Valley residents go north to lobby for schools

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Monday, April 14, 2003 | 11:11 a.m.

Braving a chilly wind in the pre-dawn light, a small but determined band of parents, students and teachers set off from the Western High School parking lot this morning, bound for Carson City to demand lawmakers allot more money for education.

"If we don't have well-educated kids, our community and our state are going to fall apart," said Mary Jo Malloy, who helped coordinate the trip for Clark County School District families. "We need to get our voices heard on this."

While only about a dozen people departed from the high school for the 10-hour drive north, many others left Sunday or intend to fly to Carson City later today, Malloy said.

"We're going to tell lawmakers we're prepared to pay higher taxes if it means properly educating our children, all of our children," Malloy said.

Participants from all 17 of the state's school districts plan to meet up with hundreds of like-minded citizens this afternoon for a rally on the steps of the Legislative Building. Because it's the first day of spring break, many teachers are expected to take part, Malloy said.

Clark County School Board President Sheila Moulton said she decided to make the drive to support the parents and employees who gave up the first day of spring break to participate.

"That's the ultimate sacrifice, when you load the kids into the car and drive there," Moulton said. "I'm extremely proud of that we have families willing to do that in order to help our schools."

If the governor's proposed budget does not pass, the Clark County School District faces $220 million in cuts over the next two years. There's also the possibility that as much as $15 million would need to be cut before June, district officials have said. That could mean ending the school year early or switching to a four-day week.

Karalyn Vavra, who has two young children, visits her son's first grade classroom at Bass Elementary School every school day, and she knows that school can't take any more budget cutting.

"They need more people, more supplies, more money for humanities programs," Vavra said. "It would be a mistake to take anything away from these schools that already have so little."

While in Carson City, the parents plan to give the Assembly Education Committee a 4,000-signature petition supporting Gov. Kenny Guinn's budget plan.

"We had to work really hard collecting signatures," said Lynsey Cook, a fifth grader at M.J. Christensen Elementary School. "We walked all over the place."

Cook said she worries the district will be forced to cut its music program before she has a chance to learn how to play the violin.

"I want to be in the school orchestra next year, but there won't be one if there isn't any money," Cook said.

Dressed in light blue pajamas decorated with snowmen, Lawrence Middle School sixth grader Megan Malloy said she rolled out of bed at 4:15 a.m. to drive with her mother, Mary Jo, to the parking lot for the caravan departure.

"It will be a good experience to see how the Legislature works," Megan Malloy said.