LOOKING IN ON: EDUCATION

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Monday, Oct. 9, 2006 | 7:30 a.m.

Lamping Elementary School teacher Stephanie Steckler had heard of Michael Milken, but she wasn't exactly sure what the financier was doing at the Henderson campus Friday.

And the possibility that he was there to hand her a check for $25,000 - as a reward for stellar job performance - wasn't on her short list of guesses.

"Will Stephanie Steckler please come forward?" called out the school's namesake, Frank Lamping, who was on hand for the surprise assembly.

A stunned Steckler made her way to the front of the assembly room as the students and staff burst into loud cheers and applause.

"I would not be the teacher I am today if it weren't for the incredible friends I work with," Steckler said, as tears poured down her cheeks.

A 1999 graduate of the University of Southern Indiana , Steckler has been teaching for seven years. She also received her master's degree in education from the University of Phoenix.

As site director of Lamping's 4,200-square-foot William McCool Science Center, she has a hand in developing curriculum and teaching all of the school's students.

"She makes everything fun," said fourth grader Anna Tait.

Steckler is one of about 100 teachers who will be honored by the Milken Family Foundation this year.

Chatting with Milken, Steckler and education officials following the assembly, Lamping vividly recalled the excitement of receiving his own Milken Family Foundation award 15 years ago.

"This award had a lot to do with me getting my name up there," Lamping said, as he pointed to the exterior of the school's entrance.

As prior award winners told Steckler to expect "the ride of a lifetime" as she participates in professional conferences and celebrations with other foundation honorees, Milken himself reined in expectations.

"We don't know if we can guarantee your name on a building," Milken said as the crowd laughed.

Given recent shootings by intruders at a Colorado high school and at a one-room Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania, campus safety is the hot topic nationwide. The superintendents of Nevada's 17 school districts broached the subject Thursday in Carson City at their monthly meeting, and a more in-depth discussion is scheduled for November in Las Vegas.

Lyon County's Silver Stage High School was locked down for about five hours Wednesday, prompting several concerned parents to call Keith Rheault, Nevada's superintendent of public instruction.

The lockdown came after a teacher's aide found a handwritten note, titled "Ultimate Hit List," with the statement "these will die" written above the names of 40 students and 11 staff members, according to the Nevada Appeal newspaper.

Some parents were frustrated as word of the lockdown spread and they were unable to obtain any information from school officials, Rheault said.

"They didn't know what the procedures were for lockdowns. Schools have their own security plans but they don't release them to the public," Rheault said.

One solution, Rheault said, may be for rural districts to follow the lead of Washoe and Douglas counties, which both use an automated telephone system to contact parents in the event of an unexpected situation like a lockdown or snow day.

Carlos Garcia, who served as superintendent of the Clark County School District for five years, is being considered for the schools chief job at Los Angeles Unified School District.

L.A. is the nation's second-largest school district behind New York City. Clark County is fifth, following Chicago and Miami-Dade County, Fla.

The Los Angeles Times reported Garcia was on the short list for the superintendency in an article published Wednesday.

Garcia, who could not be reached by either the Los Angeles Times or the Sun for comment, retired from Clark County in 2005 to become vice president of urban markets for textbook giant McGraw-Hill. At the time, he told the Sun the license plate on his new Audi sportscar - which read "Libre," the Spanish word for "free" - was proof that he was done with the hassles and bureaucracy that come with public sector work.

His potential re-emergence didn't surprise some of his former Clark County colleagues, who noted that Garcia has kept in steady contact with his successor, Superintendent Walt Rulffes.

"Carlos always liked the spotlight," one district administrator said. "You don't get much of it selling textbooks."

A Sun story about a district roofing supervisor earning $133,748, which included $58,748 in overtime, triggered a steady stream of calls from readers interested in signing up for a similar gig. Information about support staff vacancies at the district can be found online at www.ccsd.net.