After Washoe County voters in June rejected school board candidates backed by a far-right activist with deep pockets, resulting in three races being decided in the primaries, eyes are now on the remaining race for the District G seat that pits a longtime educator against a tech businessman. 

The at-large District G covers the western portion of Washoe County and includes Incline Village. It borders its counterpart, at-large District F, and shares schools with District A, C, D and E. That means voters in those four contiguous districts can also vote in the District G race.

The seat is currently held by Trustee Diane Nicolet, 72, a longtime educator who has worked in K-12 and higher education. In 2016, she was temporarily appointed to the seat for nine months and then after a lapse in service was elected to the post in 2020. 

Her experience includes serving as the director of the Truckee Meadows Community College’s E.L. Cord Foundation Child Care for 24 years. Nicolet, a North Dakota native, is also a mother of Washoe County School District (WCSD) graduates and has lived in the Reno area with her husband for 30 years. 

“I am a content expert when it comes to education, whether from a business standpoint or the academic standpoint, the emotional, social aspect, family engagement,” she said. “I am the right person at the right time.”

Her challenger, Perry Rosenstein, 39, is a tech businessman turned education advocate who has worked as a substitute teacher for the district. He moved from the Bay Area to Reno about seven years ago with his wife, with whom he shares two (soon to be three) children younger than 5, including one who will be a WCSD kindergarten student next school year. 

“I have a lot of skin in the game,” he said. “It's very personal to me.” 

During the primary, Rosenstein and Nicolet won the primary with 35 percent and 18 percent of the votes, respectively, beating out five other candidates, including former California educator Paul White who was backed by GOP donor Robert Beadles and only got 12 percent of the votes. After the primary, Beadles paid $50,000 for White’s recount request which didn’t change the primary election results. White also requested a hand recount but that request was denied. 

The race sets up a divide between the Washoe Education Association (WEA), which says Rosenstein’s tech and business expertise is needed on the board, and current and former school board members who are supporting Nicolet, such as Trustees Adam Mayberry and Colleen Westlake. Assemblywoman Angie Taylor (D-Reno), who previously served as the board’s president, has endorsed Rosenstein, her campaign manager said, but gave a small donation to Nicolet in May just before Nicolet and Rosenstein emerged atop a seven-person primary field, campaign finance records show.

The election comes at a critical moment for the district as it gears up for the next legislative session, which provides school leaders with an opportunity to advocate for greater K-12 education funding as they work to address issues such as school violence and teacher pay. 

Cellphone bans

As some Nevada school districts begin implementing policies to curb cellphone distractions during class, the WCSD is considering following suit. 

This school year, schools in Clark County and Carson City have adopted policies to limit cellphone usage during class for students in grades 6-12. 

In August, the Washoe County School Board discussed current district and school policies around cellphones and other electronic devices. WCSD recently launched a survey to gather families’ feedback on the issue, and will survey students and staff later this month.

Nicolet acknowledges that there is a cellphone usage problem at the district and hears regularly during her school site visits that students constantly have their cellphones out in class and use them to take videos or make inappropriate social media posts.

“We need to get a handle on that,” she said. 

Nicolet said she supports putting in place “reasonable guardrails” around cellphones and other electronic devices so that they aren’t interfering with students’ learning, but also takes into account some parents’ desires to be able to reach their child in case of an emergency. 

“We need to respect that, and we need to work with it and figure out what that means,” Nicolet added. 

Rosenstein agrees that cellphones can be “a significant source of distraction” and can interfere with students’ learning as well as their social-emotional development and keep them from engaging meaningfully in the classroom. He said the district needs a comprehensive cellphone policy that supports students’ focus and well-being, and gives teachers district-level support. 

Teacher pay 

After the 2023 legislative session, the district raised teacher salaries by 20 percent over the last two school years. This brought the district’s starting teacher salary up to $47,000 for a new teacher with a bachelor’s degree, a $6,000 increase from the 2021-22 school year. 

Still, that lags behind the $55,000 starting salary in Clark County and the $63,000 starting salary in Eureka County.

Rosenstein called the recent raises a step in the right direction, but said more is needed. 

“Our teachers and support staff deserve wages that reflect the vital role they play in our community, especially with rising living costs in Washoe County,” he said. “If elected, I would advocate for additional funding during the legislative session to ensure that we can continue to recruit and retain quality educators.”

Nicolet said she’s been working behind the scenes calling on state lawmakers to renew the $250 million matching funding, SB231, that gave extra money to school districts to provide raises for their staff. If those funds aren’t renewed, raises paid for with those SB231 funds will sunset after next June. 

As the next legislative session approaches, Nicolet said she also wants to advocate to increase per-pupil funding so that the district can afford to give even more raises for all its employees. 

“We are doing great things with the money we have, but it is not enough,” she said. “So yes, this next legislative session … we will be fighting to continue to be able to increase how much we have to be able to spend on our students and our employees. It's just vital.”

Book bans

In June, a group of protesters, including a far-right, out-of-state pastor, came to the Washoe County School Board calling for books that they considered inappropriate for students to be removed from school libraries. 

Nicolet said she’s against banning books, but agrees it's the right and responsibility of parents to be on top of what their child is reading and it's their choice to decide whether they want their child to be reading certain books.  

The district already allows parents to request their students not be allowed to check out certain books by reaching out to their child’s school principal and librarian. 

Meanwhile, Rosenstein said that although he opposes book bans, he thinks these issues “often get too much airtime in school board meetings.”

“What my background in business taught me is that you’ve got to focus on driving impact and results, and for me, that means concentrating on what will truly help our students and teachers succeed,” he said. 

School violence and student discipline

The district was among the supporters of two 2023 bills, AB285 and AB330, that rolled back parts of a 2019 school restorative justice bill, AB168, that placed restrictions on student suspension and expulsion. School restorative justice refers to nonpunitive intervention and support provided by the school to improve student behavior and remedy any harm caused by the students. 

Proponents say these practices can help reduce suspensions and expulsions and narrow racial disparities in school discipline. 

Nicolet said while she thinks it’s “extremely important” to keep students and staff safe, she also doesn’t support “just kicking kids out because they’ve done something that’s not acceptable.” 

If students do something “egregious,” she said the district will follow state law and policies around student discipline. 

She said she thinks the two 2023 bills have helped mitigate the student violence issues schools have been facing in the post-COVID era, but said more can still be done to improve school safety. That includes more funding to help districts hire additional police officers, counselors and social workers. 

Rosenstein called the 2023 changes a “step in the right direction,” and said proper investment in training and support is needed to make restorative justice practices effective rather than a “replacement for accountability.”

“Big picture, we need to allow these changes time to take hold before considering further adjustments,” he said. “Constantly shifting rules and expectations make it hard on everyone and prevent us from accurately assessing what’s working.”

Donors and supporters

Rosenstein has significantly outraised Nicolet.

Rosenstein raised about $79,000 from Jan. 1 to June 30, according to his latest campaign finance report as of Friday afternoon. In addition to the teacher union’s financial support, Rosenstein also loaned his campaign about $5,000. Other major donors include family members and Bay Area entrepreneurs. 

WEA and its parent organization, the Nevada State Education Association, have donated $9,000 to Rosenstein’s campaign. 

WEA President Calen Evans said Rosenstein’s technology background is needed to create a more balanced and diverse board. 

“We appreciate and we respect the work and the time that [Nicolet] has put in as a trustee,” he said. “We just felt that having somebody with [Rosenstein’s] background and expertise and experience … will help elevate it above what was currently there.” 

Meanwhile, Nicolet raised $24,000 from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30, about $16,000 of which came from donations or loans to herself, according to her latest campaign finance report. 

“I have a tough time asking people for money, and it's not a comfortable place for me, especially now things are so expensive,” Nicolet said. 

Nicolet’s fellow school board member, Trustee Colleen Westlake, said she supports Nicolet because of Nicolet's high ethics, her desire to do “great things” for students and expertise as a longtime educator. 

“I honestly don't know anyone with as much knowledge as she has … and I pull on that constantly when making decisions or advocating for something,” Westlake said. 

This story was updated on Oct. 14, 2024 at 3:17 p.m. to include Assemblywoman Angie Taylor’s endorsement.