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WCSD Seeks Input Through Budget Survey
Reno, NV (March 31, 2011) - As part of the Washoe County School District's efforts to inform and involve
parents, school district staff and the community in the budget process, the District is launching a survey to
gather input and budget-savings suggestions.
The survey, which is available on the District's website, seeks ideas to reduce the budget.
"The public's opinion about how we handle the current budget situation is important to us. We want to
provide ample opportunities for the Board of Trustees and District leadership to listen to parents, WCSD
employees and other community members. Everyone's input will be valuable as we begin to make budget
decisions down the road," Board of Trustees President Barbara McLaury said.
Due to anticipated losses of local, state and federal funding, the WCSD is facing an estimated $75 million
shortfall for each of the next two fiscal years. This is in addition to $73 million in cuts the District already has
made during the last four years.
While no budget decisions have been made, WCSD is working with members of the Nevada Legislature as
they work through the state's budget crisis. The extent of possible budget cuts to the WCSD will not be
known until legislators pass a final budget at the state level.
"We still have a long way to go in this process, but we want to be prepared for any decision in the end. We
are working closely with our employee associations on different issues and this survey allows us to gather
significant feedback from many different groups," Superintendent Dr. Heath Morrison said. "Ultimately, final
budget decisions will be based on the priorities in our strategic plan, Envision WCSD 2015 - Investing In
Our Future. This plan was put into place to improve the quality of education for all children and we must
move forward with reform if we want to truly see 'every child, by name and face, to graduation.'"
In addition to the budget survey, WCSD will host a series of townhall meetings in the coming months to
continue conversations about the budget.
You can find the budget survey at here
You can also access the survey by visiting the "Budget Update and Legislative Session 2011" section of the
District's website, which is available through the District's homepage or at:
http://www.washoe.k12.nv.us/community/legislative-session. In addition to the survey, you will also find in
this section a link to the WCSD's legislative blog, information related to frequently asked budget questions
and news releases and videos with budget information.
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About Washoe County School District: The
Washoe County School District includes the Reno/Sparks metropolitan
area, Incline Village, Gerlach, Empire and Wadsworth, Nevada. The
District provides each of its 63,000 students with a superior education
in a safe and challenging environment and is committed to graduate every
child career and college ready.
For more information visit: www.washoecountyschools.org. Follow us on Twitter at WCSDTweet.
Washoe County School District
425 East Ninth Street
Reno, NV 89520
