Meet the Three Candidates Running for the Open School Board Position in Washoe

WASHOE COUNTY, Nev. (775 Times, NV Globe) – The Washoe County School Board is looking for a new trustee, and candidates include a public servant, an educator, and a member of the wildlife sector.

The District E post became available last month after previous Board President Angie Taylor resigned following her election to the state Assembly. A Nevada legislation prevents elected individuals from holding more than one position at the same time.

The appointment means that two new faces will be joining the school board soon, after Trustee Ellen Minetto was defeated in the general election last month. Colleen Westlake, a parent of three Washoe County district grads who works in dentistry, will succeed the former Washoe County teacher.

The trustees make critical policy and budgetary decisions for the district’s more than 61,000 pupils, as well as supervise its one staff, Superintendent Susan Enfield, who started in July.

Alex Woodley, Kellie Crosby-Sturtz, and Megan Beyer, the three finalists, will appear before the board in a special meeting on Tuesday. The board will pick one of them as the next trustee for District E, which includes Peavine Elementary School and McQueen High School in northwest Reno. The new trustee will serve on the board until Taylor’s tenure expires on January 6. 2025.

The three finalists were chosen from a pool of seven applications, including Reno attorney Joey Gilbert, who ran for governor in the Republican primary in June. Woodley came out as a favorite in the board’s rating of the candidates, followed by Beyer and Crosby-Sturtz.

The Nevada Independent interviewed the contenders ahead of the Dec. 6 meeting. Their replies have been modified for length and clarity.

Credits: The Nevada Independent