Trustees say farewell to McFarlane

It was a night of tearful good byes and well wishes for the trustees at the school board’s Thursday night meeting as they said farewell to trustee Nona McFarlane who wasn’t re-elected to the board for another four years.

School Board President Ron Evans thanked McFarlane for her years of service and dedication on behalf of the people of Churchill County and the school board members.

“Being a school board member is a difficult job,” Evans said. “It requires a lot of time being a trustee. You have always gone that extra mile to ensure your understanding of both sides of an issue. We salute you Nona and we thank you for your four years of service to the students of Churchill County School District.”

Trustee Steve Nunn presented McFarlane with a certificate of appreciation from the Nevada Association of School Boards and a certificate of appreciation from Sens. Dean Heller and Harry Reid thanking her for her service and dedication to the students’ education.

Trustee Carmen Schank said McFarlane worked for the people of Churchill County and ensured tax dollars were being spent appropriately.

“She spent countless hours making sure things were getting done right and that the best interest of the children was taken care of,” Schank said. “She will be surly missed, and I think the community will miss her as well. She was a great board member.”

Nunn said working closely to McFarlane over the last four years allowed him to see the dedicated work she was and the countless hours that she put in.

“I remember being asked how many hours a week would I dedicate to the board,” Nunn said. “I had no idea but at that time I wasn’t retired so I said 20 hours. However, 20 hours to Nona is a joke … she’d put in 60 hours a week and I want to thank her for that.”

McFarlane was grateful for the kind words the trustees had to say about her. She said she was disappointed about not being re-elected for several days but once she erased her calendar of meetings and commitments, she felt at ease looking at the blank calendar.

“I take this job personally,” McFarlane said tearfully. “I was born, raised and educated here, and I know what a fantastic school district looks like and I know what well educated kids benefit from and what that means for our future.”

She said she has put herself through a self-evaluation the past few weeks and doesn’t feel she has been a successful board member. McFarlane said she looks at where the district is now and sees a rough road ahead for the district and for the district to turn things around, leadership needs to be assumed by district facility members and parents.

McFarlane said she will miss being a school board member but she has made great memories and friendships while serving the last four years.

Others items approved and/or discussed by the trustees include the following:

Approved a bid for $1,300 for the grazing lease for the Rio Vista property.

Approved the offer for the Discovery Drive house with the counter offer recommendations presented by realtor Gary Troxel.

Discussed how the high school fundraisers work, what account it goes into and what the students of the clubs can use the money for.

Discussed the purpose for the West End Complex prep kitchen.

Discussed the remaining punch list left at E. C. Best Elementary School and the possibility of fixing the sound system in the Pit.

Approved the contract of $102,000 to CR Engineering for services for replacing HVAC units at Churchill County High School.

Approved the contract of $31, 878 to Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects for design services for renovating the Science Wing of Churchill County Middle School.

Approved the FY 2014-2015 amended budget.