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, August 8, 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 a grant application to Google
- Appointment of Anthony Marini to the Board of Control of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association
Explore the consent agenda here.
Trustees Approved the Design Phase Funding Allocation Toward the Rebuild of Vaughn Middle School
Trustees approved the recommendation of the Capital Funding Protection Committee to advance the design phase funding allocation to rebuild Otis Vaughn Middle School. The amount of the funding is $5,200,000.
Explore the list of major projects and the presentation.
Trustees Discussed the Assessment of the Washoe County School District’s HR Department
Staff presented a summary of Washoe County School District’s HR assessment, administered between February – April 2023. The goal was to identify strengths, opportunities, and gaps as a department.
The assessment identified 41 recommendations, with 12 critical needs. Themes include becoming a more data-driven department, upgrading the HR management system to increase functionality and user experience, evaluating the structure and capacity of the department to provide needed supports, and creating an HR partner role to support schools in recruiting and retaining team members.
Progress since the spring includes expanding access to candidates through “pooled” job postings, designing and launching the electronic Universal Hiring System, and establishing a partnership with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching and University of Nevada, Reno, to expand professional development pathways and mentorship. Changes have been made to the onboarding experience to ensure greater consistency. Technology has also been upgraded.
Next steps include a phased implementation of a school-focused HR Partner role, supporting collective bargaining negotiations, ensuring systems are aligned, and continuously improving the onboarding experience.
Explore the presentation.
Trustees Were Introduced to New School Principals
There are 21 new principals in the District for the 2023-24 school year, several of whom were introduced to the Trustees during the board meeting.
Meet the new WCSD school principals.
Trustee Reports
Report highlights included:
- Meeting new educators and team members
- Back-to-school events and activities
- Attending the school safety conference in Las Vegas
- Finalizing town hall dates
- Recognizing the Nevada History Teacher of the Year
- Future Scholars program at University of Nevada, Reno
- Upcoming groundbreaking ceremony for JWood Raw Elementary School
Superintendent’s Report
Report highlights included:
- Welcoming back staff
- All-staff kick-off meeting on Wednesday, August 9
- Collective bargaining ongoing, but progressing
Public Comment
- Requests for community meetings and additional transparency with the public
- School safety and other concerns
The next Meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for August 22, at 2:00 p.m.
