Voters to fill three School Board seats

By Emily Richmond

Friday, Nov. 1, 2002 | 11:22 a.m.

When voters go to the polls Tuesday, they'll have a chance to decide who will fill three seats on the Clark County School Board, a seven-member panel responsible for a $1.2 billion annual budget, 254,000 students and 24,000 employees.

The impact of the Clark County School District on the Las Vegas Valley is tremendous. Decisions made by the board have an effect on what books are used in classrooms, which students qualify for extra programs and services and how well prepared graduates are for college and careers.

It's a job that most people -- from educators to lawmakers to parents -- agree is critically important. But it also seems to be a job few people seem to want.

"You need someone who has a basic understanding of management and how a budget works, and also a good deal of general knowledge about education, business and the county," said Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates, who served on the board from 1985 to 1992. "That's a demanding list of requirements, and it probably scares a lot of people off."

In the past three years, trustees have struggled with declining revenues an soaring costs, resulting in nearly $90 million in budget cuts. At the same time, the district is in the midst of a $3.5 billion capital improvement plan , opening about 12 new schools each year to supply seats for the every-growing student population.

Keith Schwer, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said you don't have to be a parent to have a stake in the public schools.

"The strength of public education has a direct effect on the strength of the region's economy," Schwer said. "It's something every resident should be concerned about."

The pay is low -- trustees receive $80 per meeting while the board clerk and president earn $85. That's compared to the $204,000 base salary for the superintendent, who is hired by the board.

Board members are quick to point out that they are not doing it for the money. But some past members, including Robert Forbuss, believe the candidate pool would be bigger if the job came with an actual living wage.

"There needs to be something to encourage more people to seriously consider the job," Forbuss said. "Given the long hours its requires, I imagine there are people who decide they simply cannot afford to serve."

Of the nine candidates on the primary ballot in September, three were the incumbents, all of whom advanced to the general election. Of the remaining six challengers in the primary, only one had ever run for public office before, and only two mounted serious campaigns.

"It's the definition of a thankless task," said Ralph Cadwallader, executive director of the Nevada Association of School Administrators, and a former Clark County associate superintendent. "The decisions made by these folks are rarely met with applause, especially when it involves budget cuts. And lately, there has been a whole lot of those."

Unlike county commission or city council positions, where elected officials often develop well-known public personas based on their voting record or support of a particular cause or issue, school board members work to avoid the spotlight. In fact, the board's own governance policies call for trustees to avoid speaking out as individuals once a decision has been handed down.

"We don't want people to focus on the individual trustees, we want people to see us as one board, representing one district," said board member Denise Brodsky. "But I admit, given the work that we do, you would think people would be interested in knowing us better."

Given the transient nature of the district -- with 36 percent of students moving in and out of school during the year -- it's understandable that more parents don't show up for board meetings, Brodsky said.

"When new families move here, it's all they can do to get their children enrolled and try and get their lives back on track," Brodsky said. "I don't imagine there's a lot of time to research who their school board representative is."

While in many states a school board seat is a stepping stone to higher office, Nevada is different, said Erik Herzik, assistant professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Reno.

In states with year-round legislatures, a school board seat is often an entry-level political job, Herzik said. But in Nevada, where lawmakers meet once every two years, there's less of a gap between school board trustee and assemblyman or senator.

"You don't have to cut your teeth at the school board level or pay your dues in a county post before running for a state position," Herzik said. "Some trustees go on to higher office, but most stay right where they are."

The lack of public interest in the board means a smaller candidate pool which can translate into good news and bad news for voters, Herzik said.

The good news is that those who do run are more likely to be sincerely interested in the cause of education. The bad news is fewer candidates usually means less diversity.

Gates said she looked at the lack of "professional politicians" in school board races as an asset.

"You don't want people running for the board who see it just as a way to get ahead," Atkinson Gates said. "We're getting people who truly care about the cause of educating all of our children."

Three incumbents will defend their school board seats on next week's ballot, but the field of candidates for school board seats has been patchy at best.

Of the original six challengers on the primary ballot, only one had ever run for public office before -- insurance adjuster Mitchell Tracy, who advanced to the general election along with incumbent Susan Brager for the District F seat.

And only the incumbents, Tracy and Teamsters trustee Julie "Gina" Greisen -- who also advanced to face incumbent Board President Sheila Moulton for District G -- have run meaningful campaigns.

Bob McCord, who retired in 1999 as deputy superintendent of accountability after nearly 30 years with the school district, said he isn't surprised that more people don't make a run for the board.

Trustees must sacrifice personal time that might otherwise be spent on their careers or with family, and the daunting agenda packets and regular meetings scare most people away, McCord said.

"We have some very talented people giving up a great deal of their lives to serve children," McCord said. "I think it's a calling."