Local education briefs for July 11, 2000

Tuesday, July 11, 2000 | 10:58 a.m.

6,500 Nevadans declared eligible

About 6,500 Nevada high school graduates are eligible to receive state Millennium Scholarships, and officials said the number could grow to 6,800 by fall.

The state treasurer's office began mailing award letters last week to eligible students from public school districts, private schools, home schools and to GED applicants, said Susan Moore, the director of the scholarship program.

Any Nevada senior with a 3.0 grade-point average who has earned a Nevada high school diploma, passed all parts of the proficiency test and lived in the state for two years can receive the scholarship.

Moore said hundreds of other students could become eligible for scholarships this summer once officials verify residency and proficiency test scores.

Audit company may be hired

The Clark County School Board on Thursday will consider a one-year agreement with the Price Waterhouse Coopers firm to conduct an independent school construction audit for the 1994 and 1996 bond programs.

Included in the audit will be a measurement of school construction in comparison to what was originally proposed, the construction program's flexibility to changing education and enrollment conditions, efficiency and a critique of school construction management techniques.

A maximum fee of $228,394 would include an annual review for five years, along with a maximum fee of $7,000 for the additional presentation of audit results. The money would be paid from bond proceeds.

The School Board also will consider deleting the position of director of government relations to create a new position: executive director of government and community relations.

A UNLV College of Education

program has been awarded a $120,000 grant from Microsoft for software that will play a role in training teachers how to best use technology in their classrooms.