Local Administrator Trains for State Position

By Leanna Lehman —  Fallon’s own E.C. Best Principal, Keith Boone, has been elected as president for the Nevada Association of Elementary School Principals. Originally from Helena, Montana, Boone has been a principal in Churchill County since 2004 and principal of E.C. Best since 2008. For the first time in 20 years, the Nevada Association of Elementary School Principals, NAESP, has elected a president outside of Clark County. For Northern Nevada elementary school principals, Boone’s election means that an NAESP president is familiar with the unique challenges faced by rural schools across the state. While the association has worked hard to represent the needs of principals from all areas, school districts outside of Clark County have been historically underrepresented. The 700 member association elects their president, who trains for two school years as president-elect before taking office. The job is a big one, according to Boone, and there is a lot to learn. “It takes time to get used to how things operate,” stated Boone, “and even more, to understand about how things work with the state legislature, with federal impact, and lobbying.” Boone estimates he will be as prepared as one can be by the time he assumes his role as president on July 1st, 2020. NAESP belongs to Zone 9 of the national association. According to Boone, Zone 9 encompasses the largest geographical area in the country including all nine western states and Hawaii. “When it comes to education, very often problems are regionally based,” stated Boone, “which means there has to be a lot lobbying to get things done.” Citing the 2017 Nevada legislation that required background checks and fingerprints for parents volunteering over four hours a month. Boone explained, “The law was cumbersome, cost-prohibitive, and kept parents from volunteering,” Boone explained. “Through the efforts of NAESP, including testimonies from principals, they were able to get turned around.” Boone has also pushed for professional development for school principals. During the 2008 recession, professional development for educators declined with available funds focused on classroom needs. After two years of concerted effort on behalf of NAESP, school administrators will be receiving more consistent training including a large-scale training conference sponsored by Google. Boone is looking forward to starting his official term next year and is committed to learning as much as possible to best represent his peers, the association, and his community.           Sign up to receive updates and the Friday File email notices. Support local, independent news – contribute to The Fallon Post, your non-profit (501c3) online news source for all things Fallon.