Editorial: School bond panel needs wake-up call

Wednesday, March 31, 1999 | 11:51 a.m.

Ten years after its creation the Bond Oversight Committee is at a crossroads. The citizens panel, which has oversight of the billions of tax dollars spent on school construction in Clark County, is supposed to play an important role in making sure these funds are used wisely.

The Sun's Benjamin Grove reported Monday that some members of the oversight committee say the board is hurt by several factors: absenteeism at its meetings, infrequent contact with the School Board and a rudderless direction. These same members who are worried about a lack of direction want the committee to become more aggressive and act as a watchdog instead of acting as a rubber stamp.

To provide an example of the lackluster state of enthusiasm displayed by some members of the Bond Oversight Committee, the panel has been unable to get a quorum at five of its last 14 meetings. Some members, as Grove reports, rarely make it to meetings. It is discouraging that shortly after voters approved the building of 88 new schools at a cost of $3.5 billion -- the largest school bond ever in Clark County -- the Bond Oversight Committee has lost its sense of direction.

The citizens panel was established in 1989 after voters in the previous year approved $675 million in tax hikes to pay for new schools. There is disagreement as to how closely the panel should examine how bond money is spent, with some members not wanting to micromanage the district's job of building schools. There is a big difference, though, between not showing up for meetings and micromanaging. Their volunteer work is appreciated, but if committee members can't make it to the meetings, they should step aside and make way for members who do have the time to put in the necessary hours for this job.

Members from both the School Board and the citizens panel hope to meet soon in an effort to better define the Bond Oversight Committee's responsibilities. The School Board also should explore whether a contributing problem is that the 19-member citizens panel is unwieldy; if so, it should whittle it down to a more manageable number. In addition, the School Board should replace those Bond Oversight Committee members who consistently fail to show for meetings.

Voters expect that the spending of these taxpayer dollars will be watched closely by an outside group, especially after passage of a $675 million plan in 1988 resulted in just 57 schools being built instead of the 77 that were promised. Taxpayers rightly demand more accountability from public schools. An effective citizens oversight panel can ensure that these tax dollars are spent properly.