey, which was open for two weeks. The new mascot will be a jaguar, and the final logo was selected by a 209-191 vote.

Explore the presentation and new logo and branding.

Trustees Received an Update on the Comprehensive Facility Modernization Plan

In June 2022, CannonDesign began a professional services agreement for a Facility Modernization Plan. Trustees received an update on the Plan, which will guide facility use and capital investment decisions for the next 5-10 years, and is part of the Superintendent’s strategic plan. There is a focus on equity, efficiency, transparency, and ensuring a data-driven process, with priorities informed by students and community members.

Community engagement will involve 22 planning workshops, 100+ committee members, over 25,000 engaged stakeholders, three community surveys, and several community forums. 170 campuses are part of the assessment process.

The District Planning Working Group met September 22 to discuss guiding principles, and will meet in October on data. The Stakeholder Advisory Group will meet in October and Community Forums began in September and will continue in October and January. The Board will be briefed in November (data findings), December (draft options and early action projects), and February/April for preliminary and final recommendations. Community members can stay engaged by participating in the Community Forum series. More information can be found here.

Explore the presentation.

Student Representative’s Report

The Student Representative was not present at this meeting.

Trustee Reports

Trustee district highlights included:

• Attending first day of school activities and supporting student clubs and activities
• Attending the first town hall conducted by the Superintendent Enfield
• Several school visits
• Attending JROTC events
• New Communities in Schools locations
• National Blue Ribbon school awardees
• Parent/teacher home visit program information
• Various Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations

Superintendent’s Report

The Superintendent’s report highlights included:

• A request for motorists to be alert and aware around schools
• The first Student Advisory Council meeting of the year
• Town halls and coffee meetings with various District team members
• The first Soup with the Supe event, including a Q & A with students and sitting down with staff on opportunities and challenges
• October 26 will be the first quantitative presentation on education quality to the Trustees, with a focus on equity challenges and opportunities; November will begin school presentations.
• Honoring a district superstar student of the month at upcoming board meetings

Public Comment

Members of the public shared comments on this item regarding: 

• Student screen time
• Superintendent and Trustee community engagement
• Educator engagement with the Facility Modernization Plan
• Classroom resources and ESSER fund usage
• History education
• Public comment periods

The next Meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for October 11, 2022, at 2:00 p.m.