Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Election 2002: School Board

Three seats on the Clark County School Board are being defended by incumbents.

The board's responsibilities include appointing the superintendent, overseeing the district's $1.2 billion annual budget and setting policy for the more than 270 campuses.

Faced with declining revenues and soaring enrollment, the district has cut about $90 million from its budget in the past three years.

District D

Incumbent Larry Mason is seeking his third term against challenger Pablo Castro-Zavala.

Mason, dean of student development at Community College of Southern Nevada, said he wants to make sure older schools are not left behind during the construction boom sweeping the district.

"Every child deserves the best the district can provide, no matter what neighborhood they live in," Mason said.

Castro-Zavala, making his first bid for public office, is an independent television producer for Telemundo and Spanish-language affilates of NBC. Castro-Zavala, 39, said if elected he would make school safety a priority, for both students and staff.

"Students who don't feel safe can't learn. Teachers who don't feel safe can't teach," he said.

District F

Incumbent Susan Brager faces insurance claims adjuster Mitchell Tracy.

Brager, seeking her third term, is a longtime district volunteer whose children attended Clark County schools.

"Our students are our greatest resource," Brager said. "We have a responsibility to do our very best for them, even when that means making tough decisions and choices."

Some of those tough decisions have included cuts to high school transportation services and the elimination of middle school athletics. The district must aggressively lobby the state for an increase in per-pupil funding to protect other programs and services, Brager said.

Tracy, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2000, said he wants to see better accountability for the district's spending, particularly the use of county bond funds for improvements.

"There's too much rubber-stamping go on," Tracy said.

District G

Incumbent and current School Board President Sheila Moulton is running against newcomer Julie "Gina" Greisen, a trustee with Teamsters Local 14 and a college student.

Moulton, a former substitute teacher seeking her second term, said the district has made progress on increasing the number of eighth graders who enroll in algebra, reducing the dropout rate and improving accountability. At the same time, the booming Hispanic population means increased need for services for students who are not proficient in English.

"There's no question the district is facing some significant challenges," Moulton said. "That's why it's so important that we continue on the course we've set for ourselves."

Greisen, a single mother whose son attends a Clark County school, said she would push for better pay for teachers and staff and encourage more community involvement in school activities.

"We need to get more parents into the schools so they can see for themselves what's happening in the classroom," Greisen said.

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