Union backs anti-Garcia School Board package

Friday, Aug. 27, 2004 | 9:36 a.m.

Teamsters Local 14, which is fighting for the chance to represent the Clark County School District's 10,000 support employees, on Thursday endorsed a slate of School Board candidates determined to oust Superintendent Carlos Garcia.

Endorsed by the union were: Isaac Farrell, District A; Lester Lewis, District B; Tammy Green, District C; and Ryan Devins, District E.

The four candidates, calling themselves the "Operation Education" slate, have vowed to replace the current School Board's management style and set more limits on the superintendent's authority.

The incumbents in the race are Mary Beth Scow, District A; Ruth Johnson, District B; Shirley Barber, District C; and Denise Brodsky, District E.

"For too long, School Board members have allowed the superintendent to drive an out-of-control bureaucracy," said the union's treasurer, Gary Mauger, in a prepared statement.

"Clark County School District must regain a competitive edge, and I believe Operation Education is the best way to get there."

For more than a year Teamsters Local 14 has been embroiled in a legal battle with the Education Support Employees Association, which currently represents the majority of the district's custodians, office staff and food service workers. The Teamsters want a union representation election to be held -- the ESEA is opposed to the terms and conditions of the proposed vote and is fighting it in court.

The Clark County Education Association, representing the majority of the district's 15,000 teachers, has also announced its endorsements, selecting current School Board members in three of the races. The teachers' union endorsed Johnson, Barber and Brodsky. Farrell was chosen for the District A race over incumbent Scow.