After input from parents, staff and students, the Carson City School Board of Trustees will hear and take possible action Tuesday on the district’s 2026-27 school calendar, which includes a proposed recommendation to move forward with weekly Early Release Day.
Also on the agenda, trustees will hear plans as the district faces a critical labor shortage of certified teachers, teaching staff, special education staff and paraprofessionals among other essential positions. Trustees will consider a proposal to again hire retired teachers and certified staff to fill in the gaps.
The Carson City School District Board of Trustees meeting begins at 6 p.m. March 10 in the Robert Crowell Board Room of the Carson City Community Center, 851 East William Street.
On the agenda:
— The school board will discuss and take possible action to designate critical labor shortages for certified elementary teaching staff, certified secondary teaching staff, certified special education staff, speech language pathologists, deaf and hard of hearing interpreters, schools psychologists, special education paraprofessionals, cook/baker, mechanic and school bus drivers.
According to the board’s executive summary, the Carson City School District continues to experience critical labor shortages in several essential positions needed to maintain operations and support student services.
Several employees currently serving in designated critical need positions have designations that will expire on April 9, 2026. If not renewed prior to that date, these employees would move to unpaid status, creating immediate staffing challenges.
To address these shortages and ensure uninterrupted services, the District is requesting authorization to seek approval from the Nevada Public Employees’ Retirement System (NVPERS) to continue employing retired public employees in positions experiencing a critical labor shortage.
Positions included in this request include certified elementary and secondary teachers, special education teachers and paraprofessionals, deaf and hard of hearing interpreters, custodial staff, English learner paraprofessionals, speech-language pathologists, school psychologists, school nurses and school bus drivers.
The documentation (found in the PDF below below) provides justification for each position, including vacancy history, recruitment efforts, and anticipated staffing needs. Approval of this item will allow the District to continue employing retirees in these critical positions in accordance with Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) and Nevada Public Employee Retirement System (NVPERS) requirements.
Proposed district Academic Calendar for the 2026-2027 school year up for discussion, possible action
Carson City School District expresses its thanks to parents, staff and students that provided input, which was was “incredibly valuable in order to develop the best calendar possible,” according to the executive summary.
Key changes that have been made to both new versions:
- No Early Release Day (ERD) on the first and last week of each semester
— Restores instructional minutes
— High school staff and students really advocated for this as it impacts scheduling student final exams. - Changing some wording suggested by parents to make it more parent.
- Changed end times on Early Release Days to: Elementary 1:45 p.m. Middle School, 1:05p.m. and High School, 12:50 p.m.
These time changes allow 90 minutes of collaboration time after the completion
of dismissal duty. These dismissal times will allow for longer prep period for all teachers on Early Release Days:
— Elementary approximately 40-43 minutes for all teachers
— Middle and High School depends on the specific bell schedule selected at that campus.
Prep time and PLC time:
— Teachers will see more consistent prep times every day of the week.
— PLC and Professional Learning time will be 90 minutes per week.
— That time will either be after school on the Early Release Days or a combination of prep periods and Early Release Days.
— If time during a prep period is used for PLC or Professional Learning work, an equal amount of time on the ERD must be set aside for that group of teachers to have as prep time. Thus only 90 minutes per week will be used for PLC/Professional Learning.
Draft F – Ending school before Memorial Day
— To move the end of the school year to May 28.
— Added a teacher training day on August 11
— This will be one less school day for students but still the 183 days for staff contract time.
— School starts on August 17 instead of August 18
— Removed day off on May 28 in conjunction with Memorial Day
- Possible issues of note:
— Graduation would be on Friday, May 28.
— This is the last day of school and also the beginning of the Memorial Day weekend. Some view this as a positive. Some view this as a challenge.
— Carson Middle School promotion would also be on May 28 creating two promotion events on the same day.
Draft G – Ending school on June 3 and utilizing all five days of allowable staff Professional Learning
— Given the reduction in longer blocks of professional development time with the shorter early release schedule as well as the additional state requirements for staff training, using all five allowable days would provide time for this important work.
— Professional Learning Days are set to occur approximately every five to six weeks and paired with weekends/holidays where possible. Note that Professional Learning Days are not allowed within the last 45 school days of the year.
- Professional Learning Days would be:
— Sept. 21, Nov. 2, Jan. 4 – same as before; Feb. 11 before Presidents Day; April 5 at the end of Spring Break
Key Decisions and District Recommendations
— Whether to move forward with weekly Early Release Day (ERD)?
— District recommendation is to move forward with weekly ERD. There is strong support for more consistency from parents and students. Staff is looking forward to a more regular collaboration process.
— The main teacher concern has been possible reduction in prep time. The issue has been addressed. Elementary prep time in a two-week period will go from 395 minutes this year to 444 next year.
— The District needs to do things differently in order to get different results. Regular time with well-run PLCs is a key step in the right direction, according to the summary.
Which day of the week for Early Release Day (ERD)?
— Parent and student preference is generally Wednesday or Friday.
— Wednesday because that is what we are accustomed to having
— Friday for a start to the weekend. The District recommendation is Tuesday.
— Given the potential reductions in staff throughout the district and within the Ed Services department in particular, it is important for us to fully access the free, high-quality resources from RPDP.
- How many full days of professional learning?
— Shift to shorter weekly ERD reduces the overall amount of time spent on PD and eliminates long blocks of PD.
— Continuing increases in state required PD.
— District recommendation is that we use the full five days allowed by NDE. - End before or after Memorial Day?
— Input from stakeholders is split on this question.
— District recommendation is that the last day of school be June 3. Ending before Memorial Day presents logistical challenges with promotions and graduations in such a tight timeframe.
Trustees to pick Independent Audit Firm for Fiscal Year 2026
The Carson City School District Board will take possible action on choosing Silva, Sceirine & Associates, LLC as the Independent Audit Firm for Fiscal Year 2026, in an amount not to exceed $75,400 as budgeted.
According to the executive summary, the board may, without requiring competitive bids, designate the auditor or firm annually. Silva, Sceirine & Associates, LLC have previously conducted audits for the school district and have an understanding of the accounting practices and procedures of school districts, as they perform the external financial audit for three other school districts.
They have presented the District with an engagement letter for fiscal year ending June 30, 2026 audit. The proposed fee for the 2026 audit is $74,500, which represents a 2.75 percent increase.
Informational update, discussion on budget assumptions for Fiscal Year 2026-2027
Superintendent Andrew Feuling presented initial budget assumptions during the Jan. 27, 2026, board meeting. This item allows for additional discussion regarding budget assumptions for building the budget for Fiscal Year 2027 (26-27 School Year).
Public Comment, Where to Watch
Comments will be accepted in person, or through virtual participation via email; publiccomment@carson.k12.nv.us no later than 12:30 p.m. the day of the meeting. Email for public comment must include the submitting party’s full name. Email for public comment will be posted as a supplemental document and copies will be provided to the board members.
The meeting can be accessed at the website here and YouTube here.
See full board agenda and executive summary in the PDF below.
