Gardnerville man files for school board

Gardnerville resident David Burns has filed for the Douglas County Board of Trustees Area 7 seat being vacated by term-limited trustee Ross Chichester.

Burns, 67, said he is married to a retired public-school teacher who has resided in Douglas County since 2013.

“Douglas County schools have been recognized as high performing, with dedicated teachers and administrators, but leftist political ideology has taken hold of the curriculum and policies in this district, just as it has in thousands of other districts across America. I intend to stop that in its tracks here in our county,” Burns said.

Burns said he is concerned with the district’s adoption of the social emotional learning methodologies aimed at shaping a student’s psychological wellbeing.

“Teachers should not be asking students to share ‘feelings’ about personal issues and sexuality in what is, in essence, a ‘counselling’ scenario that promotes a world view that most Douglas County parents would not agree with or be comfortable supporting,” he said.

According to his campaign announcement, Burns said he gained insights into how education deals with different students while raising his children.

He said his daughter excelled academically, but his son struggled, and that caused him to have regular interactions with the school’s administrative staff.

“I feel strongly that parents need to have a welcomed voice in what skills and knowledge their children are learning at school, and he plans to call for far more transparency than is being offered by the current board,” he said. “My philosophy rests on the idea that teachers, administrators, and parents need to take a team approach in educating and protecting the students in Douglas County’s public schools.”

Campaign Manager Dave Nelson said Burns played a significant role in Douglas County’s declaring itself a “Second Amendment County” in 2017.