School reorganization faces new problems

Terry Webster

Tuesday, March 6, 2001 | 2:03 a.m.

As Clark County School District officials went over highlights of a new reorganization plan during a public forum Monday night, a financial crisis and the threat of a new teacher shortage refused to go away.

"Some people think we are simply rearranging the furniture on the Titanic," said Superintendent Carlos Garcia, while explaining his reorganization plan to a crowd of about 130 people at Desert Pines High School. "That's not what this is."

Garcia has said he was criticized for choosing his key players in the reorganization plan from existing staff.

And despite prodding from the media and others, the details still remain to be decided, Garcia said.

The plan, called Achievement Plus, centers on improving student achievement while making the district more accessible and accountable to the public.

Through a series of public forums, school officials plan to place the finishing touches on the reorganization over the next four months.

The reorganization leaves the district whole while dividing it into five smaller subdistricts, each with its own regional superintendent.

Each region will be "fairly autonomous" with its own budget and decision-making power, Garcia said.

Shortly after Monday's meeting began, Garcia excused himself to travel to Carson City to speak during a legislative committee meeting today on education funding.

Before he left, Garcia also said the district could be short as many as 500 teachers by next fall unless the hiring situation improves.

At last count, nearly 400 teachers have refused contracts with the district, which is trying to hire some 1,600 teachers. Sixteen new schools, which combined will require about 850 teachers, are scheduled to open next year.

School officials are blaming starting teacher salaries here -- $26,847 -- as the cause of the hiring crunch.

"All of this comes down to money," Garcia said during a recent interview with the Sun.

But neither the reorganization nor the coming teacher crunch seemed to be on the minds of parents Monday night. They had individual concerns, and they used the forum to voice them.

Esperanza Solorio, a speaker at Monday's forum, said she was concerned that the school district's funding is apparently too low, yet utility companies can go out and get rate hikes.

Several speakers in the auditorium were upset that the school for their special needs children was recently changed "with no input from parents."

"It just does not seem fair," parent Louis Daw said. "Please do not forget the children with special needs."

Another concern raised was the placement of English Language Learner students into special education.

The placement of non-native English speakers into special education classes because of their language skills upset a parent, who questioned the criteria for special education placement.

School officials will hear from the public again tonight, when the School Board decides on boundaries for the new Coronado and Sierra Vista high schools, which will affect the zones for four other high schools.