State revamps NLV school

Terry Webster

Wednesday, April 25, 2001 | 11:14 a.m.

In the strongest move against a low-performing school, the state Education Department is asking teachers at Fitzgerald Elementary School to reapply for their jobs.

The North Las Vegas school also is being put on a single-track year-round program to combat loss of learning that occurs during the summer.

The department stopped short of taking over the school. It was given the power to do so in 1997, when standards were instituted measuring schools by the students' performance on the TerraNova test. Schools that perform below standard for three years can be taken over.

The school is in its fourth year on the state's list of low-performing schools based on fourth-grade TerraNova scores.

"The state made the request that we, in essence, vacate the staff," Augie Orci, assistant superintendent for elementary education, said. "We expect that most of the people will return. Only a few will go somewhere else. This affects everybody except the principal (Yvonne Walker). She will be exempted because last year was her first year."

The school's schedule also was changed. Instead of having a long summer break, students will have shorter breaks throughout the year. The breaks may be as long as four weeks.

"This eliminates the three-month period where students may forget what they have learned," Orci said.

But the Clark County Education Association is questioning the district's plan to rehire the teaching staff, a process called vacating the school.

"We are still looking into it," said John Jasonek, executive director of the teachers' union. "We do not believe there are any provisions for vacating schools, unless there is a state law that supercedes our contract."

He also said the district is "skirting around due process."

"If the district feels they have a bad teacher, they need to deal with that instead of spreading their problems around," Jasonek said.

Essentially, jobs at Fitzgerald will be given to other teachers with the same qualifications, Jasonek said. The only time schools should be vacated is when the school requires teachers with different qualifications, he said.

Magnet schools with specialized programs or schools that specialize in special education are two examples.

Assemblyman Wendell Williams, D-Las Vegas, who chairs the Assembly Education Committee, said the practice of vacating schools is "unheard of."

"That in itself should cause a light bulb to go on in the district," Williams said, noting that the district should not have let the problem get so severe.

Staff members are being asked to reapply for their jobs because of a new game plan being set by Walker, according to Terry Owens, a state evaluation consultant.

"She's very dynamic and we have a lot of faith in her," Owens said. "One of the things that was discussed is the need to make sure everyone is buying into the new plan. There are excellent teachers at the school, but maybe they are just not the right fit for the school at this time. This will allow them to move on to something that is a better fit."

The change is similar to what is happening at seven school being taken over by the private company Edison Schools, though Fitzgerald is not one of those.

Two of the seven schools to be taken over in the fall are on the state's list of low-performing schools, however.

Williams questioned why the Clark County School District did not include Fitzgerald among the schools to be run by Edison.

Many of the academic programs in place at Fitzgerald will remain, Owens said. But the programs will be expanded. The school also will have an after-school tutoring program for students who are behind.

Schools are placed on the state's list of low performers if they have more than 40 percent of students scoring below the 26th percentile on the TerraNova exam in all four areas -- reading, language, math and science. The exam, given in fourth, eighth and 10th grades, compares Clark County students to other students nationally.

Six Clark County schools are on this list this year.

Schools identified as needing improvement are eligible for remediation funding and are placed under supervision by the state. Additionally, the schools design plans for improvement.

Walker could not be reached for comment.

The state's official report on Fitzgerald is expected to be released in about a week.