More questions from elementary school students

Jonathan Martinez, Veterans Memorial second grader

Jonathan Martinez, Veterans Memorial second grader

Question: Why do we have to pay for a bus to go on field trips?

Answer: The Washoe County School District transports 20,000 students every day to school. Those rides are free. But if a class or school wants to go on a field trip, it is considered extracurricular, and parents are asked to pay the bill.

Each week, the school district’s transportation department works anywhere from 100 to 500 field trips and athletic events, district Transportation Department Director Rick Martin said.

Some entities, such as the Discovery Museum, pay for the field trip on their own, he said.

Aedan Barnum, 2nd

Aedan Barnum, Miguel Sepulveda second grader 

Question: Why do they make English as Second Language, speech and gifted and talented classes for students?

Answer: One of the toughest challenges for any school district is meeting diverse educational needs.

“District personnel work very hard to determine what each child’s challenges are, and make sure there are resources to help them succeed in their studies so they can graduate from high school and go on to college,” school district spokeswoman Victoria Campbell said.

For example, language hurdles abound in Washoe County. According to Campbell, 10,037 students are English Language Learners in English as Second Language programs. In a school district with about 63,000, that means about one of every six students is juggling English with their native language.

There are also 4,000 students in the gifted and talented program, and their talents are cultivated with programs, too.

Alex Batter, 4th

Alex Batter, Miguel Sepulveda fourth grader

Question: Why are they rezoning Spanish Springs Elementary?

Answer: Rezoning is always tough for students and parents.

In the case of Spanish Springs, school district staff was directed to establish a committee to analyze elementary student populations in the area in 2011.

“Paramount was cleaning up the zoning and to eliminate and minimize variances,” said Mark Stanton, chief Capital Projects and facilities management officer for the district.

A variance is given when a principal approves a student to attend a school in a different zone. Many living near Van Gorder Elementary had to get variances to go there, even though it was the closest school. Van Gorder was giving out more than 100 variances to help nearby families and to relieve Spanish Springs Elementary, Stanton said.

“As quickly as economy nosedived and growth stopped, we never had the need for another school (in Spanish Springs), but the area somewhat continued to grow,” Stanton said.

Another reason was to remove the schools from multi-track, year-round schedules.

Student enrollment for the six elementary schools in the area was estimated at 4,322 in 2012 and is expected to grow to 4,903 in 2021. Stanton said he expects funds to be available for a new elementary school in the area by 2020.

Maritza Cruz, 2nd

Maritza Cruz, Veterans Memorial second grader

Question: Why do most schools have an American flag?

Answer: There is a federal school code that the flag should be displayed during school days in or near every schoolhouse. However, there are exceptions for inclement weather.

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