Washoe Country School District
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WCSD-1
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WCSD-1
(The School Renewal Question On November 4 Ballot)
What is WCSD-1?
WCSD-1 is a measure on the November 4 general election ballot to fund revitalization and renewal projects in the Washoe County School District. The ballot measure reflects the work of the bipartisan and broadly-based Washoe County School Construction and Revitalization Advisory Committee set up by Senate Bill 154 in 2007. After meeting for eight months, the 15-member committee voted unanimously that the funds were needed and concluded that sales tax and government services tax were the best sources of funding.
What taxes will be raised to fund these projects?
WCSD-1 seeks a 1/4 percent increase in the sales tax rate and a 1/2 percent increase of taxable value in the Government Services Tax (vehicle registrations). WCSD-1 is projected to generate about $23.5 million annually. This amount will be used to back $393 million in bonds between now and 2014 (to be used exclusively for renewal, repairs, and revitalization).
Of our 92 schools, 19 are over 50 years old and nearly half are over 40 years. 100% of the funds raised by WCSD-1 will go toward critical repairs, revitalization, and technology upgrades in our schools:
- Repairing leaky roofs and broken asphalt
- Asbestos abatement
- Replacing obsolete boilers, incinerators and hot-water heaters
- Installing energy efficient windows
- Replacing damaged carpets and desks, old windows, toilet fixtures and sinks
- Updating wiring for computers and new technology
- Modernizing school safety
- Updating fire alarm and classroom phone systems
- Repairing doors and locks (in some schools the doors cannot be locked from the inside in case of an emergency).
Also, several district schools are facing structural problems. Older ones lack the technology infrastructure available at newer schools.
How can I find out what will be done at my child’s school?
A list of schools and projected projects at each one is on the website www.YesonWCSD1.com* From the homepage, click on Schools and find your school listed.
*An independent and privately-funded website to promote passage of WSCD-1, the ballot question.
Who will be accountable for how WCSD-1 funds are spent?
There will be three layers of accountability and oversight to ensure that the funds are used judiciously and are directed toward the schools with the most critical needs:
- All projects must be approved by the Washoe County School District Board of Trustees.
- The Board's recommendations are then reviewed and must be approved by the Oversight Panel on School Facilities, a group of city and county elected officials and citizens.
- Finally, before bonds may be sold, the sale must be approved by the Debt Management Commission to ensure responsible use of taxpayer dollars.
What happens if WCSD-1 does not pass?
The Board of Trustees will be faced with the daunting task of allocating limited resources from the rollover bonds, and deciding how much to spend on new school construction and how much for older school needs. New school construction may have to be put on hold, forcing more schools onto multi-track calendars or double sessions.
What has the district done with the money from the rollover bonds?
All of the promises made to the voters in 2002 have been kept. Four new schools have been built, two high schools were enlarged and $99 million was invested in improving older schools. See a complete accounting on the WCSD website, www.washoe.k12.nv.us.
For more information, visit www.YesonWCSD1.com
Rita Cannan Revitalization Project Video
Click here
to see a 15-minute video of the revitalization project completed this summer at Rita Cannan Elementary School. The passage of WCSD-1 will allow similar projects to be completed throughout the school district.
Paul Dugan's video presentation on WCSD-1
Click Here
Call to arrange a “See For Yourself” Tour
Nothing is better than a first-hand experience. It can help you understand the teaching and learning conditions in our older schools, and we’re pleased to offer an opportunity for you to do that. Just call Terry Bartek at 348-0371 or Vickie Bailey at 348-0381 to register. We’ll be arranging several tours before the November 4 election.
A Businessman's Perspective
Chalkboards to Multimedia Interactive Whiteboards
My how things have changed. It has been a number of years, actually decades since I’ve stepped foot on the campus of an elementary school. As a new member of the Education Collaborative's Information Technology Advisory Group (ITAG), it was my first meeting and the venue selected was the Rita Cannan Elementary School.
Today we would be previewing a familiar teaching tool with a new twist, the whiteboard. I began picturing the interactive whiteboards I had setup nearly a decade ago. They consisted of a couple of sensors on each corner and a special pen transmitting a signal back to a computer. “Nonsense," I was quietly saying to myself. “Why do elementary schools need such technologies,” I pondered.
As we entered the classroom, a whiteboard illuminated by an LCD projector was the focal point. Second grade teacher, Ms. Stach introduced herself and began demonstrating the multimedia interactive whiteboard’s functionality. Various lesson plans were covered, from math to writing to reading--the three Rs, as I remembered my grandmother explaining it to me. Ms. Stach’s demonstration was fun. It captivated me. In a matter of 15 minutes I had a note pad full of questions on what I had just experienced. Ms. Stach answered all of the committee’s questions in a clear, concise manner. What a wonderful time to be in elementary school and learning from such a wonderful teacher! What a tool for teachers in the 21st Century! If every student and teacher had access to this technology, student interest and learning would improve exponentially. In the amount of time it took me to write out my questions, my preconceived notions about these 21st Century interactive whiteboards were quashed.
As the demonstration came to an end, Ms Stach pointed out all of the remodeled components of the classroom. New carpet, paint, cabinetry, ductwork and bathrooms had been provided. In a school that is 47 years old, these necessary changes convey to these students that we, as voters and citizens, deeply care about their welfare and future.
I walked out of the classroom thinking to myself, “How could I describe what I saw to someone else without actually seeing this technology first hand”? I was a skeptic and in less than an hour, Ms. Stach’s demonstration convinced me otherwise.
The answer to this question is not a simple one. I have chosen to begin influencing others with this story. By sharing my experience, I hope to convince others about the educational value of these interactive whiteboards. If you would like more details about my experience, you may contact me through the Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce. I support the WCSD’s effort to pass their ballot measure, WCSD-1, which will bring much needed technologies into the classrooms of all of our children. WCSD-1 is good for us, our schools and our children. It will provide a sound return on investment. On November 4th I will vote YES and I urge you to do so as well.
~Rick Thomas
What Teachers are Saying
Elizabeth A. Lynner - Instrumental Music Educator, WCSD Music Department
Our school is 62 years old and the windows leak like a sieve, so we keep old towels in the window sills to absorb the water when it rains or snows.
Jolene Hamilton, 2nd Grade Teacher at Veterans Memorial Elementary School
The hardest thing about teaching at Hug is trying to have personal conversations with students and competing with an HVAC system that is old, dilapidated and incredibly loud.
Trish Carroll, Health/Journalism Teacher at Hug High School
When students from older schools see the technology of newer schools and how well maintained the grounds are kept, we are sending them a message – a message that they don’t deserve the same education as others. If we want all our students to succeed, they need to have equal opportunities.
Fran McGregor, Shaw Middle School
The condition of the building speaks clearly to students, parents and staff. When broken windows are not repaired, graffiti is not cleaned up, and other items in need of repair are ignored, students and teachers at the school feel that they are not valued as highly as those in newer schools. It actually breaks my heart when our students go to another school for an athletic event and return home and ask me why Vaughn doesn’t have many of the things the newer schools have. The passage of this ballot question will speak to the importance of education in the eyes of the community for all students.
Linda Hunt, Vaughn Middle School
Last year while teaching, I had two ceiling tiles fall on my students. We’ll make do this year since we always do, but understand that our building is old and desperately needs repairs.
Amy Peel Sombrano, Reno High Science Teacher
Our heating/air conditioning units are so loud that it is difficult to hear the students. The windows are plastic and so scratched they have no insulation or noise elimination factor, and they do not even allow the natural light to come in. The school building gutters leak, causing students to come to class wet.
Teachers at Echo Loder Elementary School
Lemmon Valley is the heart of the community, but the site is decaying. My classroom has electrical problems. The lights have to remain on, even when no one was in the room, and can only be shut off by a master switch located in a boys bathroom two classrooms away. Security is also a serious problem. Last year, we had several code red and code yellow lockdowns. But classroom doors can only be locked from the outside. In these kinds of emergencies, teachers put their students and themselves in unnecessary danger.
Teacher at Lemmon Valley Elementary School
Our classrooms need to be updated so they can accommodate new technology. This type of infrastructure is a given at newer schools like Damonte, but are lacking in older ones. Our cooling system is also inadequate. Shop rooms, such as woodwork, metals and auto, do not have air conditioning. These rooms overheat, especially after the lunch period. How can students learn in this environment?
Rene Campbell, Teacher at Reed High School
As we in this school district look toward equity for all students, those of us at newer schools reap the benefits of technological advantages and wonderful facilities. We must not forget our colleagues as they work tirelessly without the technology upgrades, or even basic facilities’ needs, those of us in newer schools often times take for granted.
Bernice Servilican, Teacher at Damonte Ranch High School
Exposed pipes in my school leak and have even flooded one section of the school. Another leak caused water damage to the ceiling tiles and floor. ADA accessibility is getting better, but our building still needs proper upgrades to be fully in compliance.
Teacher at Clayton Middle School
Activboards are the first real component to creating a real technological learning environment for our students. Our students are engaged in the activity when the Activboard is creating the lesson. The Activboard also creates higher level thinking processes to help the students prepare and truly be ready for college and adulthood. We are limiting our youth without having an Activboard for every teacher to utilize in their classroom. WCSD-1 will provide us with this necessary technology.
Angie Bryan, Silver Lake Elementary
