Washoe trustees approve reclassification moving some district office jobs out of administrative-licensed roles

The Washoe County School District board of trustees voted 7-0 on April 22 to approve a community-of-interest finding and a memorandum of understanding that will reclassify a set of professional district office positions and include them in the Washoe Professional Technical Association bargaining unit.

The action removes the administrator endorsement requirement from the listed job descriptions but keeps other experience and licensure requirements for many roles, according to district HR staff. "This just removes the administrator endorsement on their license from the requirements of the job. But we would still require the experience and qualifications," HR chief Doug Owen said during the board discussion.

Trustees said the change followed two weeks of extra review, public comment and staff conversations. Trustee Hall, who had pulled the item for discussion, said she initially opposed the move because she worried it was rushed and because some job descriptions still read as administrative. "Some of them are giant job descriptions too. And it's not humanly possible to do everything," she said, urging a careful process to update descriptions and to maintain educator-focused requirements where appropriate.

District employment counsel said the decision pivots on a "community of interest" determination: whether the affected positions are more similar to WIPDA or to the administrative association WISPA. Counsel also cited Nevada administrative code NAC 391.160 when explaining why some director-level posts still require an administrative endorsement.

Board members and staff told the public that employees affected by the change would remain under their current contracts through June 30 and that Human Resources would work with them on transitions. "We will work supportively with them," Owen said. "They're still under their existing contract until June 30, of course. So nothing would change there until after July 1."

The motion, made by Trustee Hull and seconded by Clerk Woodley, carried unanimously.

What the board approved - A finding of community of interest as described in the staff report, related to Nevada statutes cited in the agenda materials. - Reclassification of the listed district office positions to the Washoe Professional Technical Association bargaining unit. - Approval of the memorandum of understanding with the Washoe Professional Technical Association for inclusion of those positions.

Next steps District staff said they will update job descriptions using a new template and a two- to three-year review cycle, and that affected employees will be offered meetings with HR to refine duties and confirm required qualifications.

The board’s action does not itself change individual contracts or immediately eliminate educator qualifications for roles that the district says still require teaching licensure or specific years of experience.