Editorial: Oversight panel gets new direction

Wednesday, May 5, 1999 | 11:57 a.m.

The Bond Oversight Committee, a citizens panel that oversees the billions of tax dollars spent on school construction in the valley, had become rudderless recently. The Sun's Benjamin Grove reported more than a month ago that some of the committee's own members said a lack of dialogue with School Board members and absenteeism by some members at its meetings contributed to the oversight committee's lack of direction.

So it is encouraging to see that the Clark County School Board on Monday approved the oversight committee's self-improvement recommendations, which will streamline the panel and provide it with a mission. The committee has been pared from 19 to 15 members. Along with trimming the size, those 15 members will be divided into five working groups that will examine specific issues: school design, construction, site selection, financing and community relations.

The oversight committee is a vital link in ensuring that tax dollars are spent wisely when the district builds new schools or renovates existing buildings. The new bylaws should aid the committee in once again providing the direction it needs to be effective.

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