Staying the course

By Emily Richmond

Friday, Jan. 27, 2006 | 7:25 a.m.

The Clark County School Board voted unanimously Thursday to offer longtime district executive Walt Rulffes the post of superintendent -- but only through August 2007.

The vote essentially keeps the district on the same course for 18 months, a step some members noted was vital as it prepares to ask the public to approve a $3.5 billion bond measure to build more schools. Board members feared that drawing out an already contentious and lengthy selection process might send the wrong signals to voters.

"The fine line for me came down to whether or not we could continue to build schools in Clark County," School Board President Ruth Johnson said. Members noted that extending Rulffes' contract through August of next year eliminates the need to start a new search during the 2007 legislative session, which typically demands most of the board's attention.

The board will begin contract negotiations with Rulffes today, noting that it will open with a salary offer of $290,000 per year.

Rulffes, 65, was the lone remaining candidate after New York educator Eric Nadelstern unexpectedly withdrew on Wednesday. Nadelstern's departure prompted a series of bitter accusations from some board members and their critics, chiefly a coalition of business executives known as the Council for a Better Nevada.

The council had recruited Nadelstern for the post because he pledged to take the School District in new directions. He is an advocate of decentralization and other measures that the council believed would improve the district.

By contrast, Rulffes, backed by teacher and administrator unions, represented stability and continuity of existing district initiatives.

Council members blamed the board's infighting for Nadelstern's decision to drop out. After Thursday's vote, University Chancellor Jim Rogers, head of the council, called the selection a mistake. "I think what it does is it puts the public at risk for two years," he said. "At worst, make it a year, with a year extension after that."

Rogers said he might have accepted an extension strictly limited to one year because the board "could have kept the search going."

But, he added, "They screwed this one up so bad, I'm not sure anybody would feel comfortable applying."

He said he expected that the three board members whose terms end this year might find themselves in trouble on Election Day. "I think there are going to be some attacks on the School Board from the community, and some candidates."

"I plan to get to work tomorrow reuniting the community," Rulffes said. "I look forward to discussions about the need for reform and progress in the district."

The rift between the board and the council filtered through the board's discussion Thursday, with some members addressing accusations leveled at them in a confidential e-mail that the council's director, Maureen Peckman, sent to its members. Peckman described the board as dysfunctional and divided.

School Board member Sheila Moulton said she laughed after reading the e-mail, which the Sun published Thursday. "We are the only ones who could allow ourselves to be that way and we're not," Moulton said. "We've made a decision not to be."

Board member Mary Beth Scow denied that the district feared change.

"It seems this has been framed as pro-reform or anti-reform and I don't believe that -- this is about leadership," Scow said. "This board is not divided. When we're talking about children, this board is not only unified it's passionate. There are great things happening in our district, and I do have great confidence in Dr. Rulffes."

Although the selection was unanimous, members were divided during the discussion that preceded it, indicating they wanted to set aside their differences as a show of support for the new superintendent.

Several members also said they were impressed by many ideas they saw during fact-finding trips to New York over the last week. "From the top to the bottom, from the middle to the end, everyone was involved" in that district, School Board member Larry Mason said. Maybe the tour was "a dog-and-pony show, but it was great one, maybe the best one I've ever seen."

But Johnson said while she was impressed with the New York City tour, many of the programs were similar to initiatives already under way in Clark County.

"The visits were intended to show us only the very best and more successful elements," Johnson said. "I kept asking myself what I would see if I came to Clark County and gave them a few days notice. I guarantee you we could have set up a tour showing the exact same things."

In comments from the public before the vote, Sen. Steven Horsford, D-North Las Vegas, urged the School Board to start looking for more candidates.

"I encourage you to make a decision that is based upon visionary leadership and proven ability to address the educational needs of children," said Horsford, who supported Nadelstern. "Do not make a hasty decision to choose the one person who made it to the end when there is someone out there who might make this district even greater."

Earlier in the day, Gov. Kenny Guinn weighed in.

"The Clark County School District superintendent is an extraordinarily important position that has a great effect on the well-being of not only Clark County, but the state," said Guinn, who held the post from 1969 to 1978. "I would hope the process of selecting a new person to fill this vital role would be completed with all due diligence so the best possible candidate could be selected."

Before the meeting, Barbara Lamdin was one of a handful of people who marched in front of the Greer Education Center, 2832 E. Flamingo Road, protesting the search process and Nadelstern's withdrawal.

"I am outraged by the lack of vision on the part of the School Board," said Lamdin, a retired teacher who spent 30 years working in Maryland. "They don't seem interested in creativity or change. They should all be voted out of office."

The School Board agreed to negotiations with Rulffes at 3 p.m. today at the Greer Education Center.

Sun reporter Mary Manning contributed to this report.

Emily Richmond can be reached at 259-8829 or at [email protected].