Letter: Support efforts to improve our schools

As the parents of current Carson High School students, we would like to respond to Nannette Moffett's comments and concerns as detailed in recent articles in the Nevada Appeal.

"It's not what you're doing with the facilities, it's what you're doing with their brains that matters," opines Moffett in a recent article. Ms. Moffett may want to check in with a few current Carson High students and/or their parents. I believe that it has been approximately 20 years since she had a student in our school system, and things have changed.

From our point of view, Carson High School is doing just fine with our students' "brains." Our students (both seniors at Carson High) are enjoying being taught by competent and caring professionals who go out of their way to ensure that they are taking good care of educational needs. Our students are learning the basics.

In addition, they are learning the fundamentals of technology, valuable skills that are crucial to their success in the real world today. The "Tech Center" at Carson High School is an incredibly valuable asset to our community and to the high school and college students who use it.

Far from turning them into "desk potatoes," it has enhanced their education and preparation for surviving and prospering in a fast changing global economy. The benefits of this caliber of education far outweigh the cost of providing it and, as Carson City taxpayers, we are proud of the fact that we are committed to making it available to our students.

We are also committed to providing every technological advantage to all of our community students and teachers - from the earliest grade level possible.

I have checked in with our students regarding the supposed "textbook shortage." Both of our students report that they have plenty of access to all of the necessary textbooks for all of their classes. It is also worth noting that we cannot bond for textbook money. If Ms. Moffett is concerned with the availability of textbooks for our students, I hope that she will be at the Legislature, lobbying for money from the State. That would be a positive move on her part as opposed to the negativity and "no solution" solutions that she continually comes up with in relation to our schools.

Regarding the bond: this bond is long overdue and necessary to take care of the safety and welfare of our students. Ms. Moffett states, "Kids are flexible ... I don't think they care that much about cracked pavement. I don't think the heat bothers them."

Did she take a poll of current students in order to arrive at that conclusion or is this her personal opinion? Disregarding the fact that it will cost the taxpayers more money over the long run to continue to apply "band aids" to deteriorating facilities at our public schools, as parents, we are happy to be spending our tax dollars to ensure that our students are safe and comfortable during the many hours each week that they spend at school. Our kids are flexible - to a point. But when they have to spend long hours in a physically uncomfortable and/or unsafe environment, it distracts from the reason that we send them to school - to learn and prepare for their futures as knowledgeable and productive citizens.

Do your homework, Ms. Moffett! The school district has worked long and hard to come up with a reasonable and affordable solution to the very real concerns faced by our students and our schools today. As parents, as community members and as taxpayers, we applaud and support their efforts. They have the foresight and good business sense to handle preventative maintenance and necessary improvements to our schools that will positively impact the future of each of our students and of our entire community. The current bond issue is affordable, it is necessary and, without question, it should be passed.

MARK and JENNY LOPICCOLO

Carson City