School District official seeks spot on state board

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2005 | 9:50 a.m.

George Ann Rice, associate superintendent of human resources for the Clark County School District, wants to fill the District 4 seat on the State Board of Education left vacant with John Hawk's resignation.

Rice said Tuesday that she has submitted her name to Gov. Kenny Guinn, who will appoint a replacement to serve until the next general election in 2006.

"I think I can make a difference," Rice said. "I see this as an opportunity to have more direct access to people who initiate change."

Rice said the time commitment of serving on the state board, which meets monthly, would not interfere with her duties as associate superintendent of the fifth-largest school district in the nation.

The State Board of Education is responsible for setting policy, standards and curriculum requirements for all 17 of Nevada's school districts. The board also oversees the state education department, which licenses the state's teachers and administrators and distributes funds, including federal grants.

In the past retired and active teachers, principals and administrators from various school districts have served on the state education board. Rice said she was investigating whether her position as associate superintendent could be perceived as a conflict of interest but she did not believe it would.

Stacy Jennings, executive director of the Nevada Ethics Commission, said she was not aware of any state statute that would render a school district administrator ineligible for the post.

"While school districts do get money from the state, they have their own governing boards and that is typically a sufficient layer of separation," Jennings said. "A person might have to disclose their relationship with the local school district and possibly recuse themselves from a particular vote, but I don't see why that person couldn't serve."

The state ethics commission last year dismissed a complaint filed by a Carson City man who alleged that personal and professional relationships between education board members and local school districts posed a conflict of interest.

State officials say Rice, who worked with Guinn during his tenure as Clark County schools superintendent from 1969 to 1978, appears to be the early front-runner to replace Hawk.

"I've heard very good things about her," said John Gwaltney, president of the State Board of Education, who added that he has received several phone calls from people recommending Rice for the post. "Clearly she would bring a wealth of experience with her."

Gwaltney said he did not believe Clark County would receive preferential treatment if Rice, or anyone else currently employed by the district, were appointed to fill the vacancy. He noted that member Marcia Washington, who represents District 3, works in community outreach at KLVX Channel 10, an affiliate of the Clark County School District. And member Barbara Myers, representing District 9, is a speech pathologist in the Lyon County School District.

"We serve on the state board because we're advocates for the cause of public education in this state," said Gwaltney, former president of Truckee Meadows Community College whose wife teaches third grade in the Washoe County School District. "It's understandable that we have day jobs in that field."

Rice, who practiced law in California for more than five years before joining the Clark County School District 33 years ago, said she is particularly interested in helping Nevada update its approach to teacher preparation and training.

"We need to start looking at non-traditional ways of doing things," Rice said.

Greg Bortolin, spokesman for the governor, said Guinn was reviewing a list of potential replacements for Hawk. He declined to identify any of the candidates or confirm that Rice was being considered.

Whenever the governor makes an appointment to any public board the individual is thoroughly vetted, Bortolin said.

"We always look at potential conflicts of interest and whether an individual meets the requirements of the law, including things like residency," Bortolin said.

There is nothing in Rice's employment contract that precludes her from serving on the state education board, said Bill Hoffman, senior counsel for the Clark County School District.

"As long as she continues to get to work on time I can't see that we would have a problem with it," Hoffman said.

Nevada Revised Statute 232A.020 states that the governor may fill board vacancies with individuals who "have an interest and knowledge of the subject matter regulated by the board" and "does not have a pecuniary interest in any matter which is within the jurisdiction of the board."

Hawk, who resigned in July, was fined $1,000 by the state ethics commission a month later for failing to disclose that he had received $34,300 from a federal grant for a charter school he co-founded and which was eventually sponsored by the State Board of Education. The commission also determined Hawk should have resigned in May after Nevada State High School received preliminary approval from his colleagues on the education board.

Hawk's resignation came too late for his name to be taken off the ballot for the September primary election and he ran unopposed. He resigned a second time in January, saying in a prepared statement that he did not believe there was any legal reason why he could not serve but that he wanted to spend more time with his family.