Assistant principal gets top job at Rancho High

Benjamin Grove

Friday, June 25, 1999 | 11:18 a.m.

A heated debate over appointing a new principal at Rancho High School fizzled Thursday as the Clark County School Board appointed Rancho Assistant Principal Paul Garbiso to the school's top job.

Some Hispanic parents rejoiced.

"We're going to have a principal who really works with the students, who understands the language and the culture and who will be able to communicate with the parents," said activist Priscilla Rocha, a member of the state Board of Education and a teacher at Halle Hewetson Elementary School, which serves predominantly Hispanic students.

This year controversy developed among Rancho staffers, students and parents when Hispanic Principal Ernie Jauregui left Rancho for another school.

Some wanted another Hispanic leader; some argued for Green Valley High School Assistant Principal Isaac White, who is black; and some argued for Elizabeth Fraser, who is white. Fraser has been acting principal at Rancho in Jauregui's absence.

Rancho's students are 52 percent Hispanic, 22 percent white and 21 percent black.

A dozen people spoke on the issue at the last board meeting, but no one spoke Thursday as the matter was quietly laid to rest.

In the end, the board voted to follow Superintendent Brian Cram's recommendation to appoint Fraser principal at Durango High School and promote Garbiso, whose name had never surfaced in the debate.

"Basically, he's been just a guy who does his job," Cram said. "I tried to put aside all the partisanship and choose the best solution. I felt I went with someone who would bring all three divergent viewpoints together at the school."