Tarkanian accused of holding up budget

Wednesday, Oct. 8, 1997 | 11:23 a.m.

An ongoing battle between school district administrators and School Board member Lois Tarkanian has intensified amid allegations that Tarkanian held up approval of a federal grant until computer software was purchased from a specific company.

A four-page confidential memo from Assistant Superintendent Elise Ax says Tarkanian ordered Ax and Superintendent Brian Cram to agree to purchase $270,000 worth of software from Computer Curriculum Corp.

Otherwise, it is alleged, she would have held up a $15.5 million grant involving Title 1 allocations -- federal money designed to assist disadvantaged students -- at the June 26 School Board meeting.

School administrators say the CCC equipment is not proven in the Clark County schools that are using it. They also say the grant item had to be passed that night because the deadline for the grant was July 1, and the board would not meet again until July 14.

Tarkanian says she is "dismayed" by the accusations, which she said are filled with "distortions and inaccuracies, specifically manufactured to damage my reputation."

"My support of CCC comes not from any discussions or meetings I held between that company and myself, but rather from the enthusiastic and glowing recommendations I received from administrators and teachers familiar with the company's software," Tarkanian said in a statement released today.

"I was absolutely unaware that any Title 1 funds would be lost by delaying the vote for a few days. I wanted to obtain more information about it, and wanted a short delay to do so, which is common among board members."

After Tarkanian asked that the item be removed from the budget during the board meeting, Ax told Cram about the problems with such a delay. Cram then asked that he, Ax and Tarkanian discuss the matter in private before the board voted on it.

It was during that private meeting that Tarkanian allegedly made several demands, including the administrators' agreement to buy the new CCC software, before a vote could go forward on the grant approval.

Ax, reached at her office early today, declined to comment about the allegations in her memo because she said she is under deposition in a lawsuit, which is the genesis of the entire controversy.

In recent years, Tarkanian has taken a great interest in special education, so much so that administrators have accused her of "micromanaging" the department. Some mockingly call her "the superintendent of special education."

Those allegations resulted in a lawsuit against the School Board, in which the administrators allege the board, because of its apparent support of Tarkanian's efforts, is stepping beyond its statutory bounds of setting policy.

In her memo, Ax writes: "Dr. Tarkanian demanded that additional CCC software be purchased and placed in at least one school in each school board member's district.

"I again expressed reservation about spending further Title 1 funds for additional CCC software without appropriate assessment of student achievement."

The board is not required to put an item such as computer software out to bid if it can be shown that the product is a one-of-a-kind item that can only be purchased through a specific company.

Also, in her memo, Ax alleges that "Dr. Tarkanian demanded that Mrs. (Ina) Dorman (a school district employee in charge of ensuring that homeless children attend school) be assigned to a work location other than the work location assigned to Mrs. Dorman by her supervisor. I acceded to this demand."

Tarkanian said she wanted to investigate Dorman's accusation that her change of duties was the result of alleged job harassment by Ax.

Ax's allegation goes toward the administrators' claim in the lawsuit that the board is overstepping its bounds by dealing directly with personnel matters, which is not in its realm.

"I stand by my record as a hard working, honest and dedicated trustee," Tarkanian said. "The accusations made in this document (Ax's memo) are completely out of character, and everyone who knows me ... realizes these outrageous allegations to be false."