The Ed-Watch series is designed to increase access to information on what decisions are being made regarding public education in 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, December 13, 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 the 2022-2023 early separation incentive program recommendations
- Approval of an agreement for professional architectural design services for a new elementary school
- Approval of the 2024-2025 draft balanced calendar
Explore the consent agenda here.
Trustees Adopted the Final Draft of the 2023 Washoe County School District Legislative Platform
Staff and contracted personnel from Pinyon Public Affairs provided a recap of trustee feedback from the previous draft of the 2023 legislative platform. Priorities include staff raises, increasing the direct ask to a 15% increase in base funding, and centered on a 20% goal; highlighting traffic safety and human trafficking in student safety measures; funding for class sizes and eliminating weighted funding caps; preserving instructor professionalism and autonomy; and targeting property tax reform ensures a stable, predictable revenue stream in a way that matches the demand for student services, is transparent in allocations, and is limited in its use to address the most pressing needs. Following these updates, Trustees approved the legislative platform.
Explore the 2023 Legislative Platform Draft and the presentation.
Trustees Adopted a Resolution in Support of “iNVest 2023”, A Nevada Association of School Superintendents Document Supporting Public Education in Nevada
Trustees voted to support the iNVest 2023 framework, a document from the Nevada Association of School Superintendents that outlines several legislative priorities focused around improving student achievement. Priorities include increasing per-pupil funding, fully funding weights assigned in the Pupil Centered Funding Plan, modernizing educational statutes, enabling schools to be technology-rich, investing in school safety measures, and new school construction.
Explore the resolution and the iNVest 2023 document.
Trustees Adopted Washoe County School District Board Resolutions 22-034 and 22-035 to Augment and Amend the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Budget
Trustees approved transfers and augmentations to comply with Nevada Revised Statutes in alignment with the average daily enrollment of pupils. Resolution 22-034 regarded the General Fund and accounted for $2,598,708 to cover encumbered expenses for devices, technology-related purchases, and equipment, school and department carryover, and future costs related to finalized negotiations.
Revenues will decrease by $8,383,264 due to decreased enrollment (average daily enrollment was budgeted at 61,923 students and the actual daily enrollment was 60,777 students). To offset this shortfall, it will reduce already vacant teacher positions, vacant TOSA positions, and available at-risk funding.
Resolution 22-035 regarded the State Special Education Fund. Available resources consist of $84,947 in net anticipated revenues above what is currently budgeted, and State Special Education revenues are $474,584 more than budgeted, which will be used to pay for encumbrance and school carryover, half of the new Associate Chief of Teaching and Learning position, and flow-through funds to District-sponsored charter schools.
Explore Board Resolution 22-034, Board Resolution 22-035, and the FY23 December Amended Budget Presentation.
Trustees Adopted Board Resolution 22-036 that Provides for Issuance of a General Obligation Medium-Term Bonds in an Amount Not to Exceed $3.4 Million
Trustees approved Board Resolution 22-036 that provides for the issuance of a general obligation medium-term bonds in an amount not to exceed $3.4 million. This will be used to acquire 12 school buses and 22 support vehicles for the district, as well as provides the form, terms, and conditions of the bond, and authorizes the staff to accept a binding bid for the project.
Explore Board Resolution 22-036.
Trustees Received an Update on the Facility Modernization Plan
The first community survey has received more than 1,400 responses and is still open. Field observations and the equity rubric and benchmarking are complete, and a capacity metric has been developed to determine capacity utilization. The first workshop has also been completed, with the second scheduled for January 9.
An educational adequacy assessment is underway, which includes age of the physical building and capability for modern instruction. Facility benchmarking is also taking place for all elementary, middle, and high schools. A slate of early action projects was recommended, based on student needs, facility conditions, operational efficiency, and shovel-readiness (facilities would be ready by 2025). Vaughn Middle School was identified as the most immediate need on this slate for several reasons, including facility inefficiency and student needs.
The recommendation is to proceed with procurement of architectural and engineering design and construction management services to rebuild Vaughn Middle School on the same site, with the school remaining in operation during construction (with students separated with safety barriers), with demolition of the existing building and new playfields after move-in to the new facility.
The team will provide preliminary/final recommendations in February/April.
Explore the update presentation.
Trustees Approved the Washoe County School District Capital Improvement Program, to Include the 2022-2023 ‘B’ Major Projects Program
Trustees approved the recommendations of the Capital Funding Protection Committee’s 2022-2023 ‘B’ Major Projects Program, to include immediate investments into Vaughn Middle School and allow staff to contract for architectural work necessary to begin school improvements.
Review the WCSD Capital Improvement Program list of projects.
Trustees Recognized the 12th Annual Holiday Card Contest Winners
Trustees celebrated the finalists and winners of the annual holiday card competition, including one each from grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.
Explore the presentation and finalists’ cards.
Trustees Heard a School Spotlight Presentation on Yvonne Shaw Middle School
Trustees recognized the improvement in student outcomes at Yvonne Shaw Middle School.
Explore the highlight presentation.
Trustees Received a Presentation on the Entry Plan Summary Report for Superintendent Enfield
Superintendent Enfield shared her learnings from her first few months in the community. From these learnings, the team will begin the strategic planning process. Highlights in staff engagement include more than 60 school visits, monthly Soup with the Supe meetings, Supe Sessions, and Lunch and Learn gatherings, collaborations with employee association partners, and implementing the Ducky Awards to build a culture of celebration and appreciation. Opportunities in staff engagement include focusing on teaching and learning, reassessing assessments, and advocating for funding students and staff.
In family engagement, highlights include town halls, community coffee chats, and small group conversations. Opportunities in this area include dedicated leadership for special education, creating superintendent advisory groups, and home visits.
In engaging with community leaders and organizations, highlights include monthly meetings with higher education leaders and working with business and industry partners. Opportunities include additional partnerships, community involvement, and partnership opportunities for student success.
In analyzing information and collaborating with staff, highlights included working with principals to implement coverage solutions, working on short-term and long-term educator needs, reintroducing the NWEA MAP Growth assessments, and eliminating the transportation rotation system. Opportunities include intentional planning for professional development days, strengthening relationships with elected officials, and efficient use of resources.
Next steps for Superintendent Enfield include launching the strategic planning process and providing a comprehensive update during the WCSD State of Education address in February 2023.
Explore the summary report, presentation, and “A New Chapter for WCSD.”
Student Representative’s Report
The Student Representative did not provide a report at this meeting.
Trustee Reports
Trustee reports highlights included:
- School visits and meetings with administrators
- Importance of traffic safety in school zones
- Thanking Trustee Minetto for her service
- Welcoming Trustee Woodley to the Board
- Upcoming State Board of Education meeting items
- Holiday greetings
Superintendent’s Report
The Superintendent’s report highlights included:
- Thanking Trustee Minetto for her service
- Welcoming Trustee Woodley to the Board
- Congratulating the students holiday card winners
- Holiday greetings
Public Comment
- Accomplishments of the Washoe Education Association and collaboration with the Superintendent
- Administrative Regulation 5161
- Collaboration on behalf of special needs and special education students
- District transparency with kids and parents
The next Meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for January 10, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.