Washoe County School District 425 E Ninth Street Traci Davis, Superintendent Reno, NV 89520 Ph: 775-348-0200, Fax: 775-348-0397 Website: www.washoeschools.net/washoeschools Board Members Katy Simon Holland, President Malena Raymond, Vice President Scott Kelley, Trustee District A Ellen Minetto, Trustee District B Andrew Caudill, Trustee District C Angela Taylor, Trustee District E Jacqueline Calvert, Trustee District F 2018-2019 District Accountability Report For more information visit www.nevadareportcard.nv.gov Mission Statement The Washoe County School District sets out to create an education system where all students achieve academic success, develop personal and civic responsibility, and achieve career and college readiness for the 21st century. Superintendent's Highlights Washoe County School District (WCSD) Graduation Rate The District again had the strongest performance ever on the graduation rate. The WCSD has eclipsed the 85% graduation rate marks. This includes a significant narrowing of the achievement gap among all student populations. WCSD Eliminates its General Fund Budget Deficit and Passes a Balanced Budget The board adopted a goal to eliminate the District’s structural deficit within three years. In June, the board accomplished this one full year early when it passed a balanced budget for the General Fund for Fiscal Year 2019-20. This was the district's first balanced budget in 16 years and reflects WCSD's efforts to reduce General Fund costs by over $60 million over the last three years. WCSD is the first school district in the United States to implement priority based budgeting, a national best practice for government budgeting. WCSD Earns National Recognition for Financial Excellence For the 18th consecutive year, the WCSD has been recognized for responsible fiscal practices by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). The group awarded its Certification of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to the WCSD Office of Business & Financial Services in recognition of its award-winning Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2018. WCSD Applauded for Fiscal Responsibility: Annual Independent Audit Shows Excellent Outcomes WCSD's external auditors, Eide Bailly LLC, praised the District for achieving the highest level of assurance during its annual audit for the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2018. In issuing its opinion, Eide Bailly LLC identified no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies or findings. WCSD wins Award of Excellence from ReEnergize Reno The WCSD won an award of excellence from the ReEnergize Reno project for its energy and water retrofit projects. The District has committed to retrofit all schools in the district with LED lighting, heating ventilation and air conditioning controls in the mobile units, and interior/exterior water conservation efforts. The District completed the first third of the schools and is currently working on the second third. Upon completion of all facilities, the District will have reduced energy use by 14%, water use by 20%, and utility costs by 27%. WCSD New School Construction Projects WCSD Capital Projects is finalizing the construction of three new schools. Desert Skies Middle School, Sky Ranch Middle School, and Nick Poulakidas Elementary School will open for students on August 12, 2019. Construction has also started at Marce Herz Middle School and John Bohach Elementary School that were bid in early 2019 and are anticipated to be opened for school in August 2020. Nevada Shows Solid Growth In Year-Over-Year Smarter Balanced Math Assessment Results All Nevada third through eighth grades improved their Smarter Balanced math assessment results from last year. Carson, Churchill, Clark, Elko, and Washoe County School Districts demonstrated the most growth in math. The increase in eighth grade math performance is partly attributed to the change in status of the End of Course exams that were taken by many middle schoolers. All grade levels except seventh grade showed an increase in performance on ELA results. Most districts saw improvement in their ELA scores as well with Churchill and Elko showing significant increases in performance over last year. Final complete Smarter Balanced data is available at NevadaReportCard.com. Middle School Science Performance Improves By 5.4 Percentage Points Website:www.nevadareportcard.nv.gov Page 1 of 76 2018-2019 District Accountability Report Nevada eighth grade students showed a 5.4 percentage point improvement on the 2017-18 science assessment over last year. All Nevada students in grades 5, 8, and 10 must participate in the science assessments and results is included in the Nevada School Performance Framework (NSPF) Washoe County middle schools lead the state in 2017-18 science performance at 47.6 percent proficiency. This rate represents a 5 percentage point increase over the prior year. Roy Gomm Elementary School and Mt. Rose K-8 School of Languages Named National Blue Ribbon Schools The U.S. Department of Education has designated Roy Gomm Elementary School and Mt. Rose K-8 School of Languages as National Blue Ribbon Schools, based upon their students’ overall academic performance. This national honor recognizes public and private elementary, middle, and high schools whose students perform at very high levels or where significant improvements are being made in students’ level of achievement. The National Blue Ribbon Schools award program honored Roy Gomm Elementary School and Mt. Rose K-8 School of Languages in the “Exemplary School Performance Category.” One other school in Nevada—John & Judy Goolsby Elementary School in Clark County—was similarly recognized. All three schools were nominated by the Nevada Department of Education. In its 36-year history, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed this award on more than 8,800 schools. On November 7 and 8, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education celebrated with all honorees at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. Dolan Auto Group to Presented $10,000 to Class Project Winner For this year’s $60,000 Dolan Class Project, 10 classrooms received $5,000 each based on votes from teachers who submitted a classroom project. One classroom, the third-grade class at Sarah Winnemucca Elementary School, received $10,000 as the top vote-getter in the community-wide online voting.Ryan Dolan, Dolan Auto Group CEO, formed the Dolan Class Project back in 2011. This simple project transformed into a huge community partnership which strives to support schools and local organizations. This year, all students, teachers or administrators needed to do was submit a short video explaining how they would use the funds to improve their classroom or school. WCSD Superintendent Traci Davis Receives “Courageous Leadership Award” from Big Picture Learning WCSD Superintendent Traci Davis was awarded the annual Courageous Leadership Award from Big Picture Learning. The award recognizes educators who exemplify “the fighting spirit necessary to bring about a re-imagined system of education.”Superintendent Davis received the award during Big Picture’s annual Leadership Conference in Reno, which has drawn more than 200 progressive school leaders from across the country and around the world. The conference brings together school and district leaders of its national network to share best practices in meeting the needs of students. Innovations High School in Reno is the only Big Picture Learning school in Nevada. For almost 25 years, Big Picture Learning has worked to put scholars at the center of their own learning, encouraging them to identify their interests and personalize their learning experiences. Each scholar is part of a small learning community of 15 scholars called an advisory, led by an adviser—a teacher who works closely with the group to form personalized relationships with each scholar.In the past five years, Innovations High School’s graduation rate has risen from the low teens to 70 percent in 2018.Hundreds of Big Picture network schools in the United States and around the world work together and in their communities to reimagine and reshape education. WCSD Superintendent Traci Davis Receives Prestigious National Award for Excellence Superintendents Association (AASA) awarded WCSD Superintendent Traci Davis the Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award for 2019. This prestigious honor is given to national leaders who champion equity and excellence in education. Nominees for the Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award must demonstrate courageous leadership in addressing social justice issues among children and adults, share generously of their own knowledge, skills, and resources to promote women and minorities in education, and address equity issues among children. Superintendent Davis has worked throughout her career in Nevada to encourage and empower aspiring leaders in the field of education, and many have achieved their leadership goals. Education Alliance Awards 2019 Partner in Education PiE Champions The Education Alliance of Washoe honored three organizations for their support and expertise as Partners in Education (PiE). Nominations for the PiE Champion Award were submitted by WCSD educators and community members to recognize outstanding Partners in Education. Following an extensive review, a panel selected recipients based on the years of educational partnership, number of schools supported, level of engagement with students within the school district, and the dollar and in-kind value