Washoe County School District Trustee Alex Woodley read a proclamation on Tuesday acknowledging the new federal holiday of Juneteenth as part of a discussion during the Board of Trustees meeting. In addition to the reading, trustees heard from several community members and district staff about the holiday.
LaNesha Battle, WCSD’s director of equity and diversity, said she had received many questions about what Juneteenth is and why it has become a federal holiday.
She explained that Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Emancipation Day and Black Independence Day, is a celebration of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, which led to the freedom of enslaved African Americans in the United States.
Learn more about Juneteenth here.
Battle shared stories of her grandmothers and their hardships in receiving an education.
“I stand here today being the direct descendent of these women as the manifestation of their wildest dreams dating back to a generation of ancestors who were not allowed to do any of the work, activities, nor live the life that I am able to live and enjoy,” Battle said. “Juneteenth is a day that we, the people, began to become a real idea, and the beginning for those counted as 3/5 of a person to be seen as human in a system that had learned to recognize those that were systemically dehumanized.”
Former WCSD Board President and current District 27 Assemblywoman Angie Taylor spoke on the district’s progress regarding equality and diversity.
“As having been the first African-American to serve on this board, but not the last, means something really special,” Taylor said. “From where we started to where we are today, this district having someone like [Battle] to make sure we’re acknowledging all students and that all students have a great opportunity to be the best that they can be, that’s good progress, that’s what Juneteenth is all about.
“I’m here because of Juneteenth; we are here celebrating something that our ancestors only dreamed about. We are their dreams come true,” she added.
Retired WCSD educator George Hardaway also spoke. He was an administrator, educator and coach. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the Year by the University of Nevada, Reno, and is also one of the original members of the Northern Nevada Black Cultural Awareness Society (NNBCAS).
“Cultural awareness and appreciation is needed in this community,” Hardaway said. “I, as a resident of this community, am so grateful for this. I had no idea that 36, 37 years later, I’d be standing here talking about Juneteenth.
“[We] put this organization together that has definitely made an impact with students, and that’s the key: students,” he said.
Hardaway said NNBCAS has supported students in moving into higher education and employment.
“I want to know that all of you know that it is so important to present love and care about our students,” Hardaway added. “I’ve always said: nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care. We have to care about our students, and regardless of their circumstances or background, they are important. I wanted to be a role model; I wanted to let them know if I can do this, you can too.”
The full proclamation can be viewed here.
Trustees discuss legislative platform updates
Trustees heard an update from Pinyon Public Affairs, a government relations and lobbying agency hired by the district in the fall of 2022. They also offered new priorities they would like to see added to the legislative plan.
Nevada’s next legislative session begins Feb. 3, 2025.
The district’s plan for the session outlines four priorities: modernizing the educational system, creating space and opportunities for students to thrive, advocating for sustainable strategic funding, and increasing personnel support.
“A child born today will graduate from high school in 2041,” the plan reads. “Yet still, discussions of education in this state focus on bringing Nevada’s education system into a 21st century that will be nearly half over when their diploma is delivered. To be successful, districts and the families we serve must reframe this conversation by defining how, precisely, we want to modernize this system.”
“The unfunded mandates are an albatross.”
According to the plan, modernizing is primarily focused on data. It calls for investing in education data, evidence, and research, creating a data-driven system of education that is “clear and consistent on what works, under what conditions, for whom, and how to scale it so all students have access to educational excellence and equity”; and progressing toward a “competency-based” learning model.
The plan also suggests eliminating non-essential and duplicative reporting to regain instructional time and resources. In 2023, the district submitted Senate Bill 56 to review Nevada’s laws and regulations and begin discussing modernization. The Senate Education Committee heard it, but no further action was taken.
Space and opportunity for students
WCSD’s focus on students for the coming legislative session includes expanding early learning with Pre-K and investments in mental health and social and emotional learning support for students and families. When it comes to mental health, the district is asking for a continued investment in mental and behavioral health services, including suicide and bullying prevention.
Officials also want resources for safety-related infrastructure to protect students on and off campus, including firearm threats, traffic and pedestrian safety and prevention of human trafficking.
Increasing funding
As with most districts in the state, WCSD is asking for the legislature to provide sufficient funding on a per-pupil basis.
“A minimum 15% increase in base per-pupil funding in year one of the biennium is being requested, which would be applied primarily toward increased salaries for all staff,” the plan reads.
Increasing staff funding would help reduce class sizes. The plan notes that legally mandated class size goals can only be reached with sufficient funding. Trustee Beth Smith said she wants to see the state-funded to the national average. She also said the State of Nevada does not fund all three weighted categories: Gifted and Talented, English Language Learners and At-Risk.
“There are a lot of requirements put on our educators and on our administrators, and those often don’t get a fiscal note.”
“You’d think if a student was both an English Language Learner and an At-Risk student, you get both weights, and this is important because a district is legally mandated to provide all the services these students need, and yet, Nevada does not fund any more than one. Mine would be as simple as: fund all the weights that a child falls into.”
The district also seeks to eliminate all unfunded or underfunded mandates and oppose all new un- or under-funded proposals. For many years, districts across the state have rallied their opposition against unfunded mandates without much progress.
“The unfunded mandates are an albatross,” Trustee Diane Nicolet said. “They bog down our work. They take teachers [and] administrators away from the daily operations that can really move us forward. If we’re going to have mandates and initiatives, they need to be properly funded.”
Pinyon’s Dylan Shaver said Nicolet had hit on one of his soapbox issues.
“What I’d love to see [Legislative Counsel Bureau] ask us for, but perhaps we could give without their request is a sort of fiscal note, but for time,” Shaver said. “There are a lot of requirements put on our educators and on our administrators, and those often don’t get a fiscal note. Sometimes, there are things they want to impose upon us that are great ideas if you had 10 minutes more in the school day to do them.”
Targeted property tax reform is another topic of discussion within the plan. Increased taxes would ensure a stable, predictable revenue stream that would match the demand for student services while being transparent and limited in its use for districts’ most pressing needs.
Personnel support
Trustee Jeff Church said he wanted the district to examine what needs to be eliminated or reformed before introducing new laws. He suggested eliminating some required committees or testing and reporting requirements that are no longer necessary.
“I’m almost inclined to say we need to first look at what we get rid of before we look at new laws,” he said.
Teacher licensing reform is being sought, which would eliminate “antiquated” barriers to licensure and result in a more diverse workforce. The development of scholarship and grant opportunities is being proposed for potential educators and support staff to receive the necessary educational and licensing requirements to create a diverse staffing pipeline.
Board feedback
Trustee Joe Rodriguez said he would like to see a law similar to NRS 218A.300, which protects the employment of legislators while they are serving in a session, to be extended to school boards to increase a candidate pool.
Trustee Jeff Church said that he has heard “crickets” from the governor’s office since the large-scale educational audit was finalized.
“The audit was way back in February. Do we have any idea of what [Gov. Joe Lombardo] is going to be proposing?” Church asked.
Pinyon’s Shaver said they have not been formally briefed on what the governor’s office is planning; however, he said they have an idea of where he may be focusing due to the governor’s public commentary around educational funding and school choice.
Trustee Adam Mayberry commended Pinyon’s efforts to streamline and simplify the plan so it could be quickly and easily read. He said he would like to see more special education funding.
“I think we can all agree that given the state has cut special education funding, I would hope that this body could get behind special education funding and remove barriers for our educators who may want to go into special education,” Mayberry said. “I want to pivot to the special ed piece because it was lacking in the last platform.”
Trustee Colleen Westlake said there also needs to be a greater focus on struggling students.
“A lot of our students are doing great no matter what; we have to fund and have programs to bring [struggling students] up, and that way, everything improves,” she said. “I think we need to start focusing in on where we are struggling the most and put our funds into that to help those communities.”
Other items
Three members to the Zoning Advisory Committee were reappointed for two-year terms ending June 2026: Shannon Coley (Zone A), Kristen DeHaan (Zone C), and Melissa Cook (School Administrator)
Chris Cobb, Public Works Construction Representative, was reappointed to the Capital Funding Protection Committee for a two-year term ending June 2026.
A memorandum was approved to extend an agreement between the district and the Washoe Education Support Professionals regarding compensation adjustments to address critical labor shortages in the transportation, housekeeping, and nutrition services departments.
A book purchase through Follett Content Solutions, LLC. was approved for elementary schools costing $100,461.68.
A purchase of services with the Crisis Prevention Institute for Educator Training in strengthening positive behavioral supports to create safe learning environments for $160,052.
Plenium Builders was awarded a $92,000 contract for a CMAR for the Reed High School Modernization Project.
The Tennis Court Rehabilitation Project at Sparks High School was awarded to Gradex Construction Company for $339,775.
The Debbie Smith CTE Academy High School Landscaping Project was awarded to Garden Shop Nursery Landscaping Division, Inc. for $2.84 million.
Sullivan Structures LLC was awarded a $357,010 contract for a single point of entry and secure permitting fencing project at Damonte Ranch High School.
