Longtime Lyon County School Board trustee won't run again, three people vying for position

At least one new face will appear on the Lyon County School Board this fall after the long-serving trustee in seat four decided not to run for a last term.

Barbara Johnson, who has held the seat for the past 171Ú2 years, started before term limits were established - which means she could run one more time.

"By the time my term is complete, I'll have served 18 years on the school board," said Johnson, of Stagecoach. "That's why I'm not running anymore. I think it's time for new blood."

Three people have thrown in their names for the seat. They are: Lynda Nickerson, of Dayton; Charles Shirley, of Stagecoach; and Cliff Yeater, of Silver Springs.

Nickerson was unavailable for comment.

Shirley, 49, has taught at Carson High School for the past 13 years and taught several years at Fernley High School, which is in the Lyon County School District.

Teachers cannot run for school boards when they are employed by the same district.

Opponent Cliff Yeater, 61, also works for the Carson City School District. He is employed in the adult-education program, instructing inmates at Warm Springs Correctional Center in history, government, English and psychology.

He served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 27 years and taught at Round Mountain Junior High School in Nye County for four years and in San Diego.

"I've been in education now for 15 years," Yeater said. "I see things that I'd like to be part of from the inside instead of from what I've been seeing in the classroom."

Shirley, who is a welding teacher and spent 15 years in construction, wants more accountability about how the district's bond money is spent - down to the details.

The district is using money from a $22 million bond approved in November 2004 by voters to complete construction of East Valley Elementary School in Fernley and to start building of a new elementary school in Dayton. Each will hold about 650 students.

"It's an accountability issue," Shirley said. "The tail is wagging the dog. The school board needs to be in charge of the school district."

Yeater, who said he would like to bring fiscal responsibility to the board, has experience handling multimillion dollar contracts from his time in the Marine Corps. He would like to see more long-term planning and decision-making by the board.

"Really, there's not a lot of negatives coming out of the school board," he said. "They seem to be doing a pretty good job except not looking far enough ahead. They seem to be looking five years ahead and I think they should be looking 15-20 years ahead."

Yeater's oldest son completed high school 18 years ago. Shirley's twin daughters will be seniors at Silver Stage High School.

Shirley is involved in the school's booster club and would like some problems at Silver Stage, which is 4 years old, to be fixed - including the sewer smell in the science lab. He would like vocational education to improve.

"I don't want to be a pot disturber," he said. "But if something's wrong you need to speak up. If something's right, you need to say 'Good job.'"

On the ballot

The following Lyon County School Board Seats are up for election this fall:

• Seat Two: Anthony Corrales, incumbent, and Joseph Slabbinck

• Seat Three: Lynda Nickerson, Charles Shirley and Cliff Yeater

• Seat Four: Jerry Peterson, incumbent

• Contact reporter Maggie O'Neill at moneill@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.