The Carson City School District Board of Trustees approved the renewal of three Family Life Committee members to their three-year terms while discussing potential needs for its parent volunteer vacancy.
Committee chairperson Sheila Story, who has served a three-term already, said she would like to continue in her role for the FLC for the next three years. Ann Dankworth, a registered nurse for Eagle Valley Middle School, also has served as a medical representative committee for the past three years and said she wanted to renew. Candice McDaniel, deputy director for Nevada Health and Human Services, also wanted to continue as a parent representative.
Recently, the board selected Carson High School teacher Jennifer Minifie and Fountainhead Foursquare co-pastor Vanessa White
to assume two empty positions on the committee.
While board members asked whether there was a pressing timeframe to approve representatives, Superintendent Richard Stokes answered the item for the Nov. 23 agenda was for the approval of the three individuals already serving. But trustees asked why resumes aren’t required of candidates.
Trustee Stacie Wilke-McCulloch asked to consider what keeps interested applicants engaged with the FLC that they’re willing to apply or reapply.
“A lot changes every year, and this is always brought up at the Legislature,” she said. “I want to try to keep it informational. We can say this program works for us, and so if we testify, we can say this program works for us, we don’t need a blanket program for the whole state, it works really well for us, we have good attendance, we have good people. … I don’t need a resume, but why they still want to do this three years later.”
Asking for public comment, resident Bepsy Strasburg agreed with Wilke-McCulloch, asking about the three-year term and how the position was initially advertised, saying the position carries with it “built-in, inherent biases” to be avoided. The district is obligated to post notice in the Nevada Appeal’s legals section, district spokesman Dan Davis confirmed.
“We don’t get a lot of interest in these positions, but I agree it would be great to have new people, but we’re just not seeing those interested folks,” Superintendent Richard Stokes said during the meeting.
The district does tend to see more turnover for advisory committees such as the FLC, but it is required to adhere to certain rules under the Nevada Revised Statutes about who serves, Tasha Fuson, associate superintendent of educational services, said Friday. So for example, medical professionals or members of the clergy tend to fulfill the minimum three-year requirement or longer, but it is harder to have parents apply for a second term. Fuson said the district consistently goes out to community members who are actively engaged and asks if they would consider applying.
“Obviously, we’re a close-knit community,” she said. “When they get on a committee, they get really knowledgeable about the process and they have a tendency to want to stay connected. … Our trustee’s concern was that we were trying to make sure that we were advertising in a manner that we were trying to reach an audience with the right people. We have a parent opening and we have posted a parent opening as required and we didn’t have any applications after our last board meeting.”
The district’s latest outreach efforts to generate new interest in the parent position as of Friday brought in at least a few inquiries, Fuson said, and four applications so far, which she said CCSD is “very happy about.” Applications will be considered at a board meeting in January or February, and she said it will be an opportunity for the trustees to interview the parents about what they feel is important to them as candidates for the committee.
The committee helps to define a course of instruction, endorsed by the Board of Trustees, as the district’s sex education program. The program includes factual instruction concerning acquired immune deficiency syndrome and instruction on the human reproductive system, related communicable diseases and sexual responsibility. Appointment as a member shall be for an initial term of three years.
FLC meetings are held monthly with potential special meetings to be called.
A parent vacancy for the committee currently is available, and the district is accepting applications by 4 p.m. Wednesday. Applicants must submit letters of interest and resumes to CCSD’s Educational Services Department at 1402 W. King St., Carson City, Nev. 89703 or through e-mail to
pcamara@carson.k12.nv.us. Those seeking more information about the process can contact Paige Camara, administrative assistant, at 775-283-2009.
