Editor:
Public education in Nevada is facing grave risk. Our state budget is in serious trouble. Here at home, Douglas County School Superintendent Carol Lark is taking drastic measures to "cut extras" and see our local schools through this tough time. We are lucky in this county to have voters who support education. The continuation bond was passed, and our aging schools will have the maintenance they require. Douglas County residents understand the need to provide facilities that will nurture the education of our youngest residents.
The next challenge schools face in these lean budget times is how to maintain the quality of what we do here in our public schools. Do we really want to run our schools just like they do in Clark County?
During the Nov. 21 public workshop meeting Lark suggested that the best-case scenario for our county schools might be a 7 percent, or a $2.5 million budget cut. That's just the first tier; it only gets worse with the 14-21 percent scenarios. Items suggested for cuts in the first tier were, field trips, middle school sports, libraries, gifted and talented programs (already minimal).
Potential transportation and certified personnel cuts were the big-ticket items yielding nearly $1.4 million. The budget process is obviously incredibly complex. Public input is absolutely necessary.
Class size concerns are foremost; library services matter to all children, middle school sports can and do change lives. Questions about frequency of testing need to be raised " the Douglas County Grand Jury's recent report cited, "overlapping, and possibly redundant, batteries of tests required of Douglas County students in addition to those required by the State of Nevada ... the tests are time consuming and may actually be interfering with learning by taking valuable time from the classroom."
Site administrators spend large amounts of time planning and administering these tests " is this the best use of your tax dollar with regard to public education?
Nevada's per-pupil funding is consistently close to the bottom on various published national lists (47th - 43rd) depending on the budget year. Shouldn't education have a higher priority in Nevada?
Carol Lark has promised to involve our community in this difficult and painful process. Please come to a school board meeting (Dec. 9 at Douglas High School) and participate. The situation demands your immediate attention.
The board will be making cuts in February, once this action is taken; history shows that recovery of these services is nearly impossible. Urge Gov. Gibbons to fund education in Nevada (www.gov.state.nv.us/ContactX.htm or 684-5670) and to stop squeezing our public schools until they fail to survive. Douglas County has done well at maintaining high standards, but all that is about to change as we look to the future of our public schools in the current economy.
Martha Betcher
Gardnerville
Editor:
To the person (or persons) who have walked on my property and removed signs from my front yard since summer.
Amendment 1 of the Constitution of the United States gives all citizens of the United States "freedom of speech." If you do not like what the signs in my front yard say "don't look at them." It is my right to place them on my property. When you walk on my property it is trespassing. When you take things from my yard it is stealing.
It is now Christmastime. I am about to place my "Christmas " Jesus " Celebrate His Birth" sign in my yard. Please refrain from trespassing on my property to steal this sign. If Christianity is not your thing ... too bad. Again, it is my constitutional right to place this sign in my yard.
Merry Christmas.
Linda Miller
Gardnerville
Editor:
It is obvious that Sen. Harry Reid is concerned if Brian K. Krolicki runs for the senate seat he has held for so long.
With Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto, having a grand jury meet in secret, is so plain as the nose on your face, that something underhanded is going on.
Mary Jane Harding
Gardnerville
Editor:
I was taking my dog out for a potty break in the morning around 8:30 a.m., since I live on a somewhat busy road at that time, there are more cars than usual.
This time I see two bicycle riders, one is a man in the usual biker garb the other is his son backpacked for school.
They are coming down the street and there is a stop sign at the intersection where I live.
The father is yelling at his son to use his hand signal, and the son is somewhat confused.
"Use the signal for a left turn," the father yells at his son. The son's response:
"But Dad you didn't stop at the stop sign!"
The son was trying to follow the rules of the road, but the dad was trying to teach his son the proper turn signal. Can you guess who was right? I think the dad could take a lesson from his son.
I have seen drivers almost take the same turn on two wheels and fail to stop at that intersection.
Makes one wonder if the stop sign should be changed to a yield sign.
Evelyn Small
Gardnerville
Editor:
My father-in-law and I have opposing views on abortion. Approximately one year ago, he asked me the same question (What if you were aborted? R-C Nov. 19). My response to him was "I wouldn't know it would I?"
By my choice, I have experienced pregnancy, I have experienced childbirth, and I have experienced raising children.
Also by my choice, I took three needy children into my house. I know Dick Powers has not experienced pregnancy or childbirth and I wonder how many needy or unwanted children he has taken into his own home.
A Christian person should never judge the actions of another human being. Frequently in the Bible reference is made to judgment coming from the Lord.
Opal Morgan
Gardnerville
Editor:
To misquote Sen. Harry Greed, "The bailout is lost."
The complete ignorance of investment psychology by both parties, Bush, McCain, Obama and other Washington nut cases is astounding.
A simple solution proposed by a few house members was completely ignored in the great rush to rescue.
Instead of squandering $700 billion of taxpayer money, the capital gains tax should have been rescinded for a two-year period.
If this had been done, investors would have flocked to Wall Street and the market would have stabilized itself.
It may have taken a little time but there is nothing like a tax break to restore confidence.
It was Barney Franks, Chris Dodd, Obama's financial advisors Reese and Johnson who lied to the American people by saying Fannie and Freddy were doing fine.
Clinton also instructed Janet Reno (of Waco fame) to put pressure on banks to issue subprime loans.
It's also probable that Franks and company skimmed money off the two and now we have Dodd and Franks heading up the senate and house banking committees.
They're foxes in the henhouse. They should have been indicted, found guilty and sentenced to jail.
Some may think Obama is another JFK, but if he increases taxes in any way (like rescinding the Bush cuts) he'll be known as another Herbert Hoover, who did the same in 1930 and caused the great depression to last for 10 years.
Dan Ballard
Gardnerville Ranchos
