Carine appointed to Carson City School Board

The Carson City School Board appointed Donald Carine on Tuesday to fill its vacancy as trustee for District 6.

The board appointed Carine after a 3-2 vote by the trustees. Board President Laurel Crossman was the deciding vote after a 2-2 split.

Carine has been in Carson City since 2006, and had two children go through the school district. He has worked as a Cub Scout leader, a member and treasurer for the Seeliger Elementary Parent Teacher Organization and an active supporter of the music and band programs in the school district. Carine has also volunteered with the Carson Tigersharks and Carson High swim team.

“I have nothing but good things to say about the school district, we are doing great things,” Carine said. “…This would be the next evolution of volunteerism. Education is everything to me.”

Carine said the board needs to help continue to improve the school so the students can continue to have a safe place to go.

“Our staff and Mr. Stokes are excellent and we have a lot of successful teachers,” Carine said. “Which is good because the school needs to be — and I think that here it is — a place of hope, especially for the students who are economically challenged, where education is a way out.”

As a supporter of the band and other music programs in Carson, Carine hopes to be an advocate for the arts.

Mark Krueger and Brian Brabazon also ran for the position. Brabazon was tied with Carine with two votes before Crossman’s deciding vote. The three were interviewed at the school board meeting Tuesday night.

The District 6 vacancy occurred after board member Susan Hart resigned to move out of state. The position pays $400 a month.

The school board was also expected to approve later Tuesday night the 2017 Empower Carson City Strategic Plan, which is a detailed plan created by school and community members to outline what the district wants to see happen over the next five years.

“I believe these are possible in five years to accomplish,” said Superintendent Richard Stokes. “They are reachable and it is our job to make sure we manage the budget, resources and time to do that… then we can accomplish what the trustees, school staff and community sees as important.”

There are five main goals addressed in the strategic plan: Community and full partnership to bring together the students and local businesses and residents to assist in real-world learning; engaged parents and guardians to help make the adults comfortable with the schools to provide academic success outside of the classroom; healthy generations of students to focus on good mental and physical health of the students so they can learn successfully; a curriculum that matters to make sure the district is providing the best tools and skills for post-secondary life; and an extraordinary staff to be successful. The plan is meant to access necessary concerns and modifications to focus on.