School Board says Garcia is meeting goals

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Thursday, June 20, 2002 | 11:10 a.m.

Clark County schools Superintendent Carlos Garcia won't be graded harshly for his handling of the district's ongoing fiscal woes when he's evaluated next week, School Board President Sheila Moulton said.

"Overall, I think (Garcia) has done an adequate to good job. He's done what we've asked him to do and he's meeting the goals we set out," Moulton said. "There are circumstances that have affected our financial picture, but those were beyond his control."

Finishing his second year, Garcia will get credit for the school district's improved bond rating and the fact that there are no outstanding debts, Moulton said. It wouldn't be fair to blame Garcia for declining revenues, rising utility bills and the fiscal pressures of a soaring enrollment, Moulton said.

The school board will meet behind closed doors next Thursday to discuss Garcia's performance, including his interaction with district staff, whether student achievement has improved and how well he has communicated.

School Board Member Shirley Barber, who chaired a subcommittee discussing how and when Garcia should be evaluated, had criticized the board for not comparing student test scores from Garcia's first year on the job to the previous school year.

When asked earlier this week whether she was satisfied with the evaluation process, Barber declined to comment and referred questions about Garcia's performance to Moulton.

Mary Ella Holloway, president of the Clark County Education Association, said Garcia shouldn't be given a pass on the district's finances. Lack of state funding is part of the problem, Holloway said, but not the only factor.

"Part of the superintendent's job is to tell the board how to spend the money, and how to prioritize," Holloway said. "I would think there would be plenty of questions to ask about where his priorities are."

The school district cut $12.6 million from its 2002-03 budget to make up a shortfall. In addition, the unreserved fund -- which is supposed to be saved for emergencies -- has only enough cash to run the district for two days if all other sources of funds were suddenly cut off.

The district's own regulations require that at least 2 percent of the annual operating budget be kept in the rainy day fund. The current balance is just $11 million, less than 1 percent of the annual $1.2 billion budget projected for the 2002-2003 school year. The 2 percent requirement was waived so that the district could balance the budget, Moulton said.

At his annual review last year, Garcia refused a $10,000 bonus, which was offered on top of his salary of more than $200,000. Since then, Garcia has had his contract revised to include a so-called "Me Too" clause -- he will receive the same annual pay increase as the rest of the district's employees.

"I would never take a bonus when no one else is getting a dime," Garcia said Wednesday.

Garcia, in a self evaluation submitted to the school board as part of the review process, said he believed his administration was more efficient and effective since he reorganized the district into five separate regions last year. He also acknowledged the district's fiscal straits, and said the best chance for rebounding lies in getting more money from the state.

"Finances aside, I think we've had a terrific year," Garcia said. "We have more lines of communication up and running than ever, and we're figuring out the best systems for holding ourselves accountable."

To that end, the Clark County School District is backing the INVest plan, a proposal authored by Nevada's 17 school superintendents seeking more than $900 million in additional funds for education.

This is the first year Garcia has had to put down in writing how he has met the goals spelled out in his contract. His first review was more informal, Moulton said.

Holloway said she is dissatisfied with the evaluation process because it does not include Garcia's handling of ongoing labor negotiations with the district's teachers. Under the terms of the evaluation, Garcia earns points if the number of students who take the SAT and ACT college entrance exams increases, without considering actual scores, Holloway said.

"That's talking about quantity, not quality," Holloway said."They can hustle as many kids as they want into a room to take those tests, and it doesn't matter how the student actually performs."

Moises Denis, treasurer of the Nevada state PTA and a school board observer, said Wednesday he saw Garcia's second year performance as both earnest and promising. It's too early to judge some of Garcia's sweeping reforms, such as the district reorganization and the hiring of Edison Schools to manage seven low-performing schools, Denis said.

What Garcia has earned accolades for is his obvious commitment to the community, Denis said. The superintendent has been visible at events ranging from storytelling sessions at public libraries to athletic events and school concerts.

"He's tried to get out and see what's really going on," Denis said. "Sometimes people get so wrapped up in their jobs they forget about the people involved. That doesn't seem to be the case with Carlos Garcia."