Western Nevada College and Carson District outline Jumpstart program, fees and rising local costs

Lauren Stevens, director of academic advising and access at Western Nevada College, described three main dual-enrollment models the college offers to Carson students: Jumpstart (prescribed first-year courses toward a transferable associate degree), concurrent (high school teachers approved as affiliates teaching WNC content) and general dual-enrollment (students taking college courses taught by WNC faculty).

Stevens said Jumpstart students can pursue either a 60-credit pathway that begins in junior year or a shorter 30-credit pathway that begins in senior year. She explained that courses reserved for first-year Jumpstart cohorts are closed to other students, while second-year Jumpstart students join general-enrollment classes and are prioritized for registration.

WNC staff and district administrators explained the current fee structure and recent and planned increases. The Nevada System of Higher Education fee schedule means: - WNC-faculty-taught college classes: charged per credit (currently $85/credit; reduced per-credit rates may apply to students who qualify for free/reduced lunch), and - Affiliate (concurrent) courses taught by a qualified high school teacher: charged per course (currently $75/course; scheduled increases were noted: concurrent fees rising toward $100/course and per-credit fees toward $87.50 in upcoming years).

Trustees asked about textbook and material costs. The districtfoundation previously covered book costs (one year near $30,000), then shifted to a needs-based approach that reduced outlays to roughly $11,900 in one year and about $4,156 this year after WNC increased use of open educational resources. Stevens said WNC is working to reduce book costs through OER adoption.

District chief academic officer Tasha Fuson described Carsonspecific Jumpstart eligibility and local practices: students must be juniors or seniors on track to graduate, have completed Algebra II with a 75 or Algebra II honors with a 70, and maintain required ELA readiness (district-specific criteria are higher than the bare minimum WNC lists). Fuson noted the districtuses an "accepted practice" document to standardize local procedures for placement, attendance, grading, textbook support and transportation.

Funding was a central concern. The district reported that earlier ESSER and state grant funding offset Jumpstart costs in past years. For 2024-25 the district had covered some costs with ESSER in the first semester but learned in late March that ESSER funds cannot cover the second semester; the district will therefore need to budget to cover that semester. Projected costs shown to trustees included an estimate of about $337,695 for FY 2025-26 if enrollment grows by roughly 30 additional full-time Jumpstart students (the district earlier allowed expanded cohorts but announced it will cap intake to control costs at around 30 students per incoming class).

Trustees also raised common transfer questions: WNC and WNC executive director JW Lazari explained that courses use NSHE common course numbering and that an AA from a Nevada community college typically transfers to state universities. Transfer problems most often result from students changing degree pathways, taking certification-specific courses (for example, automotive courses that do not map to a 4-year major) or accumulating electives that do not apply to a later chosen major.

Other operational notes: - Financial aid: most federal/state financial aid and prepaid tuition plans apply after high school graduation; fee waivers exist in limited cases but FAFSA and Nevada Promise generally require graduation before disbursement. - Enrollment management: Jumpstart second-year students are prioritized for classes; juniors in prescribed cohorts have reserved seats in designated sections. - Participation: the district had about 77 full-time Jumpstart students in the cited year; the projected enrollment increase to FY 2025-26 was driven by students who started in earlier years under an expanded academy model.

District and WNC staff recommended continued partnership and agreed to provide trustees additional detail about funding options; trustees asked the administration to return with clearer scenarios showing possible budget impacts and potential grant or foundation supports.

Ending: Trustees expressed general support for the programbut asked administrators to model sustainability options and to return with paperwork clarifying where costs live in the 2025-26 tentative and final district budgets.