Lions Club Installation Dinner

This past Saturday at the Senior Center, the Pahrump Valley Lions Club held their annual Installation Dinner.

A sincere thank you to all who attended.

Special thanks to Lion Ken Petri, our master of ceremonies and Immediate Past District Governor, Ray Pezonella, our installing officer. Thanks to Tony Whitehead and his crew of Big T's Barbeque; the food was raved about even as we were going out the door.

Our new officers are 2nd Vice-President, Ron Benoit, 1st Vice, Tom Mendel, Treasurer, Debbie Martinez, and Secretary, Aleana Mendel.

Remember, we are here to serve your community!

CHARLIE BENFANTE

President 2009-2010

Pahrump Valley Lions Club

Education needs ignored again

Today I sat and watched as three out of our commissioners made the decision to deny the school board its request for $1.8 million to help with the budget crisis it is facing.

I listened as those commissioners told the children of Nye County -- for political reasons that have nothing to do with them -- that their education does not warrant a loan from the Education Endowment Fund.

Would someone please explain to me exactly what the Education Endowment Fund is supposed to be used for if not for education?

Butch Borasky stated this money is for future generations. Joni Eastley stated, this fund was set up quite sometime ago by past commissioners, so wouldn't that mean the future planned for then has now arrived?

Mr. Borasky, there will be no future generations of children in Nye County if we don't find a way, in this declining economy, to keep families from leaving our community. So many of us moved here for a slower, quieter lifestyle including the added benefit of a school system that wasn't mired in the political nightmares like in Clark County. Classes were smaller and it was obvious teachers were here because they wanted to be, not just because they needed a paycheck. We knew, in time, classes would grow as the population grew, but none of us ever imagined classes would grow because the economy would shrink.

I was appalled to hear Lorinda Wichman chastize the board for not being more innovative in the face of such drastic financial shortfalls. I felt as if the board was being reprimanded for past actions and punishment was issued in the form of a denial of funding to the children who have nothing to do with the actions of the board.

Would these teacher cuts have been avoided if the board had been "more innovative?" I doubt it. And by the way, Ms. Wichman, would you mind defining "more innovative?" I don't recall seeing you at the board's budget workshop meeting offering suggestions nor did I hear from any of you today.

Ms. Wichman also spoke about textbooks being outdated the day they are purchased. Since when does a history book that outlines the past undergo changes to those facts? While the quality of textbooks can always be improved from year to year, the content and materials covered at specific grade levels will remain pretty much the same.

She spoke of our children needing to be schooled more in the information technology age since that is the future. I agree, but what is the district supposed to do -- hand out laptops and Kindles to every student each year?

Ms. Wichman, have you ever really looked around at your constituency in Nye County? This is not the most affluent area in the state. We have a huge number of families living at or below the poverty level. Not every single home is able to afford a computer and Internet service. How do you propose we educate these children in the technology areas without spending the money the board asked you for? If technology is the future then, once again, the future this fund was intended to provide for has arrived.

I agree with you 100 percent when you stated parents need to shoulder more responsibility in the education of their children. Unfortunately, a large number of parents simply do not participate in their children's lives when it comes to school. This has nothing to do with financial status of those families but is simply a sad reflection of inattentive parenting. That is why it is so important for our children to have every chance possible for succeeding in the schools they attend.

Since the beginning of the year we have all watched the federal government give enormous amounts of money to banks and the auto industry in an effort to save them from consequences resulting from decades of mismanagement and greed.

Thanks to creative financing, banks gave loans to people who would have otherwise never qualified for a mortgage on a $500,000 home. Car dealerships have been overpricing vehicles for years without regard to those of us purchasing them.

Yet in spite of all this, the government handed out TARP money like candy on Halloween while the education system in this country continues, year after year, to fail and fall farther and farther behind due to lack of funding.

Nye County commissioners, today was your chance to say, even in a small way, that our children are worth more than Bank of America or GM, but you blew it.

Now when I hear about a recall effort against one of you, I won't wonder if the reason for it is trivial. Instead, I will encourage those individuals to add your most recent action against our children to their list of grievances and encourage them to pursue their efforts with enthusiasm.

MARY BERG