We Deserve a Better Board
Agenda Review and Highlights for DCSD School Board Meeting
Thursday, February 27, 2025, 4 p.m. at the Airport Training Center (Airport Road)
The next school board meeting is coming up on Thursday, and it is a lengthy agenda. We encourage you to review the agenda and supporting documents at https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/1502?meeting=671863
and the overview below. If you find one or more items you wish to comment on, you can email the school board trustees and/or Superintendent Alvarado. If you would like your comments to be included as part of the record for the meeting, you can send them to suptoffice@dcsd.k12.nv.us by 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.
If you plan to attend the meeting in person, we encourage you to wear red.
You can also join the meeting through the webinar at https://dcsd-k12.zoom.us/j/84879467490 Passcode: FEB2025 Telephone: +1 669 900 6833 US Webinar ID: 848 7946 7490 Passcode: 8172899
We hope that you will participate in order the let the trustees know that we are paying attention and are engaged.
How can you get involved?
Review the agenda and notes below.
Email all trustees and Mr. Alvarado with questions, concerns, and areas you support. Here are the email addresses:
Frankie Alvarado: falvarado@dcsd.k12.nv.us
David Burns: dburns@dcsd.k12.nv.us
Katherine Dickerson: kdickerson@dcsd.k12.nv.us
Melinda Gneiting: mgneitin@dcsd.k12.nv.us (the last “g” in Melinda’s name is left out of the address)
Susan Jansen: sjansen@dcsd.k12.nv.us
Erinn Miller: emiller@dcsd.k12.nv.us
Yvonne Wagstaff: ywagstaff@dcsd.k12.nv.us
Markus Zinke: mzinke@dcsd.k12.nv.us
Either in-person or online, make public comment on any agenda items you want to give input on or ask questions about. You can also make general public comment near the end of the meeting.
Write a letter to the editor highlighting any concerns or positive areas you find about this meeting.
Share this information and our website, wedeserveabetterboard.com, with friends and family who may not be members of our group.
Agenda Item 2, Public Comment
This item reflects the changes approved and directed by the Trustees at the January 14, 2025, meeting. First, you can provide public comment electronically by emailing your comments to suptoffice@dcsd.k12.nv.us (we suggest that you also send your comments to all trustees as well). The public has the opportunity at the opening of the meeting to make public comment on “any matter within the authority of this Board.” Each speaker will have up to three minutes for public comment. Additionally, the President of the board will take public comment on “ items marked ‘for possible action’ before action is taken on such items, and members of the public are encouraged to comment on such items at the time they are being considered.” Commenters will have up to three minutes to make comments about specific agenda items listed for possible action. There is no public comment on the agenda for the end of the meeting. So, if you have comments you want to make about topics or items not “for possible action,” emailing these or making these at the beginning of the meeting is appropriate. You may want to wait to make a comment on possible action items when the board discusses and considers them, although you are not restricted from talking about them during the opening public comment.
Consent Agenda Item 4 B., Accounts Payable Regular and Special Voucher Run (January 2025)
With the January hiring of the Allison Mackenzie Law Firm, its billing for January 15-31, 2025, was $4,130.00. There appear to be no other legal expenses for the month of January. This is a positive indicator.
Consent Agenda Item 4 C., Personnel Report
Within this report, a total of one classified employee and 22 certified staff (teachers and counselors) will resign or retire at the end of the school year. These apply in the following areas:
Elementary: 7
Middle School: 2
High School: 9
Professional Development: 2
Critical Shortage: 2
It is important to note that these positions may not be rehired and could provide significant cost savings for the school district in 2025-2026.
Agenda Item 6, Approval of Contract for Board Training on Governance (For Discussion and for Possible Action)
This is part of an ongoing effort to provide training for all board trustees in their essential functions. This proposal by Phil Gore Associates, which appears to cost $6,000, will cover “Working Together for Student Success,” “Goal Setting with Progress Measures,” and “Adopting a Superintendent Evaluation Process.” The consulting also includes coaching and follow-up with Trustees and the superintendent.
Agenda Item 7, Approval of Contract for Board Training on Balanced Governance (For Discussion and for Possible Action)
You will want to read this proposal made by Thomas L. Alsbury, as it is detailed and proposes training for board members for the remainder of the 2024-2025 school year and for the 2025-2026 school year. The total cost for all of the services is $37,500. This seems to be an expensive proposal, but it also provides more training and direction for a board with a history of dysfunction. Focusing on making good decisions and avoiding mistakes could make this training well worth the money.
Agenda Item 8, Leadership Presentation–Jacks Valley Elementary
Principal Pam Hill-Gilmartin and Vice Principal Veronica Griffith will present on positive programs and activities for students and families at Jacks Valley Elementary as well as areas of focus and goals.
Agenda Item 9, Student Representative Report
We have a new student from Whittell High School beginning as the student representative for the second semester. You may want to provide a comment of welcome for our new Student Representative.
Agenda Item 12, Annual Calendar Approval (Possible Action)
Mr. Alvarado conducted surveys with parents and staff to see if holding the district’s learning forum during the first or second week of the start of the second semester was preferred. The results of both surveys suggest the first week is preferred. The board will consider this input and will approve calendars for the 2025-2026 school year. The proposed calendars are attached to this meeting’s agenda.
Agenda Item 14, Administrative Regulation No. 213(a) and (b) "Credit by Exam and Mastery Exam" (First Reading) (Discussion and for Possible Action)
This policy, in alignment with the Nevada Revised Statute, intends to allow students who fail a course, after receiving remediation, to take a test to demonstrate proficiency (at least 70%) in order to earn credit. It is not clear which courses this can apply to–all courses? It also implies that “Credit by Exam” could be attempted in place of a course with approval. The other question we have is who will be responsible for administering and grading the tests?
Agenda Item 16, Homework Policy, Formerly Board Policy 214 (Possible Action)
This item is unclear. The policy attached is from the 1980’s and has not been updated apparently, but the agenda item notes it was “revoked.” In the past, the school district had a policy with a minimum number of minutes per week that each grade level should assign homework.
Parents may want to give input to the trustees and Mr. Alvarado about their opinions of and impressions about homework.
Agenda Item 17, Board Policy 437 - Political Activities (1st Reading) - SG-G - (For Discussion and for Possible Action)
Current board policy prohibits school staff during school hours and on school property from displaying or sharing their political views with students. This does not limit discussion about political perspectives, but it insists staff not share their personal political views (see current BP 437). Because no draft of changes to this policy has been posted as of Sunday, 2/23, we are unclear what changes are proposed.
This is an item that both parents and school staff will want to watch for.
Agenda Item 18, Board Policy 518 - Graduation Requirements (1st Reading) SG-G (For Discussion and for Possible Action)
This appears to be an update to align changes in the district’s and state’s graduation requirements with existing policy. The one change is to allow students to take either World History or Geography to meet the graduation requirement. Previously, Douglas County only offered World History, but NRS allows for either course.
Agenda Item 19, Board Policy 815 - Public Records Request (1st Reading) - SG-G (For Discussion and for Possible Action)
The changes in the current policy identify site principals for their schools and the superintendent for the district to respond to and fulfill public record requests. The timeline for responding is five days with a requirement to provide a date to fulfill the request. The district will charge five cents per copy. These seem to be the key points and changes and it removes legal counsel from doing these tasks.
Agenda Item 20, Board Policy 904 - Complaint Policy (1st Reading) SG-G (For Discussion and for Possible Action)
The attached policy indicates the change of adding a complaint form; however, you cannot open the document. It appears that the board wants to review and make changes to this policy, including adding a form for community members who wish to make a formal complaint against the school district.
Staff, especially, may want to see and review this form, and the board should seek parent input to ensure the form works for the public.
Agenda Item 22 B., Monthly Update of Enrollment Counts
According to this report, the school district reduced its student enrollment by 43 students between January 2025 and February 2025. It appears that Jacobsen HS accounted for seven of that number, and the enrollment at that school does fluctuate. Since August 2024, the district has reduced by 59 students. This is a significant decrease. See the report for specifics on each school.
We hope you can attend (wear RED) or join the meeting so that the board knows we are engaged
and monitoring what they are doing.
Please know that your actions do make a difference!