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, November 28, 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 to add certain dual credit courses with Truckee Meadows Community College, as well as an updated memorandum with University of Nevada, Reno, for continuing to provide dual credit programs.
- Adoption of the application to the Nevada Department of Education to implement a work-based learning program for five years, beginning July 1
Item 2.12, approval of a permanent Chief of Schools position, was pulled for separate discussion and vote, and was not approved.
Item 2.13, an agreement with Performance Fact, was pulled from the consent agenda.
Explore the consent agenda here.
Trustees Approved Revisions to Board Policy 4110 – Talent Acquisition
Changes include updating the policy to meet the goals of Balanced Governance and to meet the direction of the Board related to board policies. This initiates the 13-day public review and comment period.
Explore the mark-up version and the proposed final version.
Trustees Approved the Modification of Enrollment Boundaries for the 2024-25 School Year for Several Schools
Based on recommendations from the Zoning Advisory Committee, Trustees approved modifying enrollment boundaries for the following schools, effective for the 2024-25 school year: Bohach Elementary School, Spanish Springs Elementary School, Van Gorder Elementary School, Shaw Middle School, Sky Ranch Middle School, and Mendive Middle School. All schools impacted by rezones will not be eligible to receive new variances for the 2024-25 school year; however, existing variances will be honored.
All current fourth graders rezoned into Bohach Elementary School during the 2020-21 school year, along with their currently enrolled siblings, will receive variances and transportation services for one year (the current fourth grade students’ fifth grade year) at Bohach Elementary School.
Explore the presentation.
Trustees Reviewed Strategic Plan Goal 2: Student Voice, and Key Strategies Used to Improve Student Learning Outcomes Related to this Goal
Trustees heard an update on Strategic Plan Goal 2: Student Voice. Of the student body, 42.5% identify as Hispanic, and 41.8% identify as White, with 6.3% identifying as multiracial, 4.0% as Asian, 2.7% as African American, 1.5% as Pacific Islanders, and 1.2% as Native American or Alaska Native. Over 55% of students are eligible for free/reduced lunch, and 14.3% of students are English Learners. Students with Individual Education Plans comprise 14.6% of the student body.
Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps has 1,545 students enrolled across 11 high schools, with most cadets attending college or trade school after high school, and about 5% of cadets joining the military. Additionally, nearly a quarter of all high school students participated in athletics in 2023, with male participants outnumbering female participants by 13%.
The Student Advisory Council would like to grow to have a presence at each high school campus in the District. Council members participate as a school board representative and on the Safe & Healthy Schools Commission. They have also served as members of the hiring committee for the District Superintendent and the District’s Chief of Police. They have served as key stakeholders in educational policy-setting, including the District’s new strategic plan, facilities modernization plan, and cell phone policy.
The Council has three focus areas which have several strategies for this school year, as well as an evaluation plan for each focus area:
- Student Mental Health: Strategies include murals, videos for students and teachers, and a District-wide mental health awareness week
- Diversity & Inclusion: Strategies include .25 elective credit for 90% attendance and meeting standards, and advisor workshop training
- College Preparedness: Strategies include advertising counseling and career center services, modifying counselor presentations for each grade level, and incorporating college preparedness with social and emotional learning
Explore the presentation.
Trustees Reviewed the Draft Final District-Wide Facility Modernization Plan
Trustees reviewed the draft of the final district-wide Facility Modernization Plan. Several forms of community engagement have taken place over the last several months, including community-wide and virtual forums, community organization presentations, and surveys. Data takeaways from the process include recognizing aging facilities, inequities, operational inefficiencies, and stakeholders seeking improvements.
Recommended options from August for the Plan include:
- Additions and renovations to North Valleys High School
- New Sun Valley Elementary School
- New Stead Elementary School and Lemmon Valley Elementary School reconstruction
- New Anderson Elementary School
- For the Wooster/Vaughn area, a phased reconstruction and consolidation scenario
- For Clayton Middle School and related elementary schools, a phased reconstruction and consolidation scenario
- For Pine Middle School and related elementary schools, study PK-8 for one year and determine path forward
- For Traner Middle School, Sparks Middle School, Dilworth Middle School, and related elementary schools, study PK-8 for one year and determine path forward
- For Incline Village, continued enrollment study and community engagement to determine path forward
Initiatives and priorities identified by the community include fulfilling legacy projects, continued study to find consensus for action, managing growth, special and alternate education to serve students with the highest needs, a trade-up strategy to invest in newer, better resourced schools, and prioritized improvements for District-wide equity.
Recommendations encompass 109 projects and studies over 15 years at a cost (expressed in 2024 figures) of $2.2 billion. A timeline and schedule was also shared in the presentation (available below). The final recommendations will be brought back to Trustees at the December 12 board meeting.
Explore the presentation.
Trustee Reports
Report highlights included:
- Attending school events and activities
- Attending the Nevada Association of School Boards meeting
- Encouraging participation in the arts
- Participating in a Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association meeting
- Congratulating student athletes
Superintendent’s Report
Report highlights included:
- Emphasizing the work put into the Facilities Modernization Plan
- Visiting the Newcomer Center at Booth Elementary School and anticipating more need and expansion of services and supports
- A student being featured in the Nevada Independent for his app
- Five high schools expanding Advanced Placement efforts, resulting in the College Board’s AP Access Award
Public Comment
- Student concerns regarding private school voucher programs
- Concerns regarding materials in schools
- Concerns regarding the cost of the District’s strategic plan
- Use of taxpayer resources
- Support for facilities modernization
The next Meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for December 12, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.
