Carson City trustees accept clean FY2024 audit, discuss outsourcing substitute staffing and approve 2025–26 calendar

The Carson City School District Board of Trustees on Tuesday accepted the district’s FY2024 financial report and audit, discussed a proposed partnership with EDUStaff to manage substitute staffing, approved the district’s 2025–26 academic calendar and directed staff to explore converting the annual employee-recognition board meeting into a standalone reception-style ceremony.

The audit acceptance, made by motion and unanimous vote, came after auditors told trustees the district received a “clean opinion” on its financial statements and showed a healthy general fund balance as of June 30, 2024. The board spent much of the meeting on a presentation and questions about EDUStaff’s substitute staffing model, including recruitment, training, benefits and the fiscal trade-offs. Trustees then approved the draft calendar for the 2025–26 school year, which will be submitted to the Nevada Department of Education for final approval. Trustees also voted to direct staff to research venues and logistics to turn employee recognition into a reception rather than a standard board meeting.

The audit Dava Silva, the lead auditor who presented the FY2024 independent audit, told the board the district received an unqualified—“clean”—opinion and that the audit found no statutory violations to report under NRS 354.624. Silva said the firm performed roughly 250 hours of audit work, recorded three to four audit adjusting entries that have been posted to the district’s records, and identified the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) actuarial liabilities and the district’s OPEB figures as the most significant accounting estimates in the financial statements. He also said no audit recommendations rose to the level of requiring inclusion in the audit report.

Why it matters: a clean audit and a healthy general fund are signals banks, grantors and state officials use to evaluate fiscal stewardship. The auditors’ report was received and the board voted to instruct the Chief Financial and Operations Officer to file the report as a public record as required by state law.

EDUStaff substitute staffing discussion Superintendent Andrew Filling introduced Mark Dynes, EDUStaff partnership consultant, who described EDUStaff’s full-service model: local district managers for on-the-ground recruiting and outreach, corporate marketing and an HR and payroll back office to process applicants and pay substitutes as EDUStaff employees. Dynes said the company offers in-person classroom management training, on-demand micro-trainings for retention, referral bonuses and optional basic medical benefits for substitutes.

District staff framed the discussion around three operational goals: increase substitute fill rates, grow and retain a qualified substitute pool, and reduce “mispreps” (when certified teachers must cover additional classes and lose their preparation time). The district reported substitute fill rates of roughly 84% in FY2023, 78% in FY2024 and about 76% year-to-date this school year. EDUStaff representatives cited partner districts that moved from rates in the high-70s to the low-90s after multi-year engagement.

Trustees and staff exchanged detailed questions about compliance, hiring and cost. Key points raised or confirmed during the discussion: - EDUStaff would employ substitutes directly; substitutes would still need the state substitute license and the district would continue to require and process any background checks per district policy. - The district retains control over substitute pay rates; EDUStaff’s fee is percentage-based on substitute pay and covers employer-side benefits such as payroll taxes and workers’ compensation. - EDUStaff’s model is percentage-based (examples given during the presentation used a roughly mid-20% fee on top of substitute gross pay), which the district said would likely make the arrangement cost-neutral or modestly higher compared to current benefit costs this fiscal year. The district budgeted approximately $275,000 for substitute benefits this year; staff estimated EDUStaff’s fee applied to the year’s substitute activity would have yielded a cost of roughly $282,000 under the current pattern of use. - District staff noted an approximate $150 cost difference per day when a certified teacher covers (a misprep) compared with using a paid substitute; increasing fill rates could therefore produce savings over time.

Dynes said EDUStaff’s contract includes a 60-day termination-for-convenience clause and that there is no fee if the district hires a substitute from EDUStaff’s pool into a district teaching position.

How the board treated it: the EDUStaff presentation and Q&A were listed as a discussion item. Trustees expressed interest and caution; no procurement decision or contract was made at the meeting.

Academic calendar Tasha Fusen, who presented the proposed 2025–26 academic calendar, said the district follows a multistage internal review (principals, parent advisory groups and employee associations) before forwarding a draft to the board. The board approved the calendar as presented. Fusen noted the calendar is subject to final approval by the Nevada Department of Education and explained that, because of instructional-minute requirements for awarding credit at the secondary level (Carnegie-unit rules), the draft requires secondary schools to complete first-semester seat time after winter break rather than entirely before it.

Other calendar highlights included the district’s practice of scheduling fall break during Thanksgiving week (based on historical attendance data) and keeping a consistent pattern of minimum days (professional learning) mostly on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, with one exception in November to account for Veterans Day. Fusen said the district’s instructional minutes currently exceed state minimums—her presentation noted elementary minutes equate to the equivalent of roughly 38 additional days compared with the state baseline when minutes are converted into equivalent days.

Recognition event and consent items Trustees voted to direct staff to explore converting the annual Employee of the Year and other staff recognitions from an item on a regular board meeting into a reception-style recognition ceremony, with staff to investigate venues, dates and logistics (the motion included direction to explore options rather than commit to a specific venue or date). The board also approved the consent agenda and closed routine business.

Votes at a glance - Adopt agenda as amended (agenda item 1, moved item 7): motion by Trustee Peterson, second by Trustee Walker; outcome: approved (voice vote; no recorded roll call provided in transcript). - Accept FY2024 annual financial report and audit: motion by Trustee Bartner, second by Trustee Clapham; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Approve 2025–26 academic calendar: motion by Trustee Clapham, second by Trustee Walker; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Direct staff to explore converting employee recognition meeting into a reception (process and venue exploration): motion by Trustee Walt, second by Trustee Varner; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Approve consent agenda: motion by Trustee Roberts, second by Trustee Walt; outcome: approved (voice vote).

Ending Trustees closed the meeting after routine informational items and a request-for-future-agenda discussion that included recognizing student athletes who sign to play at college and continuing planning for property next to the high school. No contract with EDUStaff was authorized at the meeting; staff will return with formal recommendations and any required fiscal details if they pursue procurement.