Janison chosen to fill School Board vacancy

By Emily Richmond

Friday, Sept. 30, 2005 | 9:52 a.m.

Community advocate Terri Janison was chosen Thursday to fill the vacant seat on the Clark County School Board.

Janison, who will represent District E on the board, replaces Denise Brodsky, who resigned in August to take a job running a United Way office near New Orleans.

School Board President Ruth Johnson nominated Janison after a four-hour meeting that included presentations from 15 applicants and individual interviews with three finalists.

Johnson said Janison was the applicant most likely to represent District E in the manner that voters said they wanted when Brodsky was elected by a landslide in November. Janison served as president of Brodsky's parent action committee.

"Terri has been an incredible voice for children," Johnson said. "Knowing those constituents, I believe she would have the best ability to represent their interests."

She also noted Janison's work on educational initiatives and campaigns, which included pushing successfully to limit junk food sales to students.

Janison, who is married to KLAS Channel 8 chief meteorologist Kevin Janison, said she was thrilled to have been selected from a field crowded with qualified applicants.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve," said Janison. "I'm going to listen to the District E constituents and represent their wishes and the interests of all students as best I can."

School Board member Sheila Moulton, who abstained from the vote, said she was having a difficult time choosing between the three finalists -- Janison, engineer James Blink and architecture professor Donald Stalk -- each of whom would be a unique addition to the board.

"I believe in Nevada when there's a tie, somebody brings out a deck of cards," Moulton remarked, drawing laughter from her School Board colleagues and the audience.

Several School Board members said the fact that Janison is already familiar with district operations and the School Board's policies would mean a smooth transition.

"There is a steep learning curve," member Susan Brager-Wellman told Janison, noting that the search for new superintendent is under way. "I have the comfort that you do have that ability to come in here and take off running."

Janison, who has two children attending district schools, was considered a front runner early on after Brodsky told the Sun she would like to see her take over the job.

She will be sworn in prior to the Oct. 6 School Board meeting and serve until the next general election in 2006. Whomever is elected at that time will finish the two remaining years of Brodsky's original four-year term.

Moulton urged all of the applicants to consider running for the position in next year's primary.

"May will be here before we know it and we will let the good people of District E make their choice," Moulton said.

After hearing three-minute presentations from 15 applicants, the School Board members marked off their top choices on a ballot. Janison, Blink and Stalk each received at least four votes, representing a quorum of the six School Board members, and were named as finalists.

In individual interview sessions with the School Board members, the finalists were quizzed about their professional and personal experiences, their familiarity with the district's policies and operations and whether they would put their names on the ballot in the next general election.

Janison, who has organized parents to lobby the Legislature on a variety of education issues, said working as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in the county's foster care system made her more aware of the special challenges faced by some students.

"We need to address the needs of children who may not have parents involved to stand up for them," Janison said. "I would like to make sure we as the school district don't let them slip through the cracks."

Blink, who graduated from Basic High School as valedictorian in 1966 and has spent 20 years volunteering his scientific expertise to teachers and students statewide, said his goals included reducing the district's dropout rate and improving the overall quality of instruction.

"I was inspired to become a lifelong learner by the Clark County School District," said Blink, who is employed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. "My goal is to ensure the students of this district get the same quality education I received."

Stalk told the members his work in architecture, development and science would make him a valuable addition to the School Board.

"The growth and the demands on the (district's) infrastructure are unprecedented," Stalk said.

While praising his initiative and commitment to the cause of education, several School Board members said they were concerned by Blink's comments that he hoped to become a full-time teacher when he retires in a few years.

While there is no specific statute prohibiting district employees from becoming school trustees a Northern Nevada judge ruled in 2000 that a Douglas County teacher would have to choose between his day job and serving on the School Board to which he had been elected.

Also at issue was the possible conflict of interest posed by the fact that Blink's wife works for the district as a teacher. The School Board's legal counsel said Thursday if selected he would have to recuse himself from any votes involving contract negotiations with the teachers' union or other matters related to his wife's employment.

Following the vote both Blink and Stalk said they would not run against Janison next year.

"They made an excellent decision," said Stalk, who has served on several committees for local charitable foundations with Janison. "She has impeccable credentials."

Blink said he would continue his volunteer work mentoring district teachers and devising hands-on science projects for students.

"I can't go home and cry, I got too many compliments up there," Blink said with a laugh.

Two of the applicants withdrew their names prior to Thursday's School Board meeting: Xavier Trujillo, project coordinator for the district's Mariachi program, and human services consultant Vince Triggs.

A third applicant, teacher Patricia Smith, was absent Thursday and district staff members said their attempts to contact her were unsuccessful.