Tiffany pushes plan for school district split

Tuesday, May 30, 2000 | 10:52 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Assemblywoman Sandra Tiffany, R-Henderson, did more than attend the Nevada Republican Convention last weekend in Carson City -- she collected signatures from rural counties for her petition to break up the Clark County School District.

After canvassing Storey County, Tiffany and her associate, Brad Lawrence, said they have qualified nine of the 13 counties needed for the initiative petition. In all, they have gathered 33,000 of the 44,009 required signatures of registered voters.

Although the deadline is Nov. 14, Tiffany said she wants to get her petition completed early to avoid any confusion with a teachers union initiative that would impose a 4 percent business profits tax. Her goal is to get 60,000 signatures.

The strategy, according to Lawrence, is to qualify in the 12 smallest rural counties and Clark County. Nevada's Constitution requires an initiative to get signatures from 10 percent of the registered voters in 13 of the 17 counties.

They will collect signatures in Carson City and Douglas, Elko and Washoe counties but won't shoot for the goal of 10 percent in those counties, he said.

The petition should be completed by mid-July, Lawrence said.

If successful in the signature drive, the initiative would be presented to the 2001 Legislature. It must be acted upon within 40 days. If altered or rejected, the petition would be on the 2002 ballot.

Lawrence said he didn't think the Legislature would endorse the petition but that the voters will support it.

It permits cities in Clark County with populations of 125,000 or more to create their own school districts. This would apply to Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson. Voters in these cities would have to approve any breakaway.