Nevada Ed-Watch: Washoe County School District 8/11/26

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. 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, August 12, 2026

Washoe County School District Board of Trustees Meeting

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

Trustees Approved the Consent Agenda

Consent agenda highlights include:

• Approval of agreement with PBS for the PBS Reno  Curiosity Classroom Workshops across WCSD schools in the amount of $125,000 
• Approval of the purchase of 10 new school buses through the Joinder Utah State contract 
• Several facilities and RFP items

Explore the consent agenda here.

Trustees Received a Report on the 1-Year Pilot Program With the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (RTC)

Trustees received a report on the 1-year pilot program with the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Washoe County to provide free transit passes to Washoe County School District Students and approved the action to direct the superintendent to negotiate a long-term agreement with the RTC for a continuation of this program. 

Highlights of the presentation included: 

• Over 240,000+ rides taken by students from June 2025-June 2026 and over 6,000 RTC passes provided to students. 
• Sparks High School shared its success in being in a location with multiple RTC routes; the school mentioned the system was incredibly beneficial to students, particularly the ability to provide physical passes for those who may not have phone access. 
• Both schools and families can receive customized support in the form of physical passes sent directly to campuses or families in the community. 

Explore the presentation. 

Trustees Received a Video Presentation to Celebrate the Start of the 2026-2027 School Year

Trustees received a video presentation to celebrate the start of the 2026-27 school year with introductions of new school principals and voices from students, staff and families from various schools throughout the Washoe County School District.

Highlights of the program included:

• Several announcements of new school leaders and/or principals across several campuses in the Washoe County School District.

Explore the new school leadership presentation.

Trustees Approved the Washoe County School District Bill Draft Request and Updated the Legislative Platform 

Trustees received a presentation and approved the Washoe County School District Bill Draft Request (BDR) and updated the legislative platform for the 2027 Nevada Legislative Session and 2026-2027 biennium. 

Highlights of the presentation included:

• An overview of the bill draft process: Topical discussion occurring August 11th followed by finalizing of topics (if necessary) and meeting the submission deadline due by September 1st.

The topics approved are as follows: 

• Money & Finance 
  • Categorical funding, matching special education funding, universal lunch
• Instruction
  • Minimum Instructional Load/amount of time spent in the classroom (a.k.a. Seat Time)
  • Dual credit GPA calculations
• Human Resources 
  • Workers' compensation wage loss adjustments
  • Charter school leave status 
  • Public employee strike guardrails
• Social Services/Student Supports
  • Protections for homeless and juvenile reentry
  • Title IX Investigation Timelines
• Operations 
  • Property Leases and Sales

Explore the presentation.

Trustees Received a Presentation and Approved the Process for Collecting Feedback and Revising the Current Washoe County School District Strategic Plan During the 2026-27 School Year

Highlights of the presentation included: 

• One key priority mentioned regarding the strategic plan is its ability to serve all groups. The survey topics were as follows:
  • What the WCSD community believe is going well
  • The top priorities or concerns WCSD needs to address
  • Examples or stories tell WCSD that they are getting it right for students.
  • Reviewing the current strategic plan to decide what goals need to be added or revised. 
• The survey begins Friday, August 14th, and remains open until Friday, September 4th. 

• For the first time, a high-level overview showing the final progress across all goals for the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan on September 22nd. 

Explore the presentation.

Trustees Report

Report highlights included:

• Various site visits to schools' back-to-school events. 
• The trustees wished all students a warm welcome back.

Superintendent Report

Report highlights included:

• Urged all students to be safe and have a great start to their school year. 

• Acknowledgment for students impacted by the Bug and Stallion fires.

• Thanks to first responders assisting the community during this time.

Public Comment

Public comment highlights included:

• Sharing out a Reading Skills Program, "Read Between the Lions", to promote early literacy. 

The next Meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for August 25th, 2026, at 2:00 p.m.