State Board of Education candidates have varied concerns

Lisa Snedeker

Saturday, Oct. 28, 2000 | 10:02 a.m.

LAS VEGAS - The big issues facing the Nevada Board of Education range from how to deal with the state's booming growth to proficiency tests for students, candidates for six open seats say.

Voters will decide Nov. 7 who fills the four-year seats on the panel, whose power has declined in recent years. There's even talk of changing it from an elective to an appointive board.

In northern Nevada, voters will choose between incumbent Dave Cook and his challenger Barbara Myers, both of Carson City, for the District 3B seat on the nonpartisan board.

Cook, who has a master's and two bachelor degrees from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has been an economics professor at Western Nevada Community College since 1989.

Cook says he supports holding students back until they meet the minimum requirement for each grade.

"Students demonstrating difficulty in mastering academic skills must be remediated successfully at that time before advancing on to the next grade level," he said. "Otherwise, they are just being set up for future failure."

He also supports charter schools and rehiring experienced Nevada teachers without penalizing their pensions to help alleviate the current teacher shortage.

Myers, 51, is a speech therapist for Churchill County schools and an adult education instructor. She has a bachelor's degree from California State University, Los Angeles and a master's from the University of La Verne.

Myers says principals and school district administrators should be held accountable for academic standards. She believes retention - holding children back - leads to increased high school dropout rates.

"Each retention-promotion issue needs to be handled on a one-to-one basis because no two children's needs are the same," she said.

John Gwaltney, 59, of Reno, economics professor and former president of Truckee Meadows Community College from 1986-1994, is running unopposed in District 1B.

In southern Nevada, five school district employees and a businesswoman are vying for three open seats on the state board.

Tracey Lewis of North Las Vegas faces Marcia Washington of Las Vegas in District 2A. The winner will replace Liliam Hickey, who couldn't run again because of term limits.

Lewis, 31, has been a teacher family aide for the Clark County School District for seven years, while Washington, 47, is a 19-year veteran of the district. Members are limited to three consecutive terms.

Lewis, a graduate of the Community College of Southern Nevada, wants to see proficiency testing and remediation and technology upgrades in all schools.

Washington also is concerned about proficiency testing and more local control of education, which she believes would improve public participation.

Theresa Malone and Patricia Smith, both of Las Vegas, are vying for the District 2G seat.

Malone, 48, has 20 years business experience, including property management, and also has been a computer lab instructor at CCSN. She attended UNLV. Malone says she wants to find a way to increase state per-pupil spending to bring Nevada in line with the national average. She also want to see teachers' salaries increased.

Smith, an instructor at Molasky Junior High School, has bachelor's and master's degrees from UNLV. The inventor of the "I Love Math" game, Smith says her adoptive 4-year-old daughter is the main reason she is running for the board.

Edward Goldman, the assistant superintendent of administrative services for the Clark County School District, and John Hawk, a Green Valley High School mathematics teacher, both of Henderson, are squaring off in the race for the District 2D seat.

Hawk, 26, an advanced placement and honors math teacher who is a doctoral candidate in educational leadership at UNLV, says his top concerns are school safety, accountability and growth.

"The biggest issue for me is fairness," he said. "The state board needs someone on the board to represent students."

Goldman, 49, who holds a doctorate in education, is concerned with restoring power to the board. He also is vowing to oppose unfunded state mandates.

Merv Iverson of Las Vegas is running unopposed for a fourth seat, representing District 2F.

The 11-member state Board of Education includes seven members elected from District 2, which includes Clark, Lincoln, and Nye Counties; two elected from District 1, in Washoe County; and two elected from District 3, consisting of the rest of the state.