A representative for the Tonopah parent-teacher association, citing safety concerns, pushed for interim and long-term solutions on where school instruction is held in the local area.
Kristy LaBelle was noted as the petitioner for the Tonopah PTA, that is calling for temporarily combining some K-12 schools in the Tonopah area. During a July 11 Tonopah Town Board meeting, a letter of support from the board was called for.
The area PTA is also pushing for a new school to be built in Tonopah. The town board obliged the request for a letter of support.
In the letter dated July 17, 2018, it is stated that the Tonopah PTA is asking to have students from the area middle school join Tonopah’s high school students in their current building at 1 Tennant Drive going forward. Also stated in the letter was the call for elementary school students to have their classes housed in Tonopah’s middle school building at the 1220 Idaho Circle campus, as recommended by the Tonopah PTA.
The elementary school building would no longer house any instruction. According to a letter from the town of Tonopah, safety concerns at the current buildings are the reason for the recent action by the Tonopah PTA.“The Tonopah PTA noted that they would like to have a new school built in Tonopah that is safer than the current buildings and complies with ADA requirements,” the letter of support stated. “They pointed out that parent concerns have been brought to their attention due to the lack of safety at the current buildings.”
According to the letter, the town board voted unanimously (4-0) to offer “support to the Tonopah PTA to continue research and develop options to bring to the community for improvements of the school district.”
The initial motion came from Tonopah Town Clerk Jerry Elliston and was seconded by board member Roni Link.
The Tonopah PTA also made a presentation at the Nye County School Board meeting in July. The presentation was just informational.
Contact reporter Jeffrey Meehan at jmeehan@pvtimes.com