Cyndi Loza

Businessmen Scott Kelley and Denny Martindale say they will bring experience and enthusiasm if elected to the Washoe County school board from District E in northwest Reno, Verdi and Mogul.

“My participation in the educational activities in the Washoe County School District and the community for over 20 years really demonstrates my dedication and enthusiasm to the education process,” said Martindale, 53, former president of the Education Collaborative and Westergard Elementary School parent-teacher association.

“It’s something that is of value and importance to me and the family.”

But, what sets Kelley apart from his opponent is his “willingness to work in the community, whether it’s going door to door visiting the schools or talking to people about education issues,” he said.

“When someone has years and years of experience often times they feel that they already know the issues, where as I am always doing research and talking to people because, I believe, that’s the best way to understand the issues,” Kelley said.

As director of business development for Clark and Sullivan Construction and former president of the Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce, Martindale said his experience can help strengthen relationships with the district, the city and business community.

“If you don’t have the relationships to sit down with those folks, it doesn’t happen,” Martindale said. He said consolidating services with the city and other entities is important when facing difficult economic times.

In December, Gov. Jim Gibbons ordered a 4.5 percent statewide cut that reduced funding to school districts by $95 million over the next two years. In May, Gibbons asked agencies and school districts to present “what-if” budgets with 14 percent cuts to operating costs.

Education in Washoe County “can always be better and we have to protect from major cuts to weaken it, but that’s why I think that experience, understanding (and) knowledge is just vital to the success of the school board because of the major issues that are coming forward right now,” Martindale said. “If you haven’t lived it you won’t understand it. I believe I bring that experience to the table.”

Kelley shared his opponent’s concern about cuts to K-12 education, which is why he wants to push for more accountability and volunteering.

“We’re in an economic recession and people want to know that their money is being spent wisely and not wasted,” said Kelley, 31, product launch developer for Arvato and Microsoft. “I want to push for more accountability for taxpayer dollars … and make sure that it’s going directly into the classroom where it belongs.”

As an Arvato and Microsoft employee and MySpace user, Kelley said he has the technological experience needed on the board.

“Education is changing rapidly and technology is wielding greater influence,” said Kelley, who said he reaches the community and parents through his MySpace page daily. “I understand technology and how it will affect education for years to come and, I think, the school board will do well to have trustees that are in the forefront of the technological advances that education is facing.”