Speakers bureau planned to keep focus on education

Thursday, Dec. 4, 2003 | 8:25 a.m.

Clark County School Board members are forming a speakers bureau to step up their public appearances, part of a campaign to keep education issues on the front burner between sessions of the Legislature.

District officials say increased community outreach is an ongoing objective, particularly in the wake of a heated legislative session that saw education funding repeatedly stalled.

"One of our greatest goals is to engage the public," School Board President Sheila Moulton said. "To do that we have to get out there and let them know who we are and what we're doing."

Moulton said she is invited to address community groups about six times a year. With the formation of the speakers bureau she hopes each board member will make presentations at least once or twice a month.

"The more we can educate our parents and the whole community about the needs of our schools now, the less catch-up we'll have to play as we get closer to the next session," Moulton said. "We think 2005 sounds like it's a ways off, but it really isn't."

Agustin Orci, deputy superintendent of instruction for the School District, said while the last legislative session brought slight increases in per-pupil funding and allocations for textbooks, it's barely enough to keep pace with the needs of an ever-growing student population.

"There's a crisis in education in this state, and I don't know how many people realize how it impacts students on a daily basis," Orci said. "If our board members can increase that public awareness through speaking engagements, perhaps the Nevada Legislature will be more understanding of our plight the next time around."

School Board members will meet today for a workshop to discuss guidelines and possible presentation formats for the speakers bureau.

The proposal being considered by board members calls for two presentations to be developed -- a shorter one appropriate for audiences with less time to spare, such as at a luncheon, and a longer, more in-depth version for community groups that request it. Potential audiences for the long version include Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions clubs, chambers of commerce, senior citizen groups, PTAs and other governmental bodies.

Elain Goins, lieutenant governor of Kiwanis Division 28, which covers Southern Nevada, said when it comes to drumming up public support few things are as effective as a personal presentation.

At a meeting today of Goins' club in her hometown of Pahrump, representatives from a local elementary school came seeking sponsors for a reading program.

"By presenting their plans in person, there's a very good chance we'll be picking them up," Goins said.

An elementary school counselor whose husband is the athletic director of Sierra Vista High School in Las Vegas, Goins said education is a vital issue to Kiwanis members.

"Our target groups are children and the elderly, and education fits into both," Goins said.

Ted Jelen, professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, praised the proposed speakers bureau as an effective way for board members to both encourage more community involvement and demonstrate their own commitment.

"For a long time some politicians in the state, mostly Republicans, have promulgated the view of educators as lazy goldbricks feeding at the public trough and not actually doing much," Jelen said Wednesday. "It makes sense for those on the front lines to acquaint the public with the important role our public education system plays for all of us, whether or not we have children in the schools."

Denise Brodsky, vice president of the School Board, said she has pushed for a speakers bureau for several years and was pleased the idea was moving forward.

"So many people have no clue what the trustees' responsibilities are beyond hiring and firing the superintendent," Brodsky said. "This is a way to reach civic groups and individuals who might not have a direct reason to come see us (at regular board meetings) on Thursday nights."

The cost of establishing and operating the speakers bureau should be minimal, Brodsky said. Any funds would come out of the board's existing budget and not from the district's general fund, Brodsky said.

The board staff would be responsible for creating the presentation, scheduling appearances and setting up audiovisual materials.