- Capital Projects Funding: Assembly Bill 46 was signed into law by the Governor. Although it was not approved in its original form (most bills are not), it gives WCSD the opportunity to present information about our capital projects situation to the Washoe County Commission. We know the Washoe County Commission will have to go through a public process and gather all the information in order to make an informed decision, and we look forward to being proactive throughout that process. We hope you will continue your advocacy around this issue.
- Operating Funds: WCSD can expect to see an increase in the per pupil funding, which will help to address the District’s structural deficit. While it does not fully restore funding, this was a welcome increase given the severity of the cuts endured by the District during the economic recession.
- Early Literacy: Additional funds for the expansion of state-funded full-day kindergarten, reduction of kindergarten class size, and precedent-setting appropriations dedicated for our youngest English language learners will be very important as our District continues to emphasize the importance of early literacy.
- Human Capital: With bipartisan and broad-based support, the recommendations of the Teachers and Leaders Council were adopted to address the modifications to the evaluation system for teachers and administrators. This included additional funds to provide training for teachers and administrators on how the new evaluations will work. In fact, professional development was a common theme and additional resources were allocated for that reason.
- College and Career Readiness: Significant progress was made to align the PreK-20 education system, including emphasis on early childhood standards through eventual replacement of the high school proficiency exam by end-of-course and college readiness exams. Additional investment in the statewide longitudinal data system was also made to provide better data-based decision making tools.
It is certainly not a glamorous process and not all the outcomes are exactly as we would have liked, but on the whole, the legislature demonstrated its commitment to build a strong public school system as a fundamental right and an economic development priority. Thanks to the dedication of our staff, Washoe County School District was regarded as a gold standard within the state and a leader in many areas. Personally, I am proud to represent our district and proud of what we accomplished this session. And, in fact, I’m already looking forward to the 2015 session.
