Storey County School Board interviews second superintendent candidate

Henry Kilmer said he has only about five years left before he retires and he wants to spend that time as superintendent of the Storey County School District.

"My 5- to 7-year goal is to retire and I want one more job," Kilmer told members of the school board and community Monday.

He said he would like the job in Virginia City because it is closer to Oregon where his children live.

It also holds a bit of sentimental value.

He said he drove through Virginia City about three years ago on his way to Tahoe where he bought the engagement ring for his second wife.

The school board interviewed the first candidate last week and will interview the third candidate today. The superintendent will be selected at a special meeting Friday in the library of Gallagher Elementary School at 5 p.m.

Kilmer, who is a superintendent in Gooding, Idaho, said the children are his first priority.

"We're here for the kids and the kids need some basic skills," he said. "No kids are going to survive without basic skills."

He said increasingly those basic skills have to include technology training.

"No kid should leave high school without a basic knowledge of computers and technology," he said. "You can't do anything anymore without them."

Kilmer said his real love is teaching and he enjoys spending time in the classroom even as a superintendent. He said he has an insect collection that he likes to share with the students.

"I could spend a week in science class talking about insects," he said. "You need to be in the classroom once in a while so you don't lose touch."

He said discipline is an essential element to any school.

"You can't run a school without solid discipline," Kilmer said. "Kids need to be responsible for what they do and you need to follow through."

He said teachers must also be held accountable.

"You need a good evaluation system," he said. "One that is helpful but not punitive."

Kilmer said he does not have a clear-cut stand on whether special education students should be included in the regular classroom or stay separate in resource rooms.

"I have some mixed feelings about it," he said. "Those kids really do need to be with other kids in some areas but not in basic-skills areas."

He said special education students should be included in classes like art and social studies but not in math and English.

If you go:

What: Interview with Jay Cason

Where: Library at Gallagher Elementary in Virginia City

When: Today at 4:30 p.m.

What: School board meeting

Where: Library at Gallagher Elementary in Virginia City

When: Today at 6 p.m.