Washoe County School Board approves three‑year contract for incoming superintendent Tiffany McMaster

The Washoe County School District Board of Trustees approved an employment agreement with incoming superintendent Tiffany McMaster on June 9, voting 5–2 to enter a multi‑year written contract that the board and counsel described as fiscally conservative compared with recent local and national comparables.

The contract sets a $287,500 annual base salary and ties any automatic cost‑of‑living adjustment to the formula used for licensed administrators and central office professional staff. In addition to a longevity incentive, the agreement includes a performance step: a 5% base increase available only if the board rates McMaster “effective” or “highly effective” in annual reviews.

Why it matters: The package balances efforts to retain a new superintendent with the board’s stated responsibility for fiscal stewardship. Several trustees supported the retention incentives while also pressing staff to make evaluation criteria, timing and governance relationships explicit so that board oversight remains clear.

Independent board counsel Anthony Hall outlined the contract’s major elements to trustees before the vote, paying particular attention to governance language, performance steps, and termination‑for‑cause provisions. “We have a contract that I think is significantly a move forward,” Hall said, noting the agreement tightens termination language and adds a new section aligning board governance with policy 9088.

Trustees asked for specifics about the timing and inputs for the annual evaluation that triggers the performance step. Trustee Beth Smith queried the June 30 evaluation date and its implications: “So we would do her annual review before the school year was even done,” she said, asking how later‑arriving academic data such as graduation rates and state assessment results would be used. Counsel and staff said the date aligns the superintendent’s review with other district personnel evaluations and that trustees can use the best available data, including looking back at the prior year’s results where needed.

Several trustees raised concern about linking the superintendent’s automatic COLA to bargaining units’ negotiated increases, given the superintendent’s role in bargaining oversight. “Her direct reports would be ultimately negotiating for something that would directly benefit their boss,” Trustee Smith said. Staff replied that the COLA formula is a negotiated, formulaic mechanism tied to total general fund revenue growth and that the board retains final approval authority.

Public comment reflected a mix of support for the hire and concern about optics: one speaker urged the board to avoid giving big executive raises while frontline staff receive little or no COLA.

What happens next: The board authorized the agreement under Nevada Revised Statute 391.110. Trustees said they expected a clear evaluation process tied to the contract’s performance measures and said staff would return with any clarifying policy language if needed.

Actions: The motion to approve the employment agreement passed 5–2; the contract will take effect under terms outlined by district counsel. The board also recorded details of COLA mechanics, evaluation timing and termination‑for‑cause language in the public meeting record.

Sources: Board meeting discussion and direct remarks by independent board counsel Anthony Hall and district staff, June 9, 2026.