By DR. LARRY MOSES
No one asked me but… Have I ever mentioned how much I hate my in-ground lawn sprinkler system?
Yes, I know that sprinklers are an inanimate object and one should not have an emotional reaction to an inanimate object. However, how many of you have kicked a flat tire on your automobile? This same emotion is invoked when I deal with my sprinkler system.
I also realize that a normal human being would not try to maintain a quarter acre lawn in the middle of the desert. However, I grew up in Iowa where everyone has a green lawn without in-ground sprinklers. Apparently you can take the boy out of Iowa but you can’t take Iowa out of the boy. Desert landscaping done properly looks nice, but it is not grass!
Thirty-three years ago when I moved into the Moapa Valley I had the sprinkler system installed and ever since then, I have been replacing sprinkler heads on a regular basis. This sprinkler system is worse than a delinquent child. At least the delinquent child eventually moves out, but the sprinkler system stays forever.
No one asked me but… This got me thinking about the removal of grass from the high schools in our valleys.
I stopped by Virgin Valley High School recently to check the progress of this grass removal and I found they had not yet turned VVHS into an area that looks like bombed out Gaza. The same cannot be said for Moapa Valley High School.
We have been told that the removal of all grass around the high schools of Clark County and replacing it with artificial turf and desert landscaping is to save water from Lake Mead. I was not aware of the fact that either of our high schools drew water from the Lake.
We apparently will have to sacrifice the aesthetic view of our schools so the eco-nuts in California can generate more electricity for their electric vehicles.
Interestingly enough, when I was recently in California I was able to observe a number of California high schools, they all had grass and no fences. I also drove past a reservoir for almost as many miles long as our very own Lake Mead. It did not appear that Caliphonies had been draining this lake.
Apparently it was not bad enough that CCSD has made MVHS look like a minimum-security prison with all the fences, locked gates and doors, and a hall station with a bank of computer screens that can monitor the movements of the students throughout the school We now will have a school that looks like a bombed out minimum-security prison.
I can understand the artificial turf on the athletic fields but what is being done at the front and side of the building is a disaster.
I stopped by VVHS during my last trip to Wal-Mart to see how they were progressing in the destruction of the grass areas around the school. I was surprised to find that they had not started on the baseball, soccer, or softball fields. It was apparent that they had stopped watering the grass area around the building but they had not started removing the grass. I was also surprise at the amount of grass there was around the building.
Being an MVHS Pirate at heart, I really don’t like to report this: but the VVHS campus was much more pleasant to the eye than MVHS. I would hope that the new principal, whomever that ends up being will insist on a complete paint job. I may be wrong, but I did not see extensive fencing of the VVHS campus that shouts “stay out!” that we see at MVHS.
You may ask why does it matter what the building and grounds look like? Let me suggest to you as a person who taught school for nineteen years and was school administrator for twelve years, that the appearance of a school is of utmost importance. If a school’s appearance is warm and inviting students will take pride in the school. It will become the center of their activities and they will have a commitment that extends well beyond the classroom.
We may save some water for California, but I really don’t how, or really much care about that. If they want to cut down on the water leaving Lake Mead, let me suggest that they shut down the generators and hold the water until the lake reaches the desired volume. Maybe the eco-nut Caliphonies will come to their senses and realize if they were to use every drop of Lake Mead to generate electricity, they would still not have enough electricity to power their houses and cars by 2035.
No one asked me but… Here are some interesting facts about CCSD while Dr. Jesus Jara, the Florida Flash, was superintendent. Not sure what they mean but I thought they were interesting.
1. Clark County’s population grew by 167,338 people – CCSD’s population decreased by 20,940 over the same period.
2. There are a little over 40,000 employees in CCSD only 37.5 percent are teachers.
3. CCSD claims that it only spends $21,243 dollars per student. However, that is only the when the Gen/Sped Education budget of $6,104,436,288 is considered.
4. If entire CCSD budget is considered, including Other Funds Budget, the total per pupil expenditure is actually $28,436.97. That rivals some of the most expensive private schools in Las Vegas.
5. The District claims that there are 15,000 teachers and 287,351.83 students, I am not sure what .83 of a student is but that is a 19-1 ratio of students to teachers.
6. According to the District, the Central Office personnel ratio to teacher is 1 central office person for every 301 teachers.
Thought of the week…In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards.
– Mark Twain
