INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – After Stephanie Flores became a foster parent, she found a lack of school resources and support had a detrimental impact on her children. There was an added strain on students from underfunded schools and overworked teachers.

Flores realized she could sit around and complain, or make a difference.

“I just think we could do better for the district and the students,” said Flores a compromise candidate for the Washoe County School District Board of Trustees, District A. “And I think we can find a compromise. The thing about being a nurse is you literally have life-or-death situations, and if your team cannot work together, people can die. In this school district, we’re not working on life or death situations, but these are children’s lives we have in our hands. We need to do better for them.”

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Her goal is to empower students, parents, and teachers with resources for success.

“Our school district’s budget is $1.4 billion, and we have about 64,000 students,” Flores said. “I think with that budget we can really serve the students a lot better.”

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Flores began her career as an emergency medical technician working with vulnerable populations on a 911 ambulance. After graduating from nursing school with honors, Flores got a position in trauma nursing in the emergency room.

When Flores and her husband, Adolfo, could not have children, they became foster parents.

“We have an amazing support system, and I have an amazing husband,” Flores said. “…. we have things pretty structured.”

Since 2023, the Flores’ have been foster parents. They have anywhere from no children to four, currently, they have three children.

“I choose not to get my children involved in the public eye to respect their privacy,” Flores said. “But everyone is welcome to look at my dog child. Thena is very pretty.”

The Flores’ 2-year-old dog serves as an emotional support pet.

“When the kids move in, they fall in love with her,” Flores said. “She’s amazing.”

The goal is to reconcile every child with their parent(s) or guardian. Resource parents come alongside the child and the family and support the children in reconciling. Sometimes the parents need a little support for a while to get back on their feet, Flores explained.

“It might be a day or a year, it really does sway,” Flores said. “…. we’ve had children for a weekend, and we’ve had children for 6 months.”

Flores paused the phone interview momentarily since her children insisted on giving her hugs.

“It’s more of a blessing to myself than I expected,” Flores said. “Honestly, it’s an honor to come alongside them and watch them develop into beautiful human beings.”

The county requires children to stay in the same school. Because of this, Flores has an insight into how different schools work.

“There’s been at least five or six schools I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in,” Flores said. “Maybe not for a long time, but enough to get an idea of what’s going on there.”

Flores offers the board an outsider’s perspective.

“My experience as an emergency room nurse has taught me to listen to and understand people and their concerns,” according to Flores’ campaign website. “It has led me to be slow to judgment and methodical and rational in a crisis. I have had the opportunity to partner with people of every color, race, and creed. This has taught me the strength in embracing our differences and working together to serve our community.”

These qualities are currently needed on the school board.

“The board is supposed to be outside voices, with non-educational backgrounds, bringing the public’s opinions forward,” Flores said. “The goal as a trustee is to represent your taxpayers and come up with solutions. It doesn’t seem like we’re coming up with a lot of solutions right now.”

Flores has insight into what is needed.

“I’ve seen some really great things,” Flores said. “I’ve seen some teachers come alongside children in care who really need the extra support person. I’ve seen teachers go above and beyond … I’ve had the opportunity to speak with principals who are extremely supportive of children in the foster community and all children, too, as well.”

“Even though we are doing some amazing things in the school district …. There are still some places where we say, oh no, we still have some growing to do,” Flores said. “One of those places is the truancy rate. Some schools it’s up to 60 percent. Unfortunately, our English and math proficiency doesn’t reach 50 percent in almost every school in the county. And parents can verify this by going to http://www.NevadaReportCard.nv.gov“

Flores’ top issue is truancy.

“How can you get an education if the students don’t show up? … I have a whole bunch of ideas … truancy sweep. A minute-long truancy sweep,” Flores said. “These children are just hanging out in the corridor… and they’re not in class, and nobody’s doing anything about it.”

Truancy in schools is a systemic issue that needs to be addressed, Flores said.

“I think we should have no phone campuses. … phone jails,” she said.

Flores said she is opposed to closing Incline Middle School.

“If I had my choice, a district-wide audit should be required before allowing a school closure,” Flores said. “If there is any possibility to cut excess spending or waste to keep Incline Middle, or any school, open, we should give the students our best efforts before we think about stripping them of their school.”

Funding is another priority.

When asked about Trustee Jeff Church’s costly lawsuits against the district, Flores said she did not have specifics.

“If we have a deficit of $1.7 million … are we being the best stewards of the public’s money in this situation?” Flores asked.

Flores was also asked about Church.

“I don’t know him personally or even well,” Flores said. “The interactions I’ve had with him have been respectful and encouraging. He seems excited that younger individuals are willing to get involved and make a difference.”

While enrollment has gone down, district expenses have gone up. She questioned where the money was spent.

“As a Washoe Schools trustee, I will work with the board to increase the budget to renovate and rejuvenate our schools (because) our students, teachers, and parents deserve safe and healthy surroundings to learn and thrive,” according to her website.

Flores’ other priorities include ensuring the school district educates students to reach their full potential.

“These children have really been poorly served and really pushed through their grades without meeting the benchmarks of that grade requirement, and I question that,” Flores said.

“How many other kids are falling behind?” she asked. “How can we capture those kids and make sure they receive the resources they need? I’ll tell you one way NOT to do that. Removing funding from special education and lowering the number of special ed teachers is not helping.”

Flores said she’ll work to lower class sizes, increase academic and extracurricular offerings, decrease “fluff work” for students, and have manageable class sizes.

Flores advocates empowering children’s support system, which includes academics, extracurricular activities, and career preparedness.

“Parents should be encouraged to become involved,” Flores said. “Parents are an extension of the classroom at home, and it is important that the parents are included in their child’s education so they can support their students and teachers from home.”

Flores aims to implement more effective, common-sense school safety policies. From 2021-23, there were 314 battery incidents on Washoe County high school and middle school campuses.

In January 2023, three teachers spoke at a school board meeting saying they’ve been being body slammed or gotten a bloody nose from a student.

“It is time we address the current failing Student Behavior Administrative Procedures,” Flores stated.

Flores vows full transparency.

“We become better when we include our whole community to support our Washoe County Schools,” Flores said.

Flores aims to bring an outside perspective as a nurse, foster parent, and community member to the Washoe County School Board. By prioritizing student success, school safety, proper funding, and transparency, she hopes to empower the entire educational ecosystem for a brighter future.

For more information about candidate Flores, go to https://www.votestephanieflores.com/

Brenna O’Boyle enjoys covering Lake Tahoe entertainment. Her beat includes Incline Village, Kings Beach and Tahoe City. She loves to write travel pieces and report on food/alcohol-related events. Brenna is also a Reno Public Art Committee member who identifies, reviews, and recommends artists for public art opportunities.