Candidate drops name in alleged scam

Terry Webster

Friday, Nov. 10, 2000 | 11:18 a.m.

Beatrice Turner wants heads to roll.

That's why the unsuccessful School Board candidate gave Superintendent Carlos Garcia a bag labeled "head container" during Thursday's School Board meeting.

Turner followed through on her post-election plan to tell the district the name of a school official who allegedly offered to sell her the answers to the Nevada High School Proficiency Exam for $400. She first raised the issue on Las Vegas ONE's DayONE television talk show last week.

Thursday night, she presented the board with the labeled bag. Inside, she said, would be an appropriate place for the head of the employee who made the $400 offer.

"You can put (the employee's) head in here," she told Garcia, then handed him the bag.

But school officials acted like they weren't sure what happened.

"Is that what it was?" Garcia said after the meeting. "That doesn't make sense. She (the accused employee) doesn't even work in this building."

By referring to "this building," Garcia meant the Flamingo Road administrative offices, where testing documents are compiled and stored.

Garcia and Leonard Paul, the assistant superintendent for secondary education, both said they will look into Turner's accusation.

According to Turner, the employee tried to sell her the answers to the High School Proficiency Exam in 1999. Turner said the offer came after her daughter failed the math portion of the exam.

Turner, who was defeated by School Board member Shirley Barber in Tuesday's election, said the district does not appear interested in her claims. But she vowed to continue to attend board meetings until the district takes action on her allegations.

Turner also said she believes that high stakes testing should be done by a firm outside of the district.

"Somebody from the outside needs to come in and give these tests," she said. "We've got to make sure kids don't have these answer sheets."