DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. – The Douglas County School District (DCSD) board of trustees held its first meeting of 2025 last week, and they made some changes that undid controversial moves the previous board made. It was a breath of fresh air for many when compared to board meetings over the past two years.
This was the first meeting for three new trustees, Markus Zinke, Erinn Miller, and Melinda Gneiting, and a return to the board for Yvonne Wagstaff. after November’s election. They join David Burns, Katherine Dickerson, and Susan Jansen on the board. Wagstaff was voted to become board president, receiving a unanimous vote of 7-0, Gneiting is now vice-president after a 6-1 vote (Dickerson lone dissent), and Dickerson became board clerk by a 7-0 vote.
The board voted unanimously to retain Allison MacKenzie, Ltd. as the District’s new law firm to replace Joey Gilbert Law. The District will be represented primarily by Ryan Russell. Russell, who grew up in Carson City and attended UNR and UNLV Law School, currently represents four school districts in Nevada, including the Carson City School District, as well as Carson Tahoe Hospital and other municipalities.
Douglas Superintendent Frankie Alvarado said he and a few of the other trustees attended ethics training provided by the Nevada Association of School Boards (NASB) last fall. They were impressed by his knowledge and Alvarado reached out to him after Joey Gilbert Law terminated its contract with the District. Two other firms were under consideration but Allison MacKenzie, Ltd. was selected. Russell said they will not charge a retainer and will instead bill $325 per hour. He said they could easily work within the District’s legal budget but did want the trustees to know he would not represent the district in any litigation, saying that is best handled by an outside agency, if needed.
Wagstaff said everyone they’ve talked to about new legal counsel have said Russell was a great choice.
Russell said he wants to help the District make clear and concise agendas so there won’t be a need for legal counsel at board meetings. He said he is available by phone if needed during a meeting (many districts do not have their lawyer present at meetings, including three of the districts Russell currently represents).
The trustees are also undergoing more training together which should eliminate the need for legal counsel at meetings.
“I’m loving everything I’ve heard,” said Zinke of Russell.
The vote was unanimous to retain Allison MacKenzie, Ltd.
Trustees also voted unanimously to keep the District’s members in NASB, something they did not want to do one year ago. They said they are looking forward to the training and tools they provide.
Also restored during the meeting is a three-minute public comment period, something the previous board majority was against.
Another change will be the meeting dates. The board will move meetings from the second Tuesday of the month to the third Thursday except for three months – February due to winter break will have its meeting on 2/27, May’s budget meeting will be on 5/20, and the June meeting will be on 6/26 due to the Juneteenth federal holiday.