Suggestions for cuts made on school district's Web site

Ideas for cutting the budget " from increasing class size to charging students to ride the buses " are coming in to the Carson City School District on its new online suggestion box.

The district is bracing for massive cuts to be handed down from the Nevada Legislature, and is looking to the community for feedback.

On Feb. 1, the district added a feature on its Web site soliciting comments.

"We've been getting a lot of comments from staff," said Superintendent Richard Stokes. "We'd love to invite more people from the community to weigh in."

He said many have asked about the benefits of a four-day school week, and others have suggested increasing class size to reduce the number of teachers needed.

He said there have been suggestions that parents shoulder a greater financial responsibility, paying for bus transportation and extracurricular activities like sports.

Stokes said all comments will be considered in the decision-making process.

He plans to make a presentation to the school board Tuesday outlining some specific ideas.

He said some will involve smaller sacrifices, such as eliminating items that generate additional electrical costs. Microwaves, personal refrigerators, hot plates and space heaters could be banned.

"We could appeal to staff to get rid of those things to save some of the 'dirty electricity' costs," he said.

Other plans to be presented include larger changes, he said. Although there has been discussion of changing Fremont Elementary School's schedule from year-round to traditional, he said, he wasn't ready to identify any specific proposals until Tuesday.

- Contact reporter Teri Vance at tvance@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1272.