Washoe school leaders outline $6.5M shortfall, propose staff, utilities and travel cuts; police reductions paused

The Washoe County School District laid out options Tuesday for closing a tentative $6.5 million budget gap for fiscal year 2025–26, recommending a mix of organizational changes, program shifts and one‑time and ongoing reductions — while trustees paused a proposal to eliminate four vacant school police positions after community concern.

District Chief Financial Officer Mark Mathers told the board that the district filed a tentative budget in April that showed a $6.5 million deficit and that state revenue forecasts have produced additional uncertainty in recent weeks. "We filed that with the state…statutorily, we have to file a tentative budget that showed a 6,500,000 deficit," Mathers said during the presentation.

The board heard detailed staff recommendations designed to lower that gap without immediately cutting classroom positions. Budget director Jeff Bozzo proposed moving 2.5 Education Alliance positions from the general fund to the Education Alliance fund (saving $353,000 ongoing), trimming central office travel and training budgets by about 50% (estimated savings $329,000), reducing electric and gas budgets by $2 million, and funding two groundskeeper positions so the district can take over field maintenance the City of Sparks previously provided (roughly $124,000 annually plus a $200,000 one‑time equipment purchase). Bozzo said the combination of the recommended changes would reduce the district’s deficit from $6.5 million to about $3.7 million if approved.

Administrators also outlined longer‑range fiscal risks tied to the state and federal outlook. Mathers summarized recent action by Nevada’s Economic Forum and legislative committees, noting that revenue projections shifted in early May and that the state’s joint finance committees recommended offsetting some of the reductions in the state education fund — a move that, if finalized and signed, would leave the district at the $9.7 million baseline deficit previously discussed rather than a much larger shortfall. "We do not control our own destiny in terms of what revenue we receive in any year," Mathers told the board, adding the district would continue to monitor developments and return with further options.

Human Resources Chief Doug Owen presented organizational assessment changes in business and finance, information technology and communications designed to consolidate functions, reclassify some positions under FLSA rules and, in a few cases, create new roles to support emerging needs such as IT security and ERP implementation. Owen said several moves were net‑neutral on headcount but intended to reduce duplication and improve service delivery.

Tracy Moore, the district’s chief of police, described a plan to delete four vacant sworn school police positions — including one motor officer, two middle‑school beats and one canine handler position — as part of broader reallocations across patrol beats and campus supervisors. Moore said the plan was driven by data on call volumes and geographic response times and that the department would preserve coverage by shifting patrol beats to areas with higher need. He said the department is trying to balance safety and fiscal responsibility and noted limitations in after‑hours coverage and the cost of canine operations.

The police staffing proposal drew sharp public comment and questions from trustees about response times, coverage for middle schools and the role of campus supervisors. Trustee Killeen Westlake moved to approve the staff recommendations but explicitly omit the school police staffing reductions, asking the board to "pause" that specific item so it could be considered in the context of broader organizational changes. That motion passed 5–2. President Beth Smith said trustees could revisit school police staffing after further analysis and public input.

Trustees and staff repeatedly emphasized the district’s desire to protect student‑facing services where possible. The board also approved other items presented in the meeting, including the consent agenda and a $25,000 donation from the NV Energy Foundation for middle‑school engagement programs.

What’s next: staff will return May 27 with additional recommendations and updated projections and again in June as the Legislature and governor finalize the state budget. Mathers told trustees the district may need to make further decisions depending on final state allocations but said administrators would continue to try to minimize direct impacts to classrooms.

Clarifying details from the presentation included projected savings by recommendation (Ed Alliance shift: $353,000; travel/training reduction: $329,000; utilities: $2,000,000; two groundskeepers: $124,000 annually plus $200,000 one‑time equipment), and staff estimates that the full package would lower the tentative $6.5 million shortfall to roughly $3.7 million. A separate scenario presented earlier in the meeting showed an alternative risk pathway in which weakened state revenue forecasts could have produced a much larger cumulative impact (district staff described a scenario that could have doubled the deficit toward $19.3 million if state education fund reductions were not offset).

Trustees will consider the package of organizational changes and budget recommendations at upcoming meetings and directed staff to return with additional detail, while the specific school police deletion plan was removed from immediate action pending further review and engagement.