Note to Students, Parents, and Community Members:
🚨THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS EMAILING 🚨
PLEASE EMAIL THE EMAIL ADDRESSES BELOW AND TELL THEM SMITHRIDGE BELONGS WITH DAMONTE RANCH.
Zoning@washoeschools.net
BoardMembers@washoeschools.net

The Washoe County School District and its zoning committee are considering proposals that would rezone students from the Smithridge/Neil Road Area from Damonte Ranch High School to Wooster High School. 

This Decision Hurts the Most Vulnerable Students
Smithridge students already face significant socio-economic barriers being a part of one of the lowest-income areas in the city. 

If the district truly believes in equity and opportunity, why take an already vulnerable community and place it at an even greater disadvantage by taking it away from a school that has supported them well—while widening socioeconomic and racial gaps between our schools?

This isn’t just about shifting lines on a map—it’s about shifting the futures of real students. 

📌 Here’s the facts:

• Damonte Ranch is one of the most diverse schools in the district, and its student population benefits from a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives. By removing 300 Smithridge kids (an estimated 75% Hispanic population), the diversity of this school falters and the school instantly serves a richer whiter population. Damonte Ranch prides itself on its diversity and it makes our community a better place. This rezoning move ensures an even wider divide within our community and promotes wider racial and socioeconomic gaps within our schools and communities as a whole.
  
  
• Smithridge has the highest English Language Learner (ELL) population out of any school in the district (53%). Damonte received a 10/10 rating on the English Language Proficiency Indicator (which tracks growth in the English Language) for ELL students.
  
  
• In 2023, 52.4% of Damonte graduates were dual-enrolled in a college class, the highest out of any WCSD traditional High School.
  
  
• Damonte Ranch students feel safe and supported in their inclusive school environment, according to surveys—performing better than the WCSD average for schools.
  
  
• Damonte will be under enrolled – Current zoning plans leave Damonte at around 60% capacity (Damonte currently runs over 75% capacity). This means less funding, fewer resources, fewer teachers, and fewer opportunities for all students at Damonte. Damonte's PAC Program is especially at risk with a decrease in funding. Smithridge students belong here.
  
  
• Proximity is not the issue here. Smithridge is 7 miles away from Damonte Ranch, yet the district is considering rezoning Huffaker Elementary to Galena High School, which would require a 9-mile drive. If the district is willing to do that, why not maintain the current arrangement between Smithridge and Damonte, which actually benefits students?

What We Demand
1️⃣ STOP this rezoning plan and keep Smithridge students at Damonte Ranch. 
2️⃣ Make a more direct effort to reach out and receive input from Smithridge and Pine families that will be affected, while also making any communication efforts in Spanish, unbiased, and simple to understand.
3️⃣ Put students first—decisions should be based on what’s best for their future, not just numbers on a map.

📢 We need your support!
Sign this petition to tell the Washoe County School District: Do the right thing. Keep Smithridge at Damonte.

Every signature counts. Every email counts. Share this petition with your friends, family, and community. Together, we can fight for a better future for our students.

A Personal Message from Justin Solimine
My name is Justin Solimine, and I am a senior at Damonte Ranch High School, the Salutatorian of my class, and a future Yale student. But more importantly, I live in the Smithridge area and I live this reality. I and hundreds of people in my neighborhood rely on the bus daily to get to Damonte.

I genuinely believe I wouldn't be where I am today without Damonte Ranch. This school gave me the resources, teachers, and opportunities that helped me reach my full potential. I am not an exception—I am proof of what is possible when students from low-income areas are given the right support—something Damonte has done exceptionally well for this community.

This is not just a policy decision—this is about real kids who, like me, dream big. We don't just play with zoning, but we play with the trajectory of people's lives.

Please, stand with me in fighting for what is right. Sign this petition. Send emails to the district. Make your voice heard. 

Thank you.