Washoe County School District board approves 2‑year police officers agreement with retroactive pay increase

The Washoe County School District Board of Trustees approved a two‑year negotiated agreement on Sept. 23 with the Washoe County School Police Officers Association, awarding a retroactive cost‑of‑living increase and approving contract language updates.

The board voted 6–0 to approve the tentative agreement. Trustee J.J. Phoenix made the motion and Trustee Diane Nicolette seconded it.

The agreement covers fiscal year 2026 and 2027. For FY2026 the collective bargaining agreement provides a 9.75% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA), retroactive to July 1, 2025; officials said 7.75 percentage points of that amount were funded by reallocating savings from four frozen positions. For FY2027 the contract includes a contingent COLA formula: the union would receive half of any general‑fund revenue growth up to a 2% COLA (for example, a 4% general‑fund revenue increase would produce a 2% COLA). If general‑fund revenues increase less than the trigger amount, the FY2027 COLA would scale down proportionally; a floor of 0% applies if revenues do not rise. The agreement also includes an automatic reopener for compensation should revenues increase above 5%.

District negotiators and union representatives described the talks as collaborative. Kevin Pick, the district’s general counsel for labor and employment, and Chief of School Police Shawna Baker presented the agreement details to the board; Sergeant Megan Lytle, president of the union bargaining team, also addressed trustees and union members in the audience.

Pick said the package includes a number of language clarifications and non‑salary changes: updates to preplanned sick leave policies, supplemental benefits for workplace injuries, revised safety equipment language, modifications to court‑appearance leave, revised shift‑bidding processes and seniority rules, clarified mileage allowances, and changes to how sick‑leave verification is tracked (shifting from a rolling 12‑month calendar to a year‑to‑year accounting period).

Trustees and staff described the negotiations as professional and collaborative. The board congratulated the union and district negotiating teams and paused afterward for a group photo.

What the board approved

- FY2026: 9.75% COLA, retroactive to July 1, 2025 (district reported 7.75% of that funded by four frozen positions). - FY2027: contingent COLA up to 2% tied to growth in general‑fund revenues (district receives half of any qualifying revenue increase); automatic reopener if revenues grow above 5%. - Non‑financial changes: multiple contract language clarifications on leave, injury benefits, safety equipment, assignments and shift bidding, and sick‑leave verification method.

Trustees approved the agreement without further amendments and with no recorded opposing votes.

Why it matters

The agreement commits district general‑fund resources to police compensation for two budget years and establishes a revenue‑linked contingency for FY2027. Trustees said they favored resolving bargaining with a collaborative process; budget staff must reflect the agreement’s costs in the FY2026–27 budget planning.

Speakers quoted

"We had an enormously positive and collaborative negotiation," Kevin Pick, district general counsel for labor and employment, said. "The WCSPOA team was very professional, very receptive, and both sides were committed to listening and understanding each other's positions." "We represented ourselves and it was difficult in that sense and required a lot of work," Sergeant Megan Lytle, president of the union negotiating team, said. "In the end, we are incredibly thankful for the efforts that we put forth in our meetings."