Washoe trustees adopt district legislative platform and endorse NAS ‘Invest’ priorities focused on funding stability, special education and pre-K

The Washoe County School District Board of Trustees unanimously adopted an updated district legislative platform and directed the superintendent to incorporate trustee feedback on May 26, and the board also endorsed a statewide NAS 'Invest' platform that asks for coordinated action on funding stability, special education supports and pre-K funding.

Dylan Shaver of Pinion Public Affairs described the platform as "a quick reference document that expresses the board's intent on a handful of key policy areas that allow the superintendent, his team, and my own team to act quickly and nimbly during the legislative process." Trustees offered edits and policy priorities for the district’s platform, including stronger language on special education needs, chronic absenteeism reframed as a product-and-engagement issue, and preserving local decision-making around curriculum and assessment choices.

Trustees and staff also discussed the Nevada Association of Superintendents’ Invest priorities, which the superintendents crafted to pursue: funding stability that addresses enrollment declines; refinements to SB460 (the state's intervention and accountability framework); resolving practical misalignments in read-by-three implementation; and creating predictable, stable funding paths for pre-K rather than episodic grants. Shaver said the NAS platform aims to coalesce 17 districts around areas where statewide coordination could be effective.

Public commenters raised technology and student-data concerns and urged limiting classroom screen time. John Epaleo of Protect Nevada Children cited an article and a U.S. Senate hearing about the impact of heavy screen time on children and urged the board to reconsider extensive device and software use. Several trustees likewise suggested adding language about technological and data safety for students and families.

The board approved two agenda items related to these topics: (1) adoption of the WCSD legislative platform (resolution 26-004), and (2) direction to the superintendent to update the platform as discussed; both passed unanimously.

Next steps: staff will incorporate trustee feedback and return a revised platform for administrative implementation and to inform the district’s one bill-draft request (BDR) work this summer; Shaver outlined a timeline of additional internal vetting, ELT review and an August board prioritization ahead of the September BDR submission window.