School Board renews quest for new chief

Terry Webster

Thursday, Jan. 6, 2000 | 11:18 a.m.

"People aren't falling all over themselves to be your superintendent."

District-hired consultant William Attea made that statement to the Clark County School Board about three times during Wednesday's meeting.

With that in mind, the School Board pledged to keep looking for a permanent superintendent, and agreed to retain the Glenview, Ill., search firm and the Superintendent Selection Process Committee. Board members criticized both entities, but in turn were blasted with accusations that they are scaring off candidates by not working together.

Attea said about 30 percent of searches in large districts like Clark County, the nation's eighth largest, extend beyond one slate of candidates.

"It tends to be more complex and more political," he said.

Over the course of the six-hour meeting, the board:

Despite a strong endorsement by the search committee, the School Board devoted little time to discussing the option of having James Rogers, president of Sunbelt Communications, serve as an interim superintendent at no cost to the district. Rogers' firm operates nine television stations and two radio stations in five states, including KVBC Channel 3 in Las Vegas.

Board member Lois Tarkanian continued to support Rogers.

"If you have a hard-headed individual, a business person who goes up to the legislature, I think they are going to pay more attention to him," Tarkanian said.

Speakers during the meeting, including taxpayer Eleanor Chow, Allin Chandler, president of the Clark County Association of School Administrators; and Sue Strand, president of the Clark County Education Association; called upon the the board to restrict or eliminate the search committee.

The board did agree to more clearly define the committee's role in the assessment center portion of the interviews.

Johnson charged that the committee is acting on its own accord, despite direction being given by the School Board. She called the committee's support of Rogers "inappropriate."

"I've never gotten the impression that there's a strong regard for the board," she said.

Frequent School Board critics Helena Garcia and Louis Overstreet called the board's performance embarrassing.

"Anyone who has been to more than one board meeting and whose IQ is above the freezing point for water knows that this is a lie," Overstreet said, referring to board members' telling the first set of candidates that the board works well together. "How could the expectation be that persons whose careers require them to work with boards would fall for this 'B.S.'? Given the outcome of the process, it's obvious they did not buy the fertilizer that some of you were trying to sell."

Attea even told the board they will discourage superintendent candidates by giving the impression they are not working together.

Committee Chairman Sig Rogich, however, maintains there is nothing shameful about the process, which is designed to produce the candidate who best fits the district's needs.

"We have no hidden agenda," he said of the committee's recommendation.

Superintendent Brian Cram, who retires in July, has agreed to stay on for a short period to assist a new superintendent.