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Students from 38 local high schools gather at Texas Station Casino to talk about issues effecting the country and community during a question-and-answer session with mayors from around the valley during a Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast and Youth Town Hall Meeting on Thursday.

By Jeff O'Brien (contact)

Tue, Nov 4, 2008 (midnight)

With only a few days remaining before the 2008 presidential election, more than 300 local high schoolers had the opportunity to discuss current issues and events with elected officials from across the Las Vegas Valley.

A "Mayor's Prayer Breakfast and Youth Town Hall Meeting" was held Thursday at Texas Station hotel-casino. It was sponsored by the Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada and the United Way of Southern Nevada.

Thirty-eight high schools participated in a question and answer session that included Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, North Las Vegas Mayor Michael Montandon, Henderson Mayor James Gibson, Boulder City Mayor Roger Tobler and Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid.

One of the first questions asked was why there have been so many budget cuts across the Clark County School District, prompting Reid to say the situation is being mishandled.

"Gov. Gibbons said we need across the board cuts and I think some programs are more important than others," Reid said. "I don't think that's the way to handle this situation. We need to protect our kids."

Seventeen year-old Taylor Gardner, a senior at Palo Verde High School, asked the panel to comment on sustainability.

"We need to install more recycling bins at schools and other places," Gardner said. "Even if it's just starting out small to get more kids involved."

Montandon said he has been working with Republic Services to improve the disposal system across the Las Vegas Valley.

"We need to start an active recycling program to change the way trash is picked up here," Montandon said. "Maybe two separate cans for each household, one for recyclables and one for garbage. We simply have to sit down and force the issue."

Shannon Sherwood, an 18-year-old senior at Bishop Gorman High School, was concerned about the affect the housing market has had on local teenagers.

"As you know, homes are foreclosing every day and people are losing their homes," Sherwood said to the panel. "What do you plan to do to help out the teenagers who are left homeless in this valley?"

"It's a very difficult problem," Goodman said. "Youngsters are living in cars if they are lucky or going from home to home. Each one of us up here has a department within our city for community support services. If these children or families contact us, we'll make sure they are placed in a very safe environment during these tough times."

The event provided an opportunity for local teens to improve their leadership skills and learn how to work in groups, Sherwood said.

"It's a good segue into a college environment where we can express our ideas and opinions," she said.

The sour economy and housing market has been very prevalent in her life, Sherwood said.

"My mother works in real estate and my father works in the construction industry," she said. "They both have been having a tough time. I'm really concerned about how the economy is affecting many other students in our community."

One student asked the mayors what they thought about the possibility of dividing up the school district, which could localize oversight but create challenges in ensuring that all schools are up to speed with one another in terms of funding and support.

"If it could be demonstrated that we could deliver a better quality of education by having multiple school districts, I think all of us up here would be in favor of it," Gibson said. "The key is if we can really improve things by doing that. It's really important for us to not leave any schools behind. We would want equality among all schools."

Jeff O’Brien can be reached at 990-8957 or jeff.obrien@hbcpub.com.