public schools

The pure love of music is inspiring and motivating and, for many, life changing. This is especially true for youth involved with orchestral programs. The Reno Philharmonic Association’s Free Family Concert and Youth Orchestra Fall Showcase puts the organization’s music education program center stage Nov. 15 at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, Reno, Nev. The concerts are part of the Reno Philharmonics’ education and outreach initiatives, providing music education, enrichment and exposure to thousands of Washoe County and greater Truckee Meadows school children.

Hi…I’m Dave Cook….
Candidate for Nevada Assembly, district 40 (Carson
City, and south Washoe County), democrat, age 64.

I am a fourth generation Nevadan. I have lived in Carson City for thirty-five years, where I raised my two daughters. Both are now college graduates.

I'm a retired emeritus awarded college professor of business and
economics from Western Nevada College, where I taught for almost
thirty years here in Carson City.

I graduated from UNLV with bachelor degrees in Accounting and Political Science, and an MBA in Business and Economics.

CARSON CITY — Tesla Motors Inc. has sent a letter to Gov. Brian Sandoval promising to give public schools in Nevada $37.5 million over five years.

Mr. Jamie Vollmer, renown education author, speaker, and consultant will present an uplifting and entertaining message about education Aug. 13 at the Carson City Community Center theater beginning at 1 p.m.

Vollmer is an award-winning champion of public education, and the author of the highly acclaimed book, "Schools Cannot Do It Alone." Vollmer is not a professional educator.

Carson City Library will host the 2014 Spokes team Monday as they ride through town. The group of seven students and alumni from Harvard, MIT, and Columbia are biking from San Francisco to Washington, D.C.

Spokes America is a bike trip across the United States designed to make STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) accessible to students everywhere. The Spokes team will be at the Carson City Library with plans to run a “Learning Festival” during their June 16 visit.

Four Nevada legislative candidates who hope to represent Carson City took to the microphone Wednesday night at the Carson City Chamber of Commerce candidate forum.

Each touted their qualifications, noting their conservative credentials and their commitment as Republicans to tackle a legislative body dominated by southern Nevada Democrats.

Gov. Brian Sandoval, Chairman of the Nevada Commission on Homeland Security, along with 16 voting members recently approved the funding allocations for Federal Fiscal Year 2014 Homeland Security Grant Program projects.

Back on home turf, Maddie Bowman, Jamie Anderson and Hannah Teter from South Lake Tahoe spent Saturday doing everything from autographing hundreds of posters to standing in front of thousands of cheering fans.

The "Golden Girls" are all glad to be home after the whirlwind they've been on since the 2014 Olympic Games. The celebration and parade held in South Lake Tahoe, Meyers and Sierra-at-Tahoe, their home ski resort, was the first time the three Olympians had been together since Sochi.

Read the full text of Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell's State of the City speech, after the jump.

Former Nevada Assemblywoman and hospital trustee Vivian Freeman died Thursday at her home in Reno. She was 86 years old.

She successfully underwent kidney transplant surgery in 2011 and passed away due to complications from a stroke she suffered on Nov. 26. In accordance with her wishes, she asked that all treatment be stopped so that she could return home where she died at 11:00 a.m. PST on Thursday, Dec. 5.

The adoption and implementation of Common Core (CCSS) in Nevada is patently ILLEGAL. Everything they are doing, everything they have done, and the way they have gone about it is illegal.

On the Nevada side,

According to the NRS 389.520, the authority to determine what STANDARDS will be imposed on Nevada's schools is assigned to the Council To Establish Academic Standards. 

NRS 389.520

1.  The Council shall:
     
(a) Establish standards of content and performance, including, without limitation, a prescription of the resulting level of achievement

Even the wise, kind and responsible Disney nanny character would face a daunting task were she presented with the continuing public policy fiascos in our troubled town. Mary handled her unbridled charges with aplomb and urgency. Many of our elected and appointed officials need to employ these traits.

State Fair

A quarter of Nevada's 604 public schools got lower grades this year compared with last year in a statewide ranking system.

Go here to see where Carson City area schools rank.

In the late summer of 1963 Susan and I were finishing our three-month Peace Corps training program at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. We had survived the mid-term "deselection process" (a Peace Corps term for the trainees who didn't make it--close to 50% of the students). We had endured weeks of intensive Turkish language instruction and instruction in TEFL (teaching English as a Foreign Language from some of the country's foremost experts. In addition to studying Turkish politics and culture, we wilted under the physical education requirements at 5:00 in the afternoon during a D.C.

by JERI CHADWELL

UPDATE: A bill that would give Washoe County Commissioners a one-time opportunity to raise sales and property taxes to fund capital improvements at many of the district’s aging public schools passed out of the Senate on Monday in a vote of 16-4. AB46 will now head to Gov. Brian Sandoval’s desk for a final signature.

The measure has been the topic of heated debate on Twitter throughout the session. Today’s final vote sparked the following conversation and several more.

Recently, while dialing thru the radio spectrum I stumbled upon the “conservative” Mike Gallagher talk show, which is broadcast locally here in Carson City, on KKFT-99.1.

Mr. Gallagher stated (and I am paraphrasing here) “our children are not allowed to pray in public schools”

“The United States Supreme Court has never held that students cannot pray in school.

CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today said he wants an assessment of how Nevada’s public schools are doing in regards to security following the horrific shooting deaths a week ago at a Connecticut elementary school.

Sandoval made the request as chairman of the state Homeland Security Commission, which met today by teleconference. A presentation will be prepared for the next meeting of the commission.

The Carson City School District was among 16 winners of federal grant money from the The U.S. Department of Education's 2012 Race to the Top-District competition.

The Carson City School District will receive a share of the $400 million grant, around and up to $10 million, to support locally developed plans to personalize and deepen student learning, directly improve student achievement and educator effectiveness, close achievement gaps, and prepare every student to succeed in college and their careers.

"This is wonderful news for Carson City's students, teachers and parents" said Nevada Sen. Harry Reid. "As someone whose life was transformed by teachers, I understand the importance of providing all Nevadans with the opportunity to receive a quality education. While I wish that other school districts in the state were also awarded this grant, I know these funds will help put Carson's students on a path towards success."

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on Wednesday announced the designation of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad McKeen Motor Car #70 based in Carson City as one of 27 national historic landmarks.
Calling the McKeen Motor Car #70, Virginia & Truckee Railway Motor Car #22, "the best surviving example of the first commercially viable application of internal combustion power in a self-propelled railroad car" the designation possess exceptional value and quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States, Salazar said.

CARSON CITY – A Carson City District Judge today heard the latest challenge to a teacher-backed initiative petition that seeks to levy a 2 percent tax on companies making gross revenues in excess of $1 million a year to raise money to support public education.

But Judge James Wilson did not immediately rule on challenges to the “Education Initiative” filed by the Committee to Protect Nevada Jobs.

A “Yes” vote on CC-1 will increase our Carson City debt to over $250 million in dire economic times. For what? Another library at a total debt over $4,500 for every man, woman and child in Carson City! San Bernardino, which just went bankrupt, has one-third that per person debt! What’s the need?

We already have 31 libraries - four separate public libraries, libraries in each of the 12 public schools, three museum libraries, 11 private school libraries and the Business Resource Innovation Center library. The present

CARSON CITY – The Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce today commended Sen. Michael Roberson, R-Las Vegas, for his commitment to seek $20 million a year in funding for English language learner programs in the Clark County School District.

RENO – Northern Nevada state lawmakers and candidates in the November general election identified a number of public education priorities at a forum here Monday, from ending social promotion to paying the best performing teachers more to making much-needed capital improvements to older Washoe County schools.

CARSON CITY – As Nevada policy makers work to ensure that ineffective teachers are removed from classrooms around the state, a new report released today provides evidence to support the use of test scores to measure how much individual teachers contribute to pupil achievement.

CARSON CITY – A panel of lawmakers today recommended that Nevada’s public education funding formula be revised to take into account the higher cost of educating specific groups of students, including English-language learners and children in poverty.

But lawmakers also acknowledged that updating the formula won’t mean any significant changes in funding for the state’s 17 school districts until the state’s economy improves and tax revenues increase.

There is no proposal to shift funding from one district to another to fund a new weighted formula.

The Children’s Museum of Northern Nevada’s Board of Directors is proud to introduce our new Executive Director, Luana Olsen.

Luana has extensive administrative and bookkeeping experience and has taught in the public schools for 12 years. Lu received her Bachelor’s Degree with a double major in Elementary Education and English Literature in Minnesota and holds a current Nevada State Teaching License as well as a Master’s Degree in Computer Education which she received in California.

CARSON CITY – A business margin tax initiative petition filed with the Secretary of State’s office won’t see signature gathering efforts start right away because a legal challenge to the proposal is expected, a teachers union official said today.

CARSON CITY – Five candidates, including one current board member, are seeking the State Board of Education seat in District 3 in Clark County in the June 12 primary.

The top two vote-getters in the nonpartisan race will move on to the general election in November. The board, reconstituted in the 2011 legislative session, has four elected seats. Another three will be appointed by Gov. Brian Sandoval and legislative leadership.

CARSON CITY – With education reform a top priority of Gov. Brian Sandoval, the new alignment of the state Board of Education – with four seats up for grabs on the November ballot – is taking on more importance than ever before.

One of the four seats, District 2 which mirrors the new Nevada 2^nd Congressional District from Reno and Carson City east across rural Nevada, has attracted five candidates, two of whom are serving now on the 10-member elected board. The race is nonpartisan.

Did you know that our relatively small community has 26 libraries which are not managed, operated or funded in an integrated way?

Each of the 22 private and public schools has its own library. Then there are four public libraries (Western Nevada College, city, State Library and Archives, State Law Library). Two of these libraries (State Library and Archives and the State Law Library) are woefully underutilized.