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Thanks to the Washoe County voters in 2016 who passed a ballot initiative to increase the local sales tax by .54%, the amount of money that is able to be used for new schools and repairs to older schools has increased. Since 2016, the district has been able to fund major repairs and core school investments – such as roofs, HVAC systems, the installation of safety features and energy efficiency upgrades – at many of our older schools. Seven new schools have opened, major expansion and upgrades were completed at two school sites and two schools have been rebuilt. Work continues on the Debbie Smith CTE Academy which is schedule to open in August 2025 and the onsite rebuild at Vaughn Middle School has started and the new school is scheduled to open in August 2026.
The 2023 Facility Modernization Plan work is underway. In addition to the Vaughn Middle School rebuild, we are working on a modernization and expansion project for Reed High School, building a new Stead Elementary School, an onsite rebuild at Echo Loder Elementary School, and a modernization and expansion project for Bernice Mathews Elementary School.
In total, WCSD has been able to invest $1 billion toward new schools, repairs, and expansions.
The increased capital funding has helped WCSD with several initiatives:
Reduced Overcrowding: Prior to the ballot initiative, WCSD experienced severe overcrowding. Schools often had to improvise for space, utilizing not only portables but makeshift classrooms in common areas, and three of our elementary schools were forced to go on multi-track year-round calendars. Since opening seven new schools, and rebuilding/expanding four additional ones, we’ve seen relief at schools across the district. Building these new schools is also allowing the district to draw new zoning boundaries that align schools by vertical, so that students will attend elementary, middle and high school with their same peer group. In the future, new schools will be built based on growth projections. The district works closely with the Cities of Reno and Sparks, Washoe County and local developers to forecast future enrollment, and thanks to our increased capital funding, we are able to build new schools as they are needed.
Updated Safety Features: The additional capital funding has enabled the district to upgrade current schools to ensure that students are learning in a safe environment. All elementary and middle schools have been upgraded with a single point of entry system, so all visitors to the buildings must enter through the main office and check in with school staff. Additionally, every classroom door at every school has been upgraded with lock systems accessible from inside the classroom. New schools are being built with all of these safety features.
Increased Energy Efficiency: As part of the district’s core school investments, all schools are being upgraded to be more energy efficient. These facility improvements not only improve the learning environment, but also decrease energy and water consumption, and save money in the long term. All schools have upgraded to LED lighting systems, which will provide a 19% reduction in energy costs. This, combined with water conservation upgrades and other ongoing projects, will save the District $2.3 million each year in operational costs, as well as 13.6 Kilowatts of energy and 86 million gallons of water. Each of the new schools are built to comply with the most recent energy standards, and include energy efficient lighting and HVAC systems, as well as ground source heat pumps.
Capital Funding and Capital Projects Information and Resources:
View the 20 year Capital Projects Plan here.
View the External Audit report here.
View the History of Schools here.
View a comprehensive report about capital funding here.
View the WCSD powerED program results here.
