Board approves boundary changes tied to new E. Otis Vaughn Middle School, adopting ZAC options 4a and H2

The Washoe County School District board of trustees voted unanimously on April 22 to adopt zoning advisory committee (ZAC) recommendations—options 4a and H2—to redraw attendance boundaries ahead of the opening of the new E. Otis Vaughn Middle School for the 2026–27 school year.

The approved changes affect a series of feeder patterns across eastern and southern Reno and include updates to elementary-to-middle-school feeders and high-school assignments for neighborhoods near Smithridge, Huffaker, Dodson and Donner Springs. Board President Smith moved the motion, Trustee Hull seconded it, and the motion passed 7-0.

ZAC chair Tyler Rogers summarized community outreach and the committee’s deliberations: ZAC held several public meetings in affected neighborhoods, took bus tours to observe existing routes and transportation impacts, met with principals and PTAs, and invited departments (athletics, transportation, area superintendents) to explain program and eligibility implications. "Two of our meetings were in the community, both at Vaughn and at Pine," Rogers said, noting the group’s effort to listen to families about travel times, community ties and program access.

The board’s approval keeps several high-school feeder patterns intact while shifting elementary boundaries and middle-school assignments in places where the new Vaughn campus will change capacity and feeder balance. Trustees said they had weighed community stability, historical ties and transportation impacts — including concerns about long bus rides that some speakers described as potentially excessive for younger students.

H2: Huffaker split at Windy Hill Trustees also considered multiple draft options for the Huffaker Elementary area. Following public comment and additional alternatives provided after the ZAC meeting, the board approved H2 — a geographic split at Windy Hill — to keep the community aligned with historic feeder relationships to Swope and Reno High while maintaining clarity and a natural boundary line, board members said.

Public feedback and next steps Dozens of residents, PTA leaders and student leaders spoke during the ZAC and board hearings. Speakers from Smithridge and Huffaker communities emphasized neighborhood continuity, program access and shorter travel links to established high-school pathways. ZAC and district staff quantified enrollment projections and offered maps and alternate splits (including an option at McCarran) for trustees to consider.

District staff said the changes will take effect for the 2026–27 school year and that transportation plans, walk-zone exceptions and school-of-choice processes will be finalized in the months ahead. Facilities and transportation teams will return to the board with implementation details and bus-route designs.

The full list of schools referenced in the board action includes Smithridge, Huffaker, Edwin Dodson, Donner Springs, Hidden Valley, E. Otis Vaughn Middle School, Daryl C. Swope Middle School, Edward L. Pine Middle School, Marcy Herz Middle School, Kendall Depoli Middle School, Galena High School, Reno High School, Earl Wooster High School, and Damonte Ranch High School.

Trustees and staff praised the ZAC volunteer effort. "The role of ZAC sits between the district and the community, and a fundamental aspect of that is listening," Rogers said. "Every community got something from this process, but no one got everything."