In June, Washoe County voters rejected a school board candidate backed by a well-funded far-right activist, resulting in a primary to decide three candidates, but now longtime educators and All eyes are now on the remaining contest for the contested District G seat. High tech businessman.
The larger District G covers the western part of Washoe County and includes Incline Village. The district is adjacent to its larger counterpart, F School District, and shares schools with A, C, D, and E School Districts. This means that voters in the four contiguous school districts will be able to vote in District G elections as well.
The seat is currently held by Trustee Diane Nicolette, 72, an educator who has worked in K-12 and higher education for many years. In 2016, she was appointed to the seat on an interim basis for nine months, and was then elected to the post in 2020 following an expiring term.
Her experience includes 24 years as director of the EL Code Foundation child care center at Truckee Meadows Community College. A native of North Dakota, Nicolette is also the mother of a Washoe County School District (WCSD) graduate and has lived in the Reno area with her husband for 30 years.
“I’m a content expert when it comes to education, whether it’s from a business perspective or an academic perspective, the emotional, social aspects, family engagement,” she said. “I’m the right person at the right time.”
Her challenger, Perry Rosenstein, 39, is a tech businessman turned education advocate who has worked as a substitute teacher for school districts. He and his wife moved to Reno from the Bay Area about seven years ago, and they have two (soon to be three) children under the age of 5, one of whom will be a kindergartener at WCSD next school year. Masu.
“I have a lot of skin in this game,” he said. “It’s very personal to me.”
Mr. Rosenstein and Mr. Nicollet received 35% and 18% of the vote, respectively, in the primary, along with five other candidates, including former California educator Paul White, who was backed by Republican donor Robert Beadles. , and received only 12% of the vote. . After the primary, Beadles paid White $50,000 to request a recount, which did not change the outcome of the primary. Mr. White also requested a manual recount, but that request was denied.
The race is being fought by the Washoe Education Association (WEA), which says the school board needs Rosenstein’s technology and business expertise, and by trustees Adam Mayberry and Colleen Westlake, who are calling Nicollet. There is a rift between current and former Board of Education members who support him. Rep. Angie Taylor (D-Reno), who previously served as board chairwoman, has endorsed Rosenstein, but her campaign manager said Nicolette and Rosenstein are leading in the seven-person primary. His campaign manager said he made a small donation in May, just before he surfaced. Financial records are displayed.
The election comes at a critical time for school districts as they prepare for the next legislative session, giving school leaders an opportunity to advocate for increased funding for K-12 education to address issues such as school violence and teacher pay. becomes.
The Clark County School District displayed a new signal-blocking cell phone pouch during a press conference at its administration office in Las Vegas on Aug. 6, 2024. (Rocio Hernandez/Nevada Independent)
mobile phone ban
Some school districts in Nevada have begun implementing policies to curb cell phone distractions during class, and WCSD is considering following suit.
This school year, Clark County and Carson City schools have adopted policies restricting cell phone use during class for students in grades 6-12.
In August, the Washoe County Board of Education discussed current district and school policies regarding cell phones and other electronic devices. WCSD recently launched a survey to gather family feedback on the issue and plans to survey students and staff later this month.
Nicolette acknowledged that there is a problem with cell phone use in the district, with students constantly bringing their cell phones out during class, taking videos and making inappropriate social media posts during school visits. I regularly hear about people using it to do things.
“We need to solve it,” she said.
Nicolette supports putting “reasonable guardrails” around cell phones and other electronic devices to prevent them from interfering with students’ learning, but said some parents want to be able to contact their children in an emergency. He said that he is also considering the requests of .
“We need to respect that and we need to work with it and understand what it means,” Nicolette added.
Rosenstein agrees that cell phones can be a “significant source of distraction,” interfering with students’ learning and social-emotional development and preventing them from meaningfully participating in the classroom. He said districts need comprehensive cell phone policies that support student concentration and well-being and provide district-level support for teachers.
teacher salary
After the 2023 legislative session, the district raised teacher salaries by 20 percent over the past two school years. This brings the district’s starting salary for new teachers with a bachelor’s degree up to $47,000, an increase of $6,000 over the 2021-22 school year.
That still falls short of Clark County’s $55,000 starting salary and Eureka County’s $63,000 starting salary.
Rosenstein said the recent increases are a step in the right direction, but more are needed.
“Especially with the rising cost of living in Washoe County, our teachers and support staff deserve wages that reflect the important role they play in our communities,” he said. “If elected, I would advocate for additional funding during the legislative session so that we can continue to recruit and retain high-quality educators.”
Nicolette said she has been working behind the scenes to ask the state Legislature to update SB 231, a $250 million matching fund that provides additional funding to districts for staff raises. If these funds are not renewed, the proceeds paid in these SB231 funds will disappear after June of next year.
As the next legislative session approaches, Nicolette said she also wants to advocate for increased per-pupil funding so the district can afford more raises for all employees.
“We are doing great things with the funds we have, but it is not enough,” she said. “Yes, in the next legislative session…we will continue to work to increase the amount of money we can spend for our students and employees. That’s really important.”
A sign posted on banned books can be seen at Clark High School on Friday, March 18, 1022. (Jeff Scheid/Nevada Independent)
ban on books
In June, a group of protesters, including an out-of-state far-right pastor, visited the Washoe County School Board to demand that books deemed inappropriate for students be removed from school libraries.
Although Nicolette is against banning books, she believes it is the right and responsibility of parents to know what their children are reading, and that it is up to parents to decide whether they want their children to read certain books. I agree that it is a choice.
The district already allows parents to contact their child’s school’s principal or librarian to request that a student be banned from checking out certain books.
Rosenstein, on the other hand, said that while he opposes banning the books, he believes these issues “are taken up in school board meetings for too long.”
“What I have learned from my business background is that we must focus on driving impact and results. For me, that means focusing on what truly helps students and teachers succeed. ” he said.
School violence and student discipline
The district was one of the sponsors of two 2023 bills, AB285 and AB330, that would repeal portions of the 2019 school restorative justice bill, AB168, which placed limits on student suspensions and expulsions. Restorative justice in schools refers to non-punitive interventions and supports provided by schools to improve student behavior and redress harm caused by students.
Supporters say the practice could help reduce suspensions and expulsions and narrow racial disparities in school discipline.
Nicolette said she thinks keeping students and staff safe is “very important,” but she doesn’t support “simply kicking kids out for doing something that’s unacceptable.”
If a student engages in “egregious” behavior, the district follows state law and student discipline policies, she said.
He believes the two 2023 bills are helping to alleviate the student violence problems facing schools in the post-coronavirus era, but more can be done to improve school safety. said. This includes additional funding to help districts hire additional police officers, counselors and social workers.
Rosenstein called the 2023 reforms “a step in the right direction,” saying that appropriate training and support will be needed to make restorative justice practices effective and not “substitutes for accountability.” He said that significant investment is needed.
“Overall, we need to allow time for these changes to take hold before considering further adjustments,” he said. “Rules and expectations constantly change, making everyone struggle and making it impossible to accurately assess what is working.”
Donors and supporters
Mr. Rosenstein heavily criticized Mr. Nicolet.
Mr. Rosenstein raised about $79,000 from January 1 to June 30, according to his latest campaign finance report as of Friday afternoon. In addition to the teachers union’s financial support, Rosenstein loaned his campaign about $5,000. Other major donors include family members and Bay Area entrepreneurs.
WEA and its parent organization, the Nevada Education Association, donated $9,000 to Rosenstein’s campaign.
WEA Chairman Karen Evans said Rosenstein’s technical background is needed to create a more balanced and diverse board.
“We respect and appreciate the work and time (Nicolette) has put in as a trustee,” he said. “We felt that by hiring someone with (Rosenstein’s) background, expertise and experience, we could take it even further than what we currently have.”
Meanwhile, Nicolette’s latest campaign finance report shows she raised $24,000 between January 1 and September 30, about $16,000 of which came from donations and loans she made to herself. It was.
“I don’t like asking people for money, especially now that prices are so high, so this is not a comfortable place for me,” Nicolette said.
Nicolette’s fellow school board member, Trustee Colleen Westlake, endorsed Nicolette for her strong work ethic, desire to do “great things” for students, and years of expertise as an educator. He said that
“Honestly, I don’t know anyone who has as much knowledge as she does…and I always draw on that knowledge when I make decisions or advocate for things. ,” Westlake said.
This article was updated on Oct. 14, 2024 at 3:17 p.m. with an endorsement from Rep. Angie Taylor.
