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, February 14, 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:
- Approval of the alternate schedule for the 2023-2024 school year
- Approval of an agreement with Addiction Treatment Technologies to access mental health treatment providers
- ACE Charter School’s performance monitoring tool and updated bylaws
Explore the consent agenda here.
Trustees Received a Presentation on the Governor’s Recommended Biennial Budget and a Preliminary Analysis of Impacts on K-12 Funding
Staff presented key findings from Governor Lombardo’s recommended biennial budget, for FY 23-24 and FY 24-25, as well as impacts on K-12 funding. Highlights included:
- Total funding for the Pupil Centered Funding Plan is proposed to increase $1 bilion over the next two years.
- Funding for emerging bilinguals and at-risk students inreased from 2x to 3x, but state special education funding is flat.
- At-risk students is capped at 20% of the total student population.
- Students only get funding based on one category. For example, if a student is both at-risk and an English language learner, only one of those categories is counted, not both.
- Entire amount of surplus in FY22 ($526 million) is allocated to be held in the Education Stabilization Account. The same would apply to FY23, estimated to be $730 million.
- Washoe County School District is projected to increase its base per-pupil funding from the current $7,318 to $8,879 in FY24.
Explore the presentation.
Trustees Adopted WCSD Board Resolution 23-001, Recognizing February 2023 as Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month
Trustees read aloud and adopted the resolution recognizing February 2023 as Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month.
Explore the resolution.
Trustees Celebrated the Success of Students Attending Darrel C. Swope Middle School
Trustees and staff heard a presentation from the team at Darrel C. Swope Middle School. Highlights included:
- Overall, ELA, math, and science are at or above standard.
- 8th grader Eva Lambert won WCSD Student Superstar Award.
- Panther Days assisted new students entering middle school by helping with lunches, lockers, etc.
- There are absences due to the construction calendar, capital projects, and online-based learning.
Explore the presentation.
Student Representative’s Report
The Student Representative Report highlights included:
- Guiding students with questions to address problems
- Increasing student voice and choice
- Students have supports and have built relationships with at least one staff member.
Trustee Reports
Trustee reports highlights included:
- School visits and staff appreciation events
- Asbestos in the older buildings of the Debbie Smith Career and Technical Education (CTE) Academy High School
- Mental health access to students using Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GREER) money with parental approval
- Concerns about children’s privacy, data for sale, and parental involvement
- Compliance of Sierra Nevada Academy Charter School with its charter agreement
Superintendent’s Report
The Superintendent’s report highlights included:
- Supporting the mental health access pilot, or trial period, for students and teachers
- Thought exchange with staff about budget priorities
- Students needing to start school on first day; construction projects should not interfere with attendance
- Preventing fights on school campuses
Public Comment
- Concerns about security in schools
- Pay increases to address the teacher shortage and staff retention
- Concerns about gang violence
- Comprehensive sex education curriculum
The next Meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for February 28, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.
