Please give a background of yourself and why you are running for school board.
I was born in Washington D.C. in 1953. My father worked for the civil service on the Trident missiles and as such, as I grew up, we moved to Southern California and then to Florida and back to Southern California. After graduating high school, I attended Stanislaus State University and received my bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1976 and went on to receive my lifetime teaching credential in California.
After college, I taught fifth grade and seventh grade and then high school math, science, and PE at Central Catholic High School in Modesto, Calif.. I coached freshman and JV football, freshman and JV basketball, cross country, and started the track program at Central Catholic High School. The track program would go on to win the league title the second year.
In 1982 I moved to Fallon and became the head basketball coach and taught math and biology for two years. I left Fallon in 1985 to become the vice principal for Central Catholic High School but returned to Fallon in 1986 and taught at Churchill County High School until my retirement in 2016. During my teaching years, I coached boys’ and girls’ basketball, track, golf, tennis and softball, leading several of these teams to the state competition. In 2011 and 2012 I was the head coach for the softball team that won back-to-back state championships. In 2020 I was inducted into the Churchill County High School Greenwave Hall of Fame.
My wife and three girls have all gone through the Churchill County School system. My wife Denice is a UNR graduate (the first college graduate in her family). We instilled in our daughters the importance of a good education, and always hoped they would achieve more than we had. Consequently, Kate has completed a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. Jill has a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and is currently in school to receive her Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
I am running for re-election because after 40 years of teaching, and coaching for the equivalent of over 60 years, and having served on the school board for one term (where I have also served on the policy and budget committees), I feel I understand the importance of a good education, both in and out of the classroom. Additionally, I understand what it takes to have a good school system in this day and age. Finally, I firmly believe extracurricular programs enhance the educational experience, whether it be FFA, band, choir, academic teams or sports.
My stand on education is a simple but important one. Students first, teachers second and then everyone else who supports the first two. I want to continue to try to bring the best system of education for our students and teachers to our community.
The state is in the middle of changing the funding formula for Nevada’s schools. Will this change be more beneficial for Churchill County Schools or should the state have more give and take when dealing with individua school districts?
The changing of the funding formula could be a positive or a negative to Churchill County. If the formula works on the problem of the cost to educate all students, this will work as a positive. If it becomes a situation where money is just moved around and given a different category, things from a budget standpoint won’t change. It will be important once we go through the first year with the new formula, that we extensively go through and review how it effects Churchill County. This is where the give and take must begin and if changes need to be made to the formula it should be done at that time.
The school district has outsourced food services. Would you be in favor or not in favor if the school board wanted to extend outsourcing for janitorial services and transportation?
No, I would not want to outsource janitorial services or transportation. With regards to janitorial service, I want to know who has the keys to our classrooms and I want our school district to hire the people who will be working with our students and teachers. When you hire local people there becomes a sense of pride because they are invested in the community. We already have the ability to work on our buses and fleet of vans and cars. I just don’t see the saving to outsource.
If and when the coronavirus pandemic has disappeared, should the school district retain both online and in-person instruction?
I would keep an open mind to returning to online education. I would want to see how effective both online and in-person instruction has been. I do feel some in-person instruction is essential. With that being said, if it can be shown from budget and student standpoints to be beneficial to use online education as a supplement I would certainly be in favor of considering it.
Would you favor the continuation of the partnership between the school district and Western Nevada College by expanding more programs for high-school level classes?
I would be in favor of the continuation of the partnership between the school district and Western Nevada College by expanding more programs for high school level classes if there was a need for a class or classes that our school district did not offer or could not afford to offer because of class size.
School districts across the state have experienced problems in hiring staff and then keeping them in the rural setting. As a trustee, what would you do to help Human Resources attract more educators and keep them in Churchill County?
I would have the district office set up a recruiting team made up of an Administrator, human resource director, a good young teacher, and a more experienced teacher who has been in the district. I would go beyond only job fairs by also encouraging contacting colleges that have strong education programs. If the budget warrants, I would give signing bonuses to incoming teachers. I taught for 32 years in this district and I would be more than happy to help recruit teachers to our school district.
What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of our current school system?
I believe our biggest strength is our staff, teachers, administration, and support workers. For the size of our school district we offer a wide variety of classes on our secondary level. We do a good job of staying up with technology as all of our students in the third grade and above have chrome books. Our primary grades offer a well-rounded education that strengthen importance of reading, writing and math. I feel the biggest weakness of our school system is our graduation rate. It is too low and we need to strengthen our attendance policy that will hold students more accountable.
What is the one biggest change, issue, improvement you would like to see occur or would you advocate for during your term on the school board?
I want to see our district continue to expand educational opportunities for students that are not planning on attending college, by learning a skill or trade whereby they can be employable after graduation or go to a trade/tech school.
What is your opinion about communication between the board and the staff, visiting schools, and how much opportunity would you have to spend observing and talking to staff at school sites?
I feel strongly about the communication between the board and staff. As a current board member, I want to know how our staff is doing and their concerns. It is important to know that board members should not micro-manage but act as a liaison. I have no problem with visiting schools and since I am retired would have the time to observe and talk to the staff.
How would you proceed if your opinion is different from the rest of the board – would you be willing to stand your ground, build a coalition, or go with the flow?
As an acting board member, there have been situations after discussion with board members in an open meeting setting where I have had strong feelings on situations that may not have been the same as other board members. There have been situations after discussion where I worked to build a coalition on a topic. I also have been in discussions and after listening have changed my mind and chose to vote with the majority. I feel it is of the upmost importance to keep an open mind and listen to all sides of the story while staying true to my beliefs and do what is best for the students and the school district.
What would your support level be for maintaining or improving the Career and Technical Education programs at the high school and middle school?
Since only 33% of high school graduates go on to college, I feel we should at the very least, maintain our level of Career and Technical Education programs. We must always be pursuing ways to improve the education opportunities for these students.
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