Parents, students support Rancho’s Jauregui

Benjamin Grove

Friday, Jan. 15, 1999 | 11:14 a.m.

A group of concerned parents and students rallying behind Rancho High School principal Ernie Jauregui has delayed his transfer to another school.

The Clark County School Board on Thursday was scheduled to re-assign Jauregui to one of its Horizon High Schools, alternative schools for students with serious discipline problems.

But parents before the meeting on Thursday told board president Ruth Johnson that they feared losing Jauregui, who they have come to trust in his three years at Rancho.

"The bottom line is that the man respects everybody," parent Armando Kihuen said. "He respects parents and kids. He's a real educator, not a politician, and there are a lot of politicians in the school district."

Kihuen added that Jauregui, who is Hispanic and bilingual, seems especially concerned about Rancho's Hispanic students, who make up about 60 of the school.

It's not clear why Jauregui might be re-assigned. School officials say Jauregui asked to be moved.

"He requested a transfer," Assistant Superintendent Len Paul said.

Jauregui said that wasn't the whole story, but declined to elaborate.

"There is a huge picture out there that I can't really discuss," Jauregui, 51, said. "An opportunity was presented to me in another division."

Jauregui, a 24-year veteran of the school district and former Air Force electrician, said his roots ran deep at Rancho. The former Rancho teacher who once coached football, wrestling and baseball, said his son graduated from the school in 1988.

Jauregui said he hopes to finish his career as principal at Rancho someday.

"This is a chance for me to see the other side -- where kids are falling by the wayside -- and then bring that knowledge back to the high school, which is where it all starts," Jauregui said.

Some parents and students say Jauregui has done a good job of keeping a lid on Rancho, which typically ranks among the highest in the district in student arrest rates. Rancho's students also did well enough on standardized tests last year to avoid landing on the state's "inadequate" schools list.

"There's been less crime, less gang activity, it's a cleaner school," Kihuen said. "There have been a lot of changes."

Jauregui's supporters also praise him for overseeing the school's two magnet programs for aerospace/aviation and medicine, which draw 450 students to the school from around Clark County. The magnet programs are in their second year.

"Ernie has put a lot of effort into making sure that magnet got off the ground and got to work," said parent Mike Martens, whose son is in the aerospace program. Martens is president of the school's first booster club in 14 years.

"They haven't had a parent advocate group to stand up and say that things are wrong," Martens said.

Rancho still has one of the district's highest dropout rates and still battles persistent attendance and image problems. The school also is still struggling with building renovations that have inconvenienced the school for months. But Jauregui said the school is making vast improvements.

"I really feel like we carried the ball from deep in our own end zone to the 20-yard line and it would be nice to punch it over," Jauregui said. "I really feel like this school is a year and a half away from being a blue ribbon school."

Some teachers on Thursday declined to discuss what they thought of the principal's leadership.

Others had kind words. Special education teacher Chaun Nolasco-Miramontes said Jauregui seemed to be doing a good job.

Nolasco-Miramontes echoed other teachers who said teachers were weary of the constant stream of new principals at Rancho. Nolasco-Miramontes said the school has known four new principals in her 11 years at Rancho.

"To have new principal in the middle of the school year is ridiculous," she said.

Several students on Thursday said they liked Jauregui.

"He's cool to everybody," senior Edgar Reyes said. "He's not what you would call an uptight principal. We get shot up sometimes, but this is a good school."

Board president Johnson said the board would hold a special meeting in the next week or so for parents to discuss why they opposed Jauregui transfer. The board likely will take action on the transfer at its next meeting Jan. 28.

Johnson said the board would carefully consider what Jauregui's supporters had to say.

"They are interested in making sure their concerns have been heard," Johnson said. "The community needs to be comfortable with the school in their neighborhood."