As Washoe County School District (WCSD) grapples with student enrollment and budget challenges, Superintendent Joe Ernst said he wants to “eradicate the idea that the education system is failing.”

During an IndyTalks event last week at the National Automobile Museum in Downtown Reno, Ernst discussed the issues with national education rankings across states. Nevada’s education system is one of the lowest funded in the nation, so Ernst said measuring it on better-funded states or to Nevada’s oversimplified school rating system skews the public’s perception. 

“I think it's really important to just continue to look at education in far more sophisticated terms than just this is a one star, this is a two star,” he said at the event hosted by The Nevada Independent. “I will tell you firsthand, as a teacher, as a principal, we're not failing. There's amazing things happening every day.”

According to state education data, Washoe County elementary students slightly surpassed their prepandemic English Language Arts and math proficiency rates. 

Ernst added that the district has cut its number of one-star schools in half in one year and doubled its number of four- and five-star elementary schools. 

“That's encouraging signs that we're moving in the right direction,” he said. 

Ernst said he’s hopeful this progress will motivate families to come back to the district. 

Since the 2019-20 school year, WCSD has lost about 5,000 students, and it recently lost its title as the second-largest school district to the State Public Charter School Authority. The district is projecting to lose an additional 1,200 students next year, which would bring its budget deficit up to $18 million. 

As Gov. Joe Lombardo and Republican lawmakers push for policies to expand access to charter schools and private schools, Ernst urges them to be mindful of the effect that can have on the public education system, which takes in all students. 

“Public education is a foundational aspect of what we do in our country, and so I just think it's important that we proceed with caution and proceed carefully with the precipice that we are at right now and how we want to look forward to the next legislative session,” he said. 

Watch the full discussion here: