[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6274956,"mediaKeyId","2777287-cb979db85b6a20ed5d54e5a599ad74f3","parentId",2777287,"title","Votes at a glance: agenda, personnel designation, consent items and accounts payable approved","audioSeconds",2503,"startMs",67000,"endMs",2570000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2777287-cb979db85b6a20ed5d54e5a599ad74f3&start=67&end=2570","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2777287-cb979db85b6a20ed5d54e5a599ad74f3/thumbnail_67000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6274956/Nevada/Votes-at-a-glance-agenda-personnel-designation-consent-items-and-accounts-payable-approved","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6274956-34764c4aa9b391312fd7a7685f8fbbfb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771097043&Signature=a-Jaj3nua-JSMe7osoeTsWbNtihcNa2TyE~NRaIOF451XZ~FrfYTlL4FNqDLCMoG26HmQRwV4DApng14YdDdY~KeK8xGfjD7mIvE10nPgYu4BC4HktxpropMmJ1Lam6TCN8pypgrLSzPGebKl3PgGxPiAskXqkSQNT-RXTSAiVkx~v~8gqSodYqxz1eujSxbEzmm661Dz-SN7etb4SjV3G4itMOSFnThg6wLOrjQb-J5MBf1jZo3iR5ady7sRLhgFH8ImH-5oBx7Q3vD6Z-bTvWYlt9H4z3cMUbObhNthFtEBQXVzJ~1E2lLBXC6Jz9eSsl-2SpVHD1N5gb6EEvIWA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Elko County School District, NV","date","2025-03-26T16:49:41.643Z","article","At its regular meeting the Elko County School District board took four unanimous-sounding voice votes on routine and personnel matters.

Votes recorded during the meeting (voice votes; no roll-call tallies provided in the audio transcript):

- Approval of meeting agenda (Agenda item 1.03). Motion moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.

- Approval of critical-need designation for special-education teacher licenses effective July 1, 2025 (Agenda item 2.01). Motion moved and seconded; board approved by voice vote. District staff said the designation will be submitted to the state for approval and would last two years if approved.

- Approval of the consent agenda (Agenda item 3.01). Motion moved and seconded; approved by voice vote.

- Approval of accounts payable (Agenda item 6.01). Motion moved and seconded; members disclosed family employment relationships with a vendor but said they would not abstain; accounts payable approved by voice vote.

The meeting minutes and formal vote records posted to the district's board portal should be consulted for official roll-call tallies and any written disclosures; the audio transcript captured the chair announcing that each motion \"passes\" after members said \"aye.\"","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","ECSD Board Meeting 3/25/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Elko County School District board approved the meeting agenda, a critical-need designation for special-education licenses, the consent agenda and accounts payable by voice votes; individual roll-call tallies were not read into the record.","taxTitle","ELKO COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT, School Districts, Nevada","taxId",13427,"location","Nevada","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6274961,"Students honored: STEM fair, spelling bee, sports champions, Hope Squad and STARS recognitions",1172,88000,1260000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2777287-cb979db85b6a20ed5d54e5a599ad74f3&start=88&end=1260","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2777287-cb979db85b6a20ed5d54e5a599ad74f3/thumbnail_88000.jpg","/articles/6274961/Nevada/Students-honored-STEM-fair-spelling-bee-sports-champions-Hope-Squad-and-STARS-recognitions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6274961-4443cf75f4bef6871100603a078c35f7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771097043&Signature=cr1YypBsFmh2uEx~fjwnMCLis-5CAgnO93x6GIfFktXfQicZ3DUNtGczwyrPzGzO60j5IeNTplgFL9y7IfatxRyTFooBRqmZheTylmjREsYuAmzgTuC17aQTjy~3iJI1PFJBaNxjr-mhKQRaT~Y~bBT9iK4P8yF4yX4bGmzPGIGYEHOZ9T9fgLmCs75ykbctqD6vIvtYvk1gseRj~AhtfRq~KbL-L4bPmlO6QDyXdOln0KOIZv8nQZHhRLeU3p99mWVbnQ6~aUYMhZU3n7g0QRjc~k0zdVmbpki6eQ2TV7o-fszxy7PAE9fa51fkQdKIRxWhAb6AZ3RTv3eaKRvaCw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Elko County School District board recognized student and staff achievements and heard presentations from student groups, including the district student board member and Elko High School's Hope Squad.

Student board member Echo Hoover was introduced by the board; Echo read a short biography and spoke briefly after the introduction. The meeting then honored winter-sports champions and runners-up from Wells High School, Carlin and Elko High School, and several other athletes received certificates.

District spelling-bee coordinator Candice Brown announced district champions for fifth through eighth grades and said winners will compete at state on March 29. Brown named Gavin Anderson (Grade 5, Flagview), Andrew Garcia (Grade 6, Flagview), Maximus Carrefield (Grade 7, Wells) and Arianna Anderson (Grade 8, Adobe) as grade-level champions; Brown said several students will advance to state and possibly nationals.

James Brawley, co-director of the district STEM Fair, introduced three grand-prize winners who will attend the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Columbus, Ohio, May 10–16. Avery Schulte presented a project on biodegradable algae-based plastics that varied carrageenan content to test strength and flexibility; she told the board her prototype smelled strongly but showed promise. Student Max Fraley demonstrated an experiment using milk proteins (casein) to make milk-derived plastics and discussed differences by milk fat content. Erica Lopez presented a small study comparing AI-detection tools and concluded the detectors she tested were inconsistent in flagging human vs AI-written text.

Kimberly Vargas, head advisor for Hope Squad at Elko High School, brought four Hope Squad members to the meeting to describe the peer-support program. The students shared short anonymized examples of outreach: a Hope Squad member said a direct message to a student led to ongoing weekly check-ins and better school engagement; another described handing out small paper \"stars\" with uplifting notes. Vargas explained the district's \"buoy\" referral process: staff and students can email a short note with the subject \"buoy\" to trigger an anonymous check-in by counselors or Hope Squad members; she said the program had generated about 22 referrals this year, including one teacher referral for a family member who received community resources.

The board also presented STARS employee recognitions for February to Jennifer Slusher (Northside Elementary registrar), Michelle Beasley (Spring Creek Elementary teacher) and Lindsey Lee; nominating letters highlighted customer service, leadership, and community engagement.

Board members applauded the students and staff for their presentations and wished STEM competitors luck at the international fair.","The board recognized winter-sports champions, spelling-bee top finishers, STEM fair grand-prize winners headed to the Intel ISEF and STARS employee recipients. Elko High School's Hope Squad presented its peer-support activities and referral process to the board.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6274965,"Human-resources update: district reports hiring progress, career fairs and recruitment initiatives",251,2577000,2828000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2777287-cb979db85b6a20ed5d54e5a599ad74f3&start=2577&end=2828","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2777287-cb979db85b6a20ed5d54e5a599ad74f3/thumbnail_2577000.jpg","/articles/6274965/Nevada/Human-resources-update-district-reports-hiring-progress-career-fairs-and-recruitment-initiatives","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6274965-aa642409e9336398ee68d3205a702544/orig.mp4?Expires=1771097043&Signature=NOW8KL~OOyR1TuB~KzHaaDiV5BZE4RLTzruIA6Ds85PcbyYBhWnIm~ND5m~yUZ3nTTWxl8tPERo81RWIIEImw934lMNqqpTRmr56xv54A8pB3HL4ZmtGRta-Ofg6nkyDEbVb6TswaK1nLxRJUwu5T1aLxDJx50JZQuDsXqt4eHBxQ1acVnC785SXmRkuFHao-FlaE2OlHOdGXw5lRmouc26-IVvXcAr7BfWVTkh29Dyf9ibhum4Uxb10CMlK-zOXKf5gEjekyl-Y2NfbgdaacofDwE9oT494XOxrlAw3nynML1zmXoPq0kyPS~aKa1vzym10YqjEmS-fdl8ds~cIew__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Elko County School District human-resources staff gave the board an update on hiring and recruitment initiatives, reporting steady progress but continuing certified vacancies across the district.

The presenter said the district had about 75 certified positions posted at the time of the report and completed 11 hires in the past week, not counting three special-education hires mentioned elsewhere. He noted the number of posted positions fluctuates daily and that staff had difficulty predicting exact counts.

District recruiters described several strategies to expand the candidate pool: a \"grow your own\" program that helps paraprofessionals and other local candidates earn degrees and certifications; attendance at regional career fairs (Idaho, Utah, South Dakota, Wyoming) funded through grants and federal funds; and targeted outreach to graduates at partner institutions including UNLV, Western Governors University and Great Basin College. The district highlighted a four-day workweek and a stated starting salary of $48,000 on recruitment materials as factors that attract applicants.

The presenter also discussed immigration-based hiring routes (J‑1 and H‑1B) and said Wendover historically has been the easiest location in the district to meet certain visa qualifications. He said district legal staff was reviewing options to expand H‑1B eligibility for special-education positions. The district is also participating in \"Patriots to Education,\" an effort to connect separating military personnel to school employment.

The update noted 21 student teachers placed in district schools this spring, an unusually high number, and said the transportation office and principals play an outsized role in retention and localized recruitment success. Staff said outreach banners, resume scanning, and emphasizing the district's four-day week improved recruitment at career fairs.

No board vote was required for the update; members thanked HR staff and asked follow-up questions about licensure and retention.","The district reported 75 certified positions posted, recent hires, an expanded 'grow your own' pipeline and targeted recruiting (including J-1/H‑1B, military outreach and career fairs) to address staffing shortages.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6274969,"Special services director reports Medicaid billing gains, higher regular diplomas and new paraprofessional training",470,3646000,4116000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2777287-cb979db85b6a20ed5d54e5a599ad74f3&start=3646&end=4116","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2777287-cb979db85b6a20ed5d54e5a599ad74f3/thumbnail_3646000.jpg","/articles/6274969/Nevada/Special-services-director-reports-Medicaid-billing-gains-higher-regular-diplomas-and-new-paraprofessional-training","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6274969-eab55b852bcc1e37e16cf8fe149a0a7f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771097043&Signature=DH8Pt678QL6aseMSeaAqPad8SdMrvcuRa5ZM64bNd0qNLdUVk6-usArsrvIe6a0zuTs-OYHrJVa8KPp6gCYv0cMeNt90LYZbd-VZy5~4WZNMaLIOOLvdWAqlfdw35k8B9V1FKc0w0OSevntiM47ucakzJtCbdz6S81kIwBc7ewP3Lxa2yZagkm6BNYjf0qtTWghySq68zzkfF8ae0b8ZLVcf9-Lc6oWlInlbABWAV07T-W~QugBRvHAA4PSajdwirbDM6Ab~oanqP5bAavep~yOCSdJGi4PmXXxA~JarTaUgx-A~AdD9C6xzpeArdBa62Ov0ktTW~daPoPgCUBvebw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Elko County School District Special Services Director Dr. Higbee told the board the district has delivered more than $700,000 in Medicaid-billable services this school year and is increasing collections by improving documentation and parent consent rates.

Dr. Higbee said speech therapy accounted for about $146,000 of the billed services, nursing about $18,000, occupational therapy $20,000 and physical therapy $16,000; he cautioned that those figures reflect recouped Medicaid billings rather than total program budgets. He said the district expects to be roughly 19% higher in Medicaid reimbursements year to date compared with the previous year and that an online consent option on student registration should reduce lost revenue caused when parents do not sign consent forms.

The director also reviewed special-education outcomes and supports. He said Elko High School will award an estimated 22 regular diplomas to students with individualized education programs in 2024–25 versus 19 the prior year, and noted adjusted diplomas are declining — a trend the district described as a positive shift toward more students earning standard diplomas. The district attributed improvements to case managers, classroom staff and greater use of data tools.

Dr. Higbee briefed the board on the district's use of Goalbook, a compliance and IEP-writing platform: 68 staff made 7,452 contacts in the system, with highest usage at Flagview. He said Goalbook helps generate data-driven present levels and progress monitoring for IEPs ahead of a compliance audit due in 2026–27.

On policy and practice, Dr. Higbee said the district revised its 504 procedure manual (last updated in 2010) and expects a new version this fall with clarified implementation steps. He described a \"train-the-trainer\" initiative and an onboarding program for paraprofessionals that will include a handbook, orientation, and self-paced Canvas courses to improve consistency and instructional support.

Dr. Higbee invited the board to the district's first special-education conference on April 26 at the convention center, which will include state and regional presenters and is free to district staff. He asked the board to encourage participation and support the professional development effort.

Board members asked about parental reluctance to sign Medicaid consents. Dr. Higbee said the reluctance appeared rooted in lack of knowledge; staff will emphasize that consent does not change a family's Medicaid coverage and does not affect service eligibility, and will follow up at IEP meetings and registration.","The district reported roughly $700,000 in reimbursable special-services deliveries and a year-over-year increase in regular diplomas for special-education students, while outlining steps to improve Medicaid consent rates, implement a paraprofessional onboarding program and host a special-education conference April 26.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6274971,"Board approves Elko County School District critical-need designation for special-education licenses",136,2424000,2560000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2777287-cb979db85b6a20ed5d54e5a599ad74f3&start=2424&end=2560","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2777287-cb979db85b6a20ed5d54e5a599ad74f3/thumbnail_2424000.jpg","/articles/6274971/Nevada/Board-approves-Elko-County-School-District-critical-need-designation-for-special-education-licenses","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6274971-1eda16465b65f83a5899afc5e2049bea/orig.mp4?Expires=1771097043&Signature=gEyH7kvpxMQ1UerpOgp5f7TB55~VLJwqKN9ZVSVDArab1dFf5-yyn307yU2WMLaj557mkzUNX5KCLCor4-VAtoYo2lhlmxic~30oOFDq4OuF0rVQT-H7-wYnuByxdUUJ25WCT4mRAAd2ADxxgiOedze2Pk~QnLv7YV5DC7p32JCj~9bdSlPPM~ErMQu0jVhQbQb69sfgmsJIVm-7enudzDVfMEMH55z48zGVIG7oOWDPkIDd~4S2as7XlKaf23tq3VUcRiy9cxg3Qa-LlzgyEtdji9C4jOfVy3oyJ~bjbcNrXxtylYwACQHWBWOe8e2P5B02u3M38uQu7GGSq2daDg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Elko County School District board on a voice vote approved a motion to designate special-education teacher licenses as a district critical need effective July 1, 2025.

District staff said the change aims to speed hiring for roughly 15 open special-education positions and that the designation must be approved by the state. Board members moved and seconded the motion and voted in favor; no roll-call tally was provided during the meeting.

Human-resources presenter Mr. Krinka told the board the district has offered or hired three licensed special-education teachers in the last two weeks but still counts about 15 vacancies among a roughly 60-person special-education workforce. \"This will be, I think, the third time that we'll designate special ed teachers... as critical needs,\" Krinka said, adding the designation would run for two years if the state approves it. He said the district expects the designation to make it easier to recruit and to receive state clearance for alternative certification routes.

Board members asked procedural questions about teacher certification pathways. Krinka said candidates can pursue alternative routes to certification, including the ARL and interim routes to certification (IRC), and that some hires begin work under provisional arrangements while they complete certification.

The motion passed after a brief exchange; the chair announced the motion carried by voice vote.

The board did not specify the exact state regulation or statute that governs the critical-need designation during the discussion. District staff said they will submit the designation to the state for approval and return with any follow-up as needed.","The Elko County School District board voted to re-designate special-education teacher licenses as a critical need, a move the district said will help recruit and retain staff for about 15 open positions beginning July 1, 2025.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: agenda, personnel designation, consent items and accounts payable approved

Students honored: STEM fair, spelling bee, sports champions, Hope Squad and STARS recognitions

Human-resources update: district reports hiring progress, career fairs and recruitment initiatives

Special services director reports Medicaid billing gains, higher regular diplomas and new paraprofessional training

Board approves Elko County School District critical-need designation for special-education licenses