DOUGLAS COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD PRIORITIES NOV. 2025

Based on our observations of school board meetings since January 2025 and email communication with many of the school board trustees, we have identified five key initiatives.  We have summarized these below.  Most of the information we include is found in the “DCSD Data at a Glance” document attached to item 9 on the agenda for the October 16, 2025, school board meeting 

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     A. Student Attendance

Student attendance is improving, but is still a focus for the board and district.  In 2022-2023, the district-wide daily attendance rate was 92.9% and it has improved in 2024-2025 to 94%.  Also, the chronic absenteeism (students absent 10 or more days in a semester) rate was 24.3% in 2022-2023 and has improved to 18.9% in 2024-2025.  Although these are positive indicators, the board wants to see continued improvement in student attendance.

     B. Student Achievement

Overall, the district’s student achievement has stayed steady, while also having areas of significant positive performance and achievement.  It is noteworthy that Whittell High School has demonstrated growth on the ACT with a composite score of 21 and increased its overall pass rate on AP testing to 88.9%, which is exceptional.  Douglas High School has also excelled on this test with an 88% overall pass rate.  Concerning the ACT that 11th graders are required to take, from spring 2023 to spring 2025, results increased in English language arts by 2% and mathematics by 3.9%, but science dropped 6.6% during the same time period.  The board is asking about follow-up on science performance and instruction. The report also highlights positive results for Career and Technical Education spring 2025 pass rates for workplace readiness and end-of-program, which both rank second in Nevada.  

Our elementary schools have two assessments that the report tracks.  On the SBAC state-required test, the district improved its results from spring 2023 to spring 2025  in English language arts by 1.5% and mathematics by 3.3%.  However, science results dropped 2.7% between the same time period.   

For the MAP tests, which elementary students take in the fall and spring each year, the results demonstrate meaningful growth from year to year.  Please see the report for specific information.

     C. District Finances and Budget

This is a complex issue and a major challenge for the school board and the district.  The future is uncertain to predict, and no one could have anticipated the significant decline in enrollment our district has experienced.  Since 2019, through the fall of 2025, DCSD has declined in student enrollment by over 1,000 students.  In the “Report at a Glance” report, Superintendent Alvarado shows that from 2022-2023 to 2024-2025, DCSD has spent more money than the revenues from student enrollment it received.  The result is that DCSD has depleted its ending fund balance and is currently in a deficit at the start of this school year of at least $1.1 million, and Superintendent Alvarado has indicated that the overspending for the last two fiscal years, as well as the potential for overspending this year, accounts for a growing deficit.   Without some significant reductions in spending, this deficit will increase.  This is a major challenge for our district and the current school board.  This will need to involve the community to return the district to solid financial status.

     D. Support for Current School Programs and Exploring New Opportunities

One of the strengths of DCSD is its ability to emphasize the core instructional programs while also ensuring students have electives and opportunities to explore interests and prepare for the future.  Last year, the district committed to a Fire Science program at Whittell High School, and this seems to be going well.  It is also available to students from our valley schools.  The district and school board are researching a construction program for CTE, and the board is open to considering other programs and partnerships to add beneficial programs.

     E. Strategic plan and “Board Governance Handbook”

The current strategic plan was approved by the school board at the June 26, 2025, meeting (see the attachments to the agenda for more information).  This plan has four goal areas with specific steps to achieve them.  These goal areas are student success with opportunity and access, high-quality personnel, operational management (which includes finances and budget), and community engagement.  Superintendent Alvarado and the trustees plan to use the strategic plan to prioritize and guide decisions until its next complete review in 2027.

Superintendent Alvarado and the district are working with Dr. Alsbury from Balanced Governance Solutions to develop a detailed guide for the actions and responsibilities of the board trustees and district staff.  It addresses the following areas:  strategic goals, board organization, board officers, committees, goals progress and reporting, board/superintendent relations, board governance roles and responsibilities, policy development and review, principles of operation, board communications, board meetings, and board growth and development (see the attachments for item 17 from the July 16, 2025 school board meeting).  The advantage of a handbook is to have a guide with responsibilities, policies, procedures, training, and processes in one place for new and experienced trustees as well as the superintendent and other staff.  The board has a special meeting/workshop scheduled on November 14, 2025, to work on the handbook.