School district breakup petition to be filed

Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2000 | 11:01 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- An initiative petition signed by an estimated 64,000 voters and aimed at breaking up the giant Clark County School District will be filed Thursday in all 17 counties.

The plan, pushed by Assemblywoman Sandra Tiffany, R-Henderson, is aimed at changing state law to allow residents in Clark County to vote whether to divide the school district, the sixth-largest in the nation.

School officials have opposed the move. Tiffany has presented this proposal to the last four sessions of the Legislature without success. Now she's taking her plan to the voters.

A state law creates a single school district in each county. Tiffany wants to amend that law so that Clark County residents can vote on splitting the district.

Tiffany must have 44,009 signatures of registered voters on her petition with 10 percent of the voters in 13 of the 17 counties.

Brad Lawrence, a spokesman for Tiffany, said the petition will be filed in all 17 counties. He would not say it would qualify in all 17. But he added he was confident it will be found sufficient in 13 of the 17 counties.

After the counties count the number of signatures, they report the results to Secretary of State Dean Heller. He then will order the clerks to do a sampling to validate the signatures.

If that is successful, it will be presented to the 2001 Legislature, which must act on it within 40 days. If the Legislature rejects it or changes it, then the issue goes on a statewide 2002 ballot.

If Nevada voters approve changing the state law to allow more than one district in a county, then Clark County residents will decide in 2004 if the schools will be split.