School Board wants teachers to sell program

Terry Webster

Thursday, Oct. 4, 2001 | 9:50 a.m.

Teachers, principals and other staff members in the Clark County School District will be asked to help promote the School Board's new management style under a proposed public outreach campaign.

The program is aimed at increasing awareness about "Policy Governance," a management guideline the board adopted in July 2000 and has continued to fine tune.

The guideline directs the board to set policies for the district but stay out of day-to-day management.

Board members say the outreach program will give school employees a chance to understand the policy before it's presented to the public.

But union leaders were not pleased about the concept of having staff help promote the board's agenda. The district has approximately 14,000 teachers, 8,000 support staff members and 800 administrators -- about 22,800 employees.

"It sounds like one more thing on our plates," said Mary Ella Holloway, president of the teachers union. "The biggest cry I hear from our teachers is that they need more time to teach."

Allin Chandler, executive director of the administrators union, predicted there will be a lack of interest.

"There are not many employees who are that involved in the workings of the School Board," he said.

"The attendance at board meetings will tell you that. I think that whatever information they want to send out can be reduced to a one-page document, and those who want to read it will and those who don't want to read it won't."

Joyce Haldeman, executive director of community and government relations, Monday presented to the School Board a proposed outline on the outreach program.

The outline notes employee groups could become "the key communicators for the district regarding Policy Governance," allowing the board to "focus on a broader, external audience."

The district also plans to design a video and brochure detailing what Policy Governance is, why it was adopted and how it affects employees and students. The video would be displayed by principals during staff meetings before or after school. Central office department heads would play the video during staff meetings held during the workday.