Superintendent Ernst reports midyear progress on reading, attendance, safety and activities; board accepts update

The Washoe County School District Board accepted Superintendent Joe Ernst’s midyear update on Feb. 10, after a presentation that outlined progress on five evaluation targets including foundational reading, extracurricular expansion, physical safety, staffing and advanced coursework.

Ernst highlighted the district’s professional learning in the science of reading — "we have trained over a 160 additional teachers, and now we're close to a total of 600 of our educators," he said — and reported historic gains in student achievement where those practices were implemented. The superintendent said kindergarten chronic absenteeism is now "just under 11 percent," and that the district has expanded clubs and activities to about 400 this year compared with roughly 300 at the same time last year.

On safety, Ernst said the district saw declines in assaults and batteries and increased staff perceptions of safety, citing a 91% staff safety perception score on the climate survey. On staffing, vacancy rates have fallen to 3.42%, he said, and the district has worked to preserve cost‑of‑living adjustments for employees amid approximately $25 million in cuts over the past two years.

Ernst also announced a $1,300,000 donation from the Guillemot Foundation to establish a middle‑school drone program and described gains in dual enrollment and internship opportunities. Trustees asked how these initiatives could be sustained in the face of budget cuts; Ernst said the district had prioritized and protected programs that directly support students and that further details would continue to be monitored and reported.

Trustee Phoenix moved to accept the midyear targets update; Trustee Nicolette seconded and the motion passed unanimously.