Nevada Ed-Watch: 09/13/22

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. 9^th 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 13, 2022

Washoe County School District Board of Trustees Meeting

Click here to see the meeting agenda.
Watch the meeting playback.

¿Qué ocurrió en esta reunión?

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent agenda highlights include:

• The draft FY 2023 Washoe County School District Public Law 108-446 Individuals with Disabilities Local Plan
• Agreement between Washoe County School District and the Food Bank of Northern Nevada
• Final approval of several Board policies to update formatting and clarify language

Item 2.14, Service Agreement with Paper Education Company to purchase tutoring licenses using ESSER funds, was pulled from the consent agenda for further discussion and was approved on a separate vote.

Explore the consent agenda here.

Trustees Heard an Update on Critical Labor Shortages in the Transportation Department

The district is currently operating on an Area Rotation Plan for transportation. There are 220-230 daily drivers expected to be available by October 10, and the district is expecting to return to its Full Daily Hub Transportation System by that date. Staff utilized attendance and hardship data to prioritize the return of daily bus transportation, and charter bus organizations have been used in some neighborhoods.

To continue to ensure the transportation department is staffed at adequate levels, staff identified continuing emphasis on retention and recruitment, and examining route efficiencies, as well as bell times.

Explore la presentación.

Trustees Approved the Renaming of Ridgeline Stadium and the Duffield Student Center

Trustees approved the naming of the renovated athletic field at Incline High School to Ridgeline Stadium and the building expansion at Incline High School to the Duffield Student Center. The board authorized the Dave and Cheryl Duffield Foundation to remove or change signs, plaques, and other naming marks until 2030 at the expense of the Foundation.

Student Representative’s Report

The Student Representative’s report highlights included:

• Student Advisory Council beginning to meet again this in September, with regular meetings and engagement opportunities on the calendar

Trustee Reports

Trustee district highlights included:

• Attending the Nevada Association of School Boards conference in Las Vegas
• Attending an educators’ family event
• School and staff visits at several schools throughout the district
• Attending a reception to welcome Superintendent Enfield to the community
• Meeting with the Washoe Education Association

Superintendent’s Report

The Superintendent’s report highlights included:

• Acknowledging the team for addressing and handling issues regarding smoke from nearby wildfires
• Visiting 30+ schools so far and learning more about student and teacher needs
• An upcoming town hall on 9/22 at Desert Skies Middle School, with upcoming dates for town halls and coffee chats listed on the website
• Debuting “Soup with the Supe” next week, with a student focus group following the meeting
• Holding the first lunch and learn with central office teams
• Working to address staffing issues, noting the progress thus far, but acknowledging the additional work that remains
• Addressing how to close student achievement gaps
• Opening discussions on how to build an assessment system that serves students, teachers, and families and allows the district to adequately measure growth

Public Comment

Members of the public shared comments on this item regarding: 

• Trustee concerns
• Closing learning gaps
• Staffing concerns

The next Meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for September 27, 2022, at 2:00 p.m.