Split of school district sought

Thursday, Jan. 13, 2000 | 11:16 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A petition to permit the breakup of the Clark County School District will be filed today by Assemblywoman Sandra Tiffany, R-Henderson, a longtime advocate of smaller districts in Southern Nevada.

The initiative petition would permit cities in Clark County with populations of 125,000 or more to create their own school districts. Tiffany said this would apply only to Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson.

The Clark County School District is the nation's eighth largest and has about 217,000 students.

"This is about quality education, not about Henderson," she said. "Right now the Clark County schools have the lowest math and reading scores, the highest dropout and suicide rate and the least amount of kids going to college."

She said she has talked with the mayors of the three cities. She said Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman feels that having a school district in the city boundaries would mean it would be community based with like minds and like needs.

The petition, to be submitted to the office of Secretary of State Dean Heller, would amend state law. Tiffany will have to gather 44,009 signatures of registered voters by November. There would have to be 10 percent of the voters signing in 13 of the 17 counties. It would be presented to the Legislature, which must act on it in the first 40 days of the session.

The Legislature could approve it, and Tiffany said "Parents would be thrilled with that." If the Legislature amended or rejected the petition, it would go on the election ballot in 2002 again. If approved by the voters, it would become law.

Tiffany said she has not talked with any other lawmakers about the issue. She wants to wait until she gathers the signatures.

"I've been on this for eight years," Tiffany said. In 1993, she introduced a resolution about breaking up the school district.

The second term, she said the Legislature agreed to an interim study. She said the study identifies the difficulties.

Last year, she sponsored a bill calling for another legislative study, but the legislation failed.

If her petition is successful, it would permit the three cities to appoint committees of five members to draw up plans. And then voters of Clark County would be able to decide if the plans were fair and equitable, she said.

She expects opposition from the school administration, but she said this petition was about "community based quality. It's for choice for parents."