Menu

Douglas County School District board meeting, date not confirmed yet

4 h 10 min

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 4 h 10 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
  7. Yvonne WagstaffBoard Trustee - President
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Douglas County school board votes to sanction boys and girls lacrosse 1:37:25

  • Elementary school principals presented their school performance plans to the board. 14:48
  • The board voted unanimously to sanction boys lacrosse and girls lacrosse as district sports. 1:37:34
  • A district finance staff member projected about a $2 million deficit at the end of the fiscal year, and the board voted unanimously to direct the staff member to seek advice from the Department of Taxation and the Local Government Finance Committee. 2:25:11
  • A Health Advisory Committee member presented proposed health plan changes, including raising the in-network deductible from $1,000 to $2,000. 2:59:21

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (15)
  1. Opening and public comment 0:02
    • Wagstaff called the meeting to order, and JROTC members presented the colors. 0:02
    • A speaker at public comment said confidential information from employee personnel files, including a full Social Security number, had been disclosed and asked the board to ensure the disclosure was thoroughly reviewed. 4:29
    • The motion to adopt the agenda carried unanimously. 0:58
  2. Consent agenda, vouchers and device policy 7:38
    • Zinke asked about special run voucher charges, including $47,000 for a greenhouse, iPads for $17,389 and a Lexia Learning subscription for $11,050. 9:45
    • A staff member said the greenhouse was funded through a competitive grant, the iPads were for service providers documenting Medicaid services and the Lexia purchase was reimbursed through a Title grant. 11:21
    • Gneiting asked when the policy would be implemented if it passed, and a staff member said implementation would begin second semester, in mid-January. 13:22
    • The consent calendar, item 3B and item 3K each carried unanimously. 9:35
  3. Elementary school performance plans 14:48
    • The principal of GES said the school's performance indicator rose from 35 points to 63.5 points in one year. 15:39
    • A staff member said Pinion earned a 5-star rating and that proficiency was around 70% in both content areas. 41:53
    • Brady asked what role the SRO program plays in chronic absenteeism, and a staff member said the district plans to re-establish its truancy program with a first hearing within 30 to 45 days. 1:23:39
  4. Sanctioning boys lacrosse 1:28:52
    • A staff member recommended approving sanctioning for lacrosse and reviewing it again during the budget process. 1:29:51
    • Brady asked about the CLGF's position, and a staff member said taxation officials gave verbal confirmation they had no issue as long as the district could prove it was funded through outside revenue, through donations. 1:32:26
    • At public comment, a speaker said the program had raised more than $20,000 and would not have a team unless sanctioned. 1:34:07
    • The motion to sanction boys lacrosse passed unanimously. 1:37:25
  5. Sanctioning girls lacrosse 1:37:50
    • A staff member said the girls team had fundraised enough to cover projected first-year expenses. 1:38:05
    • Wagstaff disclosed having helped with fundraising for the girls lacrosse team. 1:38:33
    • Zinke asked what the district would pay if no team were fielded, and a staff member said there likely would be no cost other than possibly referee fees. 1:41:03
    • The motion to sanction girls lacrosse carried unanimously. 1:45:56
  6. Gifted and talented program overview 1:46:16
    • The district's gifted and talented coordinator said the program serves 227 students and began a cluster model for grades 6 through 8 this year. 1:47:32
    • A staff member said the district receives about $130,000 for gifted and talented students and expects to add 30 licensed teachers over a 3-year period. 2:00:55
    • Brady asked whether the funding adequately supports 227 students, and a staff member said the district needs more funding. 2:03:12
  7. Academic achievement data 2:07:23
    • A presenter said GES and Jacks Valley grew from 2 stars to 3 stars and Douglas High School grew from 4 stars to 5 stars. 2:08:29
    • The presenter said chronic absenteeism dropped from 20.3% to 19.2%. 2:13:33
    • A staff member asked for a cohort analysis to be prepared by January. 2:18:30
  8. Monthly financial report and budget forecast 2:19:41
    • A finance staff member said general fund spending was under target for the year but over spending at this time last year. 2:20:01
    • The staff member projected about a $2 million deficit at the end of the fiscal year, including $958,649 in personnel costs. 2:25:11
    • Gneiting asked where the $958,000 came from, and the staff member said some positions were omitted from the budget in error. ~2:27:15
    • Gneiting's motion to have a staff member do what the staff member had just described carried unanimously. 2:32:42
  9. First quarter cash report 2:33:19
    • A finance staff member said the new report shows cash balances by fund and changes during the quarter. 2:33:32
    • Jackson asked about the district's goal for reserves, and a staff member said the immediate goal is a 4% ending fund balance, about $2.4 million, with a long-term goal of 16%. 2:34:13
    • Jackson asked about the health insurance fund, and a staff member said its cash balance fell $624,000 during the quarter. 2:37:39
    • Zinke's motion to accept the first quarter cash report carried unanimously. 2:40:17
  10. First readings of finance policies 2:40:39
    • A staff member said personnel costs are close to 75% of district costs and that the policy would set controls over adding new positions. 2:40:51
    • A staff member said the policy would provide a road to recovery for the health fund, whose balance was a little over $100,000. 2:47:31
    • A staff member said the policy would require identifying each fund's cash ownership, reconciling balances monthly and forecasting upcoming obligations, and another staff member said the policy is required by statute. 2:56:03
  11. Health insurance plan changes 2:58:45
    • A Health Advisory Committee member said proposed changes would raise the in-network deductible from $1,000 to $2,000, raise the out-of-pocket maximum from $6,000 to $7,500 and lower plan coinsurance from 80% to 70%. 3:02:23
    • The committee member said proposed $100 monthly premium increases for dependent coverage brought the combined impact to $1,085,118. 3:02:23
    • Zinke requested a comparison of employee costs in similar self-insured districts, and a staff member said it could be prepared. 3:11:36
  12. Board member leave of absence 3:32:07
    • A staff member said the item was a formal record and the board did not have to take action. 3:32:34
    • One board member said a leave of absence was not enough and repeated a request for a resignation. 3:32:59
    • One board member said the board did not need to take action on the item. 3:34:18
    • Wagstaff said the board's consensus was to take no action. 3:38:01
  13. Board officer and committee assignments 3:38:16
    • One board member nominated another board member to serve as legislative representative. 3:38:25
    • Gneiting moved that Heather Jackson serve as liaison to the Tahoe Douglas Chamber of Commerce. 3:41:28
    • Wagstaff announced Heather Jackson as the new legislative representative, and the liaison motion carried unanimously. 3:39:08
  14. Student, board reports and future agenda 3:41:41
    • The board heard a student representative report on school initiatives and athletics. 3:41:41
    • Brady reported telling legislators that the PCFP was well thought out but poorly executed and ill-timed. 3:51:29
    • A speaker asked for a future agenda item on administrators' ideas for the budget to get back to the 4%, and a staff member said athletic finances activity funds would come in January. 3:52:33
  15. Superintendent report 3:56:54
    • In the superintendent report, a staff member said October enrollment was 4,503 students. 3:56:54
    • The staff member said Douglas County leads the state in declining enrollment at 19.6% over 5 school years. 3:58:18
    • The staff member said health benefits open enrollment runs November 2nd through November 30th, with a special meeting next week for the board to decide on the plan. 3:59:40

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “October 15, 2026 Board Meeting”