Carson City school town-hall meeting Wednesday

The first in a series of three town hall-style meetings to discuss the Carson City School District's budget will be tonight at the high school.

"It represents a time for the public to give their impact," said Superintendent Richard Stokes. "A lot of ideas we have received are good and valuable, and we appreciate that."

Stokes said the district is seeking feedback from the community, although there remains much uncertainty.

Agencies across the state anticipate unprecedented cuts, but the exact number has not yet been determined by the Legislature. However, there may be federal relief from the Economic Stimulus Bill signed Tuesday by President Obama.

"We're asking our leaders at the state level how to interpret those dollars and how we may be able to fold them back into the system," Stokes said.

During last week's school board meeting, one teacher suggested shifting to a four-day school week.

Stokes said that has been the most popular idea posted on the school district's Web site carsoncityschools.com.

"We're getting together some information regarding that, and we'll try to answer any questions," he said. "I think it's really important to be responsive and look into it."

However, he said, it's a relatively new concept so there are few comprehensive studies.

"I haven't seen a lot of convincing evidence on a four-day week," he said. "It's been difficult finding any studies that can give some good data as it applies to cost savings."

Many parents in the school district work for the state on a five-day schedule, which could further complicate the idea, Stokes said.

A second meeting will be held 6 p.m. Thursday at Eagle Valley Middle School and the third will be 6 p.m. Monday at Fremont Elementary School.

Stokes said the information at the meetings will be the same, regardless of location.

Lyon County is hosting a similar forum 8-9 a.m. today at Greater Nevada Credit Union, 555 Highway 50 East. Lyon County School Board representatives John Stevens, Jerry Peterson and James Huckaby will host.

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