Good morning, and welcome to the Indy Education newsletter. I’m Rocio Hernandez, The Nevada Independent’s K-12 education reporter. 

This newsletter provides a recap of the latest education stories and highlights interesting educators, students, programs and other events and resources throughout the state. Click here to subscribe to the newsletter and receive it each week via email.

I want to hear from you! Send questions, comments or suggestions on what I should be covering to [email protected]. 

News briefs

🍎 Washoe County School Board selects finalists for vacant trustee position — The Washoe County School Board voted to move forward with four applicants vying for the vacant District C seat previously held by former Trustee Joe Rodriguez, who resigned late last year after being elected to the Sparks City Council. 

The finalists are: 

• Jason Bushey, an Army veteran who works for a security company, husband of a schoolteacher and high school cheer coach
• Felipe Escamilla, a producer and video manager for Khan Academy, a nonprofit online learning platform, and former Bay Area investigative journalist
• Marcus Hodges, a university reserve police officer and rangemaster
• James Phoenix, former Pyramid Lake Tribal councilman and chairman, retired Reno police office and retired Nevada Army National Guard lieutenant colonel  

District C contains parts of north Washoe County including Gerlach and North Valleys. 

The board will interview and possibly appoint one of the finalists at a Jan. 14 special meeting. 

👁️ Curriculum on organ and tissues donations launches in Nevada — The Nevada Donor Network and the Nevada Department of Education have partnered to launch the first-ever statewide curriculum for teachers and students in all of Nevada’s more than 260 middle and high schools to raise awareness on organ, eye and tissue donations. It stems from a 2017 bill requiring information on these donations be taught in middle and high schools. The curriculum will cover information on the donation process and local donor and recipient stories. 

School Spotlight

New school board members gearing up to bring change to Nevada K-12 education

School boards across the state last week rang in the new year with swearing-in ceremonies for new and returning members elected in November. 

Last Monday, new trustees Emily Stevens, Lydia Dominguez, Tameka Henry and Lorena Biassotti took their seats on the Clark County School Board. It’s higher than the turnover the school board saw four years ago when it welcomed three new members. Dominguez and Biassotti’s election to the board was met with backlash from some community members including LGBTQ+ advocates, educators and opponents of book bans because of their past membership in the conservative parental rights group Moms for Liberty. 

During her remarks after she was sworn in, Biassotti recalled times when she was escorted out of the school board for disruptive behavior, which she called an attempt to silence her. 

“This seat comes with a message that we want … our conservative values that our country is founded on to be respected and represented again,” she said.

Dominguez promised “there will not be business as usual.”

With 11 members, the Clark County School Board is the largest school board in the state. The board is made up of seven elected members and four members appointed by the Clark County Commission and the county’s three largest municipalities. The four appointees have the same rights and responsibilities as their elected counterparts except the right to vote, but a proposed bill by Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) would change that. 

Henry said she supported appointed trustees gaining voting rights, but Dominguez and Stevens were on the fence.

“I think that the more representation that we have from the community, the better,” Henry said. 

The new trustees also weighed in on another aspect of the bill, which would set minimum professional qualifications for school districts when hiring superintendents and chief financial officers. This comes as the Clark County School Board is preparing to pick up its superintendent search suspended amid trustee resignations. 

Stevens said she was in favor of setting standards across the state. Dominguez said she respected the governor and the Legislature’s desire to hold the board accountable. 

But Biassotti opposed both parts of the bill. She said voters should be allowed to choose who they want to represent them, and the board should be free to pick its preferred superintendent qualifications. 

“I think we appreciate the help, but there are boundaries,” she said. 

Around the state

The Washoe County School Board gained one new trustee, Christine Hull. She is taking over District A, which includes southeast Reno and Incline Village, and was previously represented by Jeff Church. 

The State Board of Education gained two new members, former Clark County School Board Trustee Danielle Ford and Tricia Braxton, a senior coordinator at the University of Nevada, Reno Extension and former New York police officer. 

The Douglas County School Board gained three new members: Marcus Zinke, Erinn Miller and Melinda Gneiting. Zinke ran opposed for the seat previously held by Carey Kangas. Gniting won the seat previously held by Linda Gilkerson and Miller beat former Doug Englekirk. Englekirk was among the four trustees who voted to hire Reno attorney Joey Gilbert, while Gilkerson and Kangas voted against his hiring. Gilbert resigned as board counsel in December.

Have a student or staffer who we should feature in the next edition of School Spotlight? Share your nominations with me at [email protected].

Reading Assignments

Lieutenant governor’s new task force continues debate over transgender student athletes 

The announcement comes about two weeks before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has suggested he would ban transgender female athletes from women’s sports.

Extra Credit

Chalkbeat: Federal judge tosses Biden Title IX rules that protected transgender students

Events

🍎 Washoe County School Board meeting — Tuesday, Jan. 14, 9 a.m.-noon

The agenda includes interviewing candidates and possibly making an appointment for the vacant school board position.  

Featured social media post 

Check out our story from last year on this opportunity for Las Vegas-area students interested in exploring mechanical construction trades.