Almost four weeks ago, more than 62,000 students in the Washoe County School District (WCSD) headed back to classes under circumstances few of us could have envisioned a year ago. For most students, families, and staff members, the first day was a celebration of a return to learning, spending time with teachers and friends, and engaging in activities that have been postponed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

These first weeks have presented many challenges as well as opportunities for our District and prompted us to reinvent our approach to education in a variety of ways. Like educators everywhere, we work to adapt to quickly evolving situations, and are working as a team with our community to overcome obstacles as they arise. One thing is very clear, though: we need more resources to carry out our mission of educating our students. 

As we have moved through the difficult process of reopening our schools, our guiding principle has always been “Do No Harm.” In welcoming our students and staff members back to in-person learning, we have established strict requirements for universal face coverings, hygiene measures including frequent handwashing and sanitation protocols, and enhanced ventilation. We offered our students the option of being in their classrooms with their teachers and peers where they participate in the learning, cooperating, and socializing that is so crucial to their development. At the same time, we also offer all students the opportunity to engage in distance learning, if that works best for them and their families. We strive to provide our students with the many resources they need and deserve to continue their education.

No school district can possibly accomplish these goals alone. At every level, education demands the teamwork that is so essential to each of our daily tasks as educators, and our primary mission is advocacy for our children. In a very real way, we serve as the voice for our students and families every day as we work with governmental organizations, community groups, and at the local, state, and federal levels to ensure our students are receiving the support that is crucial to their success. 

It’s important to remember that Nevada schools are chronically underfunded: according to the National Education Association’s (NEA) latest report, the national average in 2018-19 for funding per student in average daily attendance was $15,690. Nevada ranked 49th in the nation at $10,720, which represents a combination of federal, state, and local revenues. Nevada generally ranks between 45th and 49th.

We have made headway in recent years: in 2016, voters passed a ballot initiative to provide ongoing funding designated for new schools and repairs to older schools. Working with a community oversight panel, WCSD has used those funds to upgrade existing schools with new roofs, safety features, and energy efficiency upgrades. Five new schools have opened their doors to students, and more are scheduled to open in the next three years.

Our best advocacy efforts encompass direct contact with our lawmakers. At the federal level, legislators are instrumental partners in securing funding for child nutrition, career and technical education, mental health, and technology. At the state level, we maintain a full-time presence at the Nevada Legislature to push for additional funding for the distributive school account, special education, English Learners, children living in poverty, and students in need of additional support to learn. We engage in year-round, ongoing, authentic relationships with legislators and staff in the executive and legislative branches to ensure they have a depth of understanding of the complex issues facing the school district as both an educational institution and as a large employer. We want our legislators to be aware that unfunded mandates create crushing burdens on our schools and urge them to commit more support for education that will lift those burdens from the shoulders of our staff. 

We work with local governments, the Nevada State Board of Education, the Nevada Department of Education, and with agencies like the Council of the Great City Schools, the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN), the Chamber, and The Nevada Association of School Superintendents in our mission to support and advocate for our students and families as we work to meet their needs and remove the barriers that stand in the way of their success.

Our voice cannot stand alone, and our advocacy cannot exist in a void. The education of our children has far-reaching impacts not only on our students and their families, but on the community at large, from the economic vitality of our state to preparing our students to become productive and contributing members of society at large. It is vital that everyone—employee associations, community leaders, families, students, and education stakeholders— speak to the needs of public education. As the election approaches, we encourage voters to closely examine candidates’ records on education and ensure that education funding—this essential element of our future success as a community – stands at the forefront of their advocacy efforts in the past and their pledges of meaningful support in the future.

Public schools in Nevada have long endured a need for additional funding to support students and teachers. We need more teachers, counselors, nurses, bus drivers, aides, and other professionals to ensure students have the well-rounded educational experience to which they are entitled. We need fewer mandates and requirements from the state level that impede the ability of our teachers to spend their time educating students. We call upon members of the community to add their voices to ours, working with us to ensure that our children receive all of the support and resources they need, and that our principals, teachers, and staff are no longer required to constantly do more with less. We can and must do better. 

I firmly believe that where others see challenges, we see opportunities in the Washoe County School District. We must seize these opportunities to do better and provide a better education for our students who so richly deserve more. They will be tasked with leading us into the future, and we must provide them with the tools they will need to succeed on behalf of us all. 

Dr. Kristen McNeill is the superintendent of the Washoe County School District.