Herrera focuses on education

Adrienne Packer

Thursday, Nov. 2, 2000 | 10:23 a.m.

Improving literacy rates in Clark County might be the school system's responsibility, but it's a countywide problem that should be addressed by the entire community.

At least that's what Clark County Commissioner Dario Herrera believes. Herrera said Wednesday he hopes to begin a coalition that will ultimately bring more books and more tutors to help teach residents of all ages how to read.

"The school district does all it can with the resources it has to help kids," said Herrera, who has dedicated $25,000 of his discretionary funds to the cause. "With Clark County being the largest government in the entire state, we have a certain responsibility to be partners with the school district and parents."

Herrera will ask for his fellow commissioners' support Tuesday to partner with the Clark County School District, the Public Education Foundation and the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

He plans to discuss the proposal with school board members today.

Herrera said he has been working on the project since learning that 164,000 adults in Clark County cannot complete a job application, and 50 percent of adults struggle to keep jobs because they have difficulty reading or writing.

"We need to begin discussions with the stakeholders -- business leaders and parents -- to see what resources are available," Herrera said. "Part of this effort is to identify the need, then develop a capital plan to address the need.

"It's a countywide problem not limited to the school district, and we need to find creative solutions."

Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates said she started a similar program in her district two years ago, when the first Early Childhood Development Center was built.

Atkinson Gates said the centers target lower income families who can't afford to enroll their children in preschool. The centers allow children who don't attend preschool to keep up with their peers in kindergarten.

"The only way to combat illiteracy is to teach children at the lowest possible grade level," said Atkinson Gates, who added that two more centers will be constructed.