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, September 12, 2023
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:
- Appointments to the Council on Family Resource Centers
- Appointments to the Zoning Advisory Committee
- Agreement with University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine for mental health supports and staff training and coaching
- Scope of work and quote with The New Teacher Project for educator professional development and coaching
Explore the consent agenda here.
Trustees Recognized September 2023 as Attendance Awareness Month
Trustees designated September 2023 as Attendance Awareness Month to promote regular attendance at school and ensure a safe, welcoming learning environment. The resolution also called on parents and families to make attendance at school a priority and take advantage of attendance resources from the District.
Explore the resolution.
Trustees Received a Presentation from PBS Reno on their District Partnership
PBS Reno highlighted different aspects of their partnership with WCSD on promoting student achievement. Its goal is to be in every WCSD school and classroom. Highlights from the presentation included:
- Curiosity Classroom workshops and book distribution increased to 64 schools, with 778 classrooms served in the 2022-23 school year.
- In addition to the workshops, a writer’s contest, reading buddies, and family engagement were also part of the Curiosity Classroom program. The writer’s contest opens in January, and closes just before spring break.
- Several StemWorks videos are available for students, including from Desert Research Institute, Google, Nevada Mining Association, Tesla, and more. This series offers digital short films on different careers in STEM. To explore more on the series, click here.
Explore the presentation.
Trustees Opted to Rezone the Spanish Springs Area
Staff presented the latest enrollment and residential information regarding the Spanish Springs Area and potential rezoning and building. Moderate overcrowding is currently being experienced at Bohach Elementary School, and there is moderate underutilization at other elementary schools in this area. Overall, Spanish Springs Area elementary schools’ total enrollment has decreased by about 4.5% since 2017-18. The area has also seen the most new home growth since 2017, and the trend is anticipated to continue in the enrollment boundaries of Bohach, Hall, and Taylor Elementary Schools.
Three options were presented to Trustees: Wait and see what happens with enrollment trends, rezone schools, or build new facilities to accommodate the growth:
- Wait and See: Pros include operating cost avoidance and allowing for consideration of Facility Modernization Plan recommendations. Cons include potentially escalating construction costs, Bohach Elementary remaining overcrowded, and portable installation.
- Rezone: Pros include this being the fastest option for relieving overcrowding and utilizing existing capacity. Cons include a five-year commitment to the rezoning, possible construction escalation costs, and additional rezoning that may be necessary.
- Build: Pros include permanently relieving overcrowding at Bohach Elementary, avoiding possible construction inflation, and the project being ready to begin construction and potential open for the 2025-26 school year. Cons include an additional $1 million additional operating costs, and likely excess capacity across regional schools.
After discussion, Trustees opted to start the rezoning process.
Explore the presentation.
Trustees Adopted the Student Behavior Manual/Progressive Discipline Plan for the 2023-24 School Year
Trustees adopted the Student Behavior Manual/Progressive Discipline Plan for the 2023-24 school year. This is following small group briefings, a Board workshop, and school principals giving feedback, as well as several community stakeholders. All schools who were sent the draft manual were able to provide feedback on discipline policies. The teacher and administrator guide are almost completed, and the training schedule for administrators has been released. Training for educators and other personnel will follow in coordination with the Washoe Education Association.
Explore the Student Behavior Manual.
Trustees Ended the Moratorium on Board Policy 9070 and Provided Preliminary Approval of the Revised Draft Board Policy 9070
The District completed the two-year review process at the beginning of 2023. Changes to this policy include revised definitions and streamlined verbiage, ending the policy committee to avoid redundancy, and reimplementing the two-year policy. The amended policy was approved and will now undergo the 13-day public review comment period.
Review the redlined proposed policy.
Student Representative Report
Report highlights included:
- The first Student Advisory Council meeting of the year
- Additional recruiting and plans for more school representation
- Plans for the Council’s retreat on September 23
Trustee Reports
Report highlights included:
- Meetings with school teams and administrators
- School visits and various school and community events
- Attending the National Association of School Boards conference
- Participation in school board training and convenings, committees, and councils
- Implementation of traffic safety plans
- Trustee Church holding a town hall on September 13 at 6:00 p.m. at JWood Raw Elementary School
- Congratulations to the Pre-K Educator of the Year, Rebecca Howell
- Groundbreaking of Debbie Smith Career and Technical Academy
Superintendent’s Report
Report highlights included:
- Next week is National Parent Teacher Home Visits Week.
- Commitment of staff, families, and students in making home visits successful
- The first Family Action Committee meeting and Special Education Family Action Committee meeting
Public Comment
- WC-1 tax increase from 2016
- Staff interventions regarding attendance and truancy, and the correlation between academic performance and participation in school activities
The next Meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for September 26, at 2:00 p.m.
