Firm to run seven county schools

Terry Webster

Friday, March 16, 2001 | 11:25 a.m.

Now that the Clark County School District has embraced Edison Schools, the for-profit, school management company will likely expand its influence within the district over the next five years if its methods are determined successful.

By 2005, the number of schools run by Edison in the Clark County School District could reach 17, according to a draft contract between the district and Edison.

After months of evaluating Edison, the School Board in a split vote Thursday night decided to give the program a chance.

Starting this fall, if the School Board's decision holds up without any changes, Edison will run seven area schools with a total enrollment of 7,500 students.

Edison Schools would receive a minimum of $35 million a year in state and federal revenues to take over the seven schools, according to the contract. Additional revenue could also be forthcoming as Edison would be entitled to any grants or additional funding it could muster from government or private sources.

Edison, the nation's largest for-profit school manager, is scheduled to take over the schools beginning next fall. The agreement extends through 2006.

West Middle School will be run by Edison, as well as six elementary schools: Ronnow, Cahlan, Lincoln, Park, Crestwood and Lynch.

Of the seven schools, two -- West Middle and Lynch Elementary -- were named this year by the Nevada Education Department as needing improvement.

The seven were chosen based on meetings held with administrators of those schools, who felt that Edison's approach would help boost student achievement.

School Board President Mary Beth Scow and members Denise Brodsky, Larry Mason, Ruth Johnson and Shirley Barber voted in favor of Edison. Sheila Moulton abstained and Susan Brager-Wellman voted against it.

Edison manages 113 schools nationwide with a total student enrollment of 57,000. The firm operates by using school district state aid, federal revenues and donations to pay for its programs.

Brager-Wellman and Moulton said they are not against Edison, but they felt not all questions had been answered.

Teachers employed at the schools chosen for Edison will have to re-apply for their jobs, school officials said. They will remain district employees.

The wording of the contract between Edison and the district is still being tweaked.

The contract between the district and Edison calls for the takeover of six additional elementary schools and two middle schools in 2002-03, three additional elementary schools and one middle school in 2003-04 and one high school in 2004-05.

The district, the nation's sixth largest, has 250 schools and more than 231,000 students.

Edison has received its share of criticism, with some school districts looking to pull out of their agreements with the firm. Edison also has come under fire by groups such as the American Federation of Teachers in Washington, which questions the validity of its student achievement claims.

Kathy Hamel, an Edison representative, said the firm doesn't mind criticism. It helps make the program stronger, she said.

Thursday's approval also followed the introduction of a bill in the Legislature this week that would require the district to get state approval before hiring Edison Schools.

The bill, introduced by Assemblyman Wendell Williams, D-Las Vegas, chairman of the Assembly Education Committee, maintains that the state regulates plans for schools that need improvement.

"We feel this is a local control issue," Superintendent Carlos Garcia said after Thursday's meeting. "If the state would put an additional $1.4 million into these schools, we wouldn't have to look at this."