School board candidate Douglas Dickover discusses curriculum development and more at Eureka debate event

Locals gathered for an evening of political discourse at the Eureka Opera House Sept. 7. Steel Raine, who works at Raine’s, the grocery store his family owns, and others organized a debate between Eureka school board candidates Douglas Dickover and incumbent Leonard Fiorenzi as well as County Commission candidates Tracey Mellard and incumbent Marty Plaskett.
Raine told the Eureka Sentinel the idea for a debate was conceived on his birthday when he was talking with his friends about the upcoming election and he realized he did not know anything about the local candidates. He and others organized the debate in hopes the discussion and education would help bridge the gap between candidates and voters, an effort Raine said is needed in today’s political climate.

Raine said people had been coming up to him at the grocery store to add questions for candidates prior to debate night.
Though the school board debate was scheduled to be between Fiorenzi and Dickover, Fiorenzi did not attend because of illness, according to attendees of the debate. Instead, Raine pivoted to interviewing Dickover publicly.
Here are the highlights of Dickover’s interview:
Who is Douglas Dickover?
Dickover is a retired Marine. He currently works for the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT). He has three children attending Eureka County schools and volunteers at local school events. He is part of local veteran service and supports organizations in the community.
Dickover told Raine he believes he would bring a useful perspective to the board. He feels qualified for this position because of his life and military experiences, especially his master position before he retired from the Marines. He was also an operations manager for a military communication school.
“This position required extensive knowledge of facilities, fiscal management, financial planning, curriculum development, hiring, firing, personnel, transportation and much more. In this position, we have school detachments in local states throughout the country, so I understand some of the logistics between Eureka and Crescent Valley,” Dickover said.
He served as an instructor at a military school for adults and noted, “So I understand some of what our teachers go through with these experiences. I feel able, if elected…to become a useful member to the school board. I’ve attended local school board meetings this past year, so I can better understand how meetings are run.”

What are some areas of study Dickover believes need more focus?
Dickover said he thinks a lot of the subjects covered by Eureka schools are well done. If he could focus on one area of improvement, he wishes the school district allowed kids to pick a wider variety of languages for in-person classes. “That’ll be something that’d be nice to do, particularly Spanish,” Dickover said. He also wants to invest in the subjects that staff, parents and students are interested in.

Raine said it is known that Crescent Valley High School students are forced to either attend Eureka High School or attend online school. What are Dickover’s opinions on this current situation?
Dickover told Raine there are not sufficient students to warrant a new school. If they did open a new school right now, it would not have the ability for sports, activities or any other extracurriculars.
“They’d be pretty much in a classroom all day long, on the computer,” Dickover said. “Would not have teacher interaction in person.”

Does Dickover have a plan to take action for the students who do not have an active food source?
Dickover said he thinks the current system the school district has is “pretty good, from my understanding.” However, he is open to learning more about the issue. Dickover said food accessibility is not only a school issue, but a community issue. He said schools could partner with community organizations to help families who are having trouble affording food. He would like to be able to point people to local food banks or other organizations that can provide help if the issue is beyond the school board’s capacity to assist.

What are Dickover’s opinions on gender-affirming care for students?
Dickover said he thinks gender-affirming care for students is “a parent issue and a family issue. However they want to do that, that’s on them. I don’t think anybody should be forced to do anything. And I sure don’t think the school board or anybody in the facilities should be forcing anybody to be a part of this.”

Raine asked Dickover if he agreed that in recent years, there’s been an influx of behavior problems in the student body. If Dickover agreed, what are his plans to combat this issue?
Dickover said based on what he has seen “from the outside looking in,” the majority of behavioral issues that Eureka County School District has “seem to be from families that move here, not families that are here. I do not think we should be a dumping ground for anybody’s…problems.”
He said that if there was a way for the district to know if a student had been kicked out of a school previously and was now about to attend school in Eureka County, faculty could better prepare for discipline problems.

What are Dickover’s opinions on the teacher shortage, and what is a reasonable plan of action for Eureka County’s school district?
Dickover said he is frustrated that a lot of teachers make decisions at the last minute to leave, so it makes it very hard to properly put out the hiring notices. He noted there are some great teachers that might apply, but it is often way too late in the game, by which point they may have already signed contracts with another school.
Dickover suggested it could be beneficial to develop a program for teachers to get situated for the school year and see if they want to stay in the community before they commit to the school district.
“I think that we would have a better quality pool of applicants,” Dickover said. “We would have the time to actually do proper vetting, proper applications, proper interviews.”

What are Dickover’s beliefs when it comes to providing sexual health education for students?
Dickover said he believes students should have sexual health education available to them if they want it, but he does not think they should have to watch things they are not ready for.
“That’s on parents to decide if they want that education for their children…” Dickover said. “I don’t think it should be a forced issue or forced on the kids.”

What are Dickover’s thoughts on the current student cellphone policies?
Dickover said he doesn’t know exactly what the cellphone policy is, but he would prefer that students not have cellphones in the classroom.
“They should be there hopefully to learn,” Dickover said. “It’s a distraction, and then you’re inviting potential cheating, or anything else.”

What are Dickover’s opinions on current security measures for students?
“For the most part, I feel they’re good. I’m not there every day,” Dickover said. “But most of the time that I’m there, I see a deputy or a sheriff on site, you know, roaming around.”
Dickover said when he visits the school, he cannot get in without someone from the office letting him in, which reassures him of the school’s safety.
He said he is always open for questions and welcomes anyone to reach out. He wants to hear from all sides and make sure everyone is heard.