At the first school board meeting of the year Tuesday, Jan. 14, Mike Walker was named the newest president of the Carson City School District Board of Trustees. He replaced former President Stacie Wilke-McCulloch, as the school board’s leader. Trustees Joe Cacioppo and Richard Varner were also elected vice president and clerk, respectively. Cacioppo replaced former Vice President Walker and Varner replaced former Clerk Don Carine. Each of the three leaders will serve in these positions for a one-year term.
Also, during the meeting, trustees approved the 2020-2021 Academic Calendar. The calendar committee developed the schedule with the first day of school for students being Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. The last day of school will be Thursday, June 3, 2021, early release day dismissal times and dates, minimum day dismissal times, school holidays, non-school days and more. All academic calendars detail start and end times for each school, early release day dismissal times and dates, minimum day dismissal times, school holidays, non-school days and more.
The 2020 School Board Members include alphabetically by last name Joe Cacioppo, District 7, vice president, Donald Carine, District 6, member, Laurel Crossman, District 2, member, Lupe Ramirez, District 1, member, Richard Varner, District 4, clerk, Mike Walker, District 5, president, and Stacie Wilke-McCulloch, District 3, member.
Walker was elected to the board in 2016. During his first four-year term, he has already served as a board member, clerk, vice president and now president. He earned an Ed. S. in school administration, master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Elementary Education from University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), and an associate’s degree from Truckee Meadows Community College.
He is the current principal of Sutro Elementary School in Dayton and is the president of the Board of Directors of Food for Thought, a local non-profit organization that provides meals for impoverished students in Carson City through a backpack and summer foods program.
Varner is also in his first four-year term, and serving as clerk will be the first leadership position he has held on the school board. He has resided in Nevada since 1960, graduating from Yerington High School. He served two tours in Vietnam as a crew chief on a helicopter gun ship and later spent 41 years in law enforcement. He maintains more than 30 years supervisory and management experience. He earned a degree in Criminal Justice from Western Nevada College and is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Academy.
(Carson City School District contributed to this report.)
