Clark County School Board District F

Thursday, Aug. 15, 2002 | 9:13 a.m.

Voters will grade candidates for three of the seven Clark County School Board seats, with each incumbent facing at least one opponent.

The Clark County School District is sixth-largest in the nation with more than 250,000 students expected when classes resume Aug. 26.

Voters in 1998 approved a $3.5 billion capital improvement plan for the district to build 88 schools and repair dozens of others. The district's annual operating budget tops $1.2 billion.

Incumbent Susan Brager will face two challengers on the November ballot for the District F seat -- insurance claims adjuster Mitchell T. Tracy and Bert Kash Blevins III. District F includes portions of the southwest and southeast regions of the school district.

A longtime school district volunteer, Brager, 55, said her priorities for the coming year include securing an increase in the state's per-pupil funding rate, reducing class sizes and improving summer school programs.

Tracy, 39, ran unsuccessfully for the Republican congressional nomination in 2000, defeated by incumbent Rep. Jim Gibbons. Tracy said he will "work hard to provide the best education for our children by giving our teachers, parents and students the resources they need."

Blevins did not respond to requests for interviews.

Incumbent Larry Mason will face independent television producer Pablo Castro-Zavala for the District D seat, covering parts of the northeast, east and southeast regions.

Mason, 57, is the dean of student development at the Community College of Southern Nevada. He is seeking his third term, having served as president, vice president and clerk.

Mason said he is determined to keep the district's budget cuts from affecting student services and programs. Older schools must be renovated so that they are as safe, clean and technologically advanced as the new campuses, Mason said.

Castro-Zavala, 39, is running for public office for the first time. He produces programs for Telemundo and Spanish-language NBC affilates. His priorities are alcohol- and drug-free campuses, as well as student safety.