Williams heats up Garcia attacks

Friday, March 30, 2001 | 10:37 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Assemblyman Wendell Williams stepped up his criticism of Carlos Garcia Thursday, theatening to "bury" the Clark County school superintendent.

Williams, D-Las Vegas, chairman of the Assembly Education Committee, has been angered by Garcia's push to hire Edison Schools Inc. to take over management of some of Clark County's schools.

"I'm going to bury him and send him back to Fresno," Williams said Thursday of the former Fresno, Calif., school superintendent who took over the Clark County School District last summer.

Garcia called Williams' remark "unprofessional" and added that he didn't know why Williams was so angry at him.

"I'm sorry he feels that way, and I don't feel that way about him," Garcia said. "I'm dumbfounded by comments of that nature."

But Williams renewed his attack, saying the school district hired Garcia, not a private company, "to clean up schools." He criticized Garcia's recommendation, approved two weeks ago by the Clark County School Board, to hire Edison Schools to operate one middle school and six elementary schools beginning in the fall.

The school district, Williams suggested, could have saved money by hiring Edison Schools instead of Garcia.

Williams said Garcia has "no regard for the Legislature," and he issued veiled threats against pending legislation sought by the school district.

The former elementary school teacher said some school bills are "dusty and will get more dusty."

Williams said there was something "suspicious" about the contract with Edison Schools, hinting that Garcia might own stock in the company.

But Garcia said, "I don't own any stock."

Garcia said he would like to meet with Williams and talk out their differences.

"I don't understand it," Garcia said. "I personally like the guy. I wish he would talk with me personally. If something is bothering him, I think we ought to work as a team. I don't have anything against him."

Garcia said he and Williams should work together for "what is best for the children."

Williams said that when Garcia appeared before the Education Committee, he was quizzed about the proposed contract with Edison. The chairman said Garcia couldn't answer the questions but promised he would provide the information.

Williams said that Garcia, however, presented the contract to the School Board without ever getting back to his committee.

Garcia said he was never told by Williams to return to submit the answers. But he did say Williams brought up some "good issues" and they were included in the proposed contract with Edison.

One condition of the contract is that Edison must raise $1.5 million in private donations for each of the schools. Garcia said the suggestion by Williams that the donors be identified has been accepted.

The superintendent said officials with Edison Schools have asked numerous times to set up meetings with Williams but that "(Williams) hasn't accepted the offer."

Williams also blasted Garcia for not attending a meeting of the Education Committee Wednesday, during which a bill was approved to require contracts with private schools to be approved by the Legislature.

Rose McKinney James, the lobbyist for the Clark County School District, attended the meeting as did a representative of Edison Schools. Williams said Garcia's absence showed a "blatant disrespect" for the committee.

Garcia said he was never invited.

"I'm not snubbing him. I respect him as an assemblyman," Garcia said.

Garcia said he would have been glad to attend, but he added that he's running the sixth largest school district in the nation.

"I don't have a lot of spare time," he said. "If I did something, I'm willing to say I'm sorry if I knew what it was."

Williams criticized Edison as being out to make money and not caring about the education of children, but Garcia said Edison has a good record in other states in improving achievement.