LOOKING IN ON: EDUCATION

By Emily Richmond

Sunday, Dec. 2, 2007 | 1:14 a.m.

To force the state's labor board to question whether Clark County's teachers union really represented the majority of the School District's licensed personnel, Ron Taylor figured he needed at least 4,000 of his fellow educators to sign a petition calling for action. He got 75.

"I'm done, I'm finished, I'm out of it," Taylor told the Sun Friday, after the deadline had passed for him to challenge the Clark County Education Association's representation in a filing with the state's Employee Management Relations Board. "Teachers gripe and complain but nobody wants to do anything. They knuckle under."

To trigger an election, the board needs only to have a "good faith" belief that the current bargaining agent does not represent the majority of the eligible employees, said commissioner Julie Contreras. The proof can come in many forms, such as declining membership or signed cards from employees who say they want alternative representation, Contreras said.

The Teamsters Union, which counted Taylor as a key organizer until he quit as their consultant on Oct. 9, conceded its own challenge of the teachers' union Wednesday.

The Teamsters had hoped to make their case by collecting 9,000 signature cards, representing half of the licensed personnel in Clark County. But they soon found it was slow going.

To track down contact information for individual teachers, Teamsters largely relied on school Web sites. Not every campus has an up-to-date online roster, but Teamsters managed to send out mailings to at least 16,000 teachers, organizer Jim Wright said.

"This was a real grass roots effort," he said.

With a bigger window the Teamsters could have made more progress, Wright said. But there was only so much that could be done in five months.

John Jasonek, executive director of the education association, said the Teamsters failed because they never advanced beyond name-calling. Teachers want to solve the looming health care crisis for retirees and address their day-to-day classroom challenges, Jasonek said. "Those are the kind of things we stayed focused on all through this," he said. "We haven't let ourselves become distracted."

Taylor said he will re-focus his energies on his students, his family and fishing. And, of course, his pending labor board complaints against the teachers' union, which he says unjustly booted him from its ranks last February.

As the girls swirled their tiered skirts and the boys stomped their white boots, the audience clapped along to the traditional Mexican folk music.

The occasion was the dedication of the Success Express, a new mobile classroom operated by the Clark County School District's Community English as a Second Language Program.

At Thursday's ribbon-cutting ceremony the converted motor home, purchased with $172,000 in federal funds, was dedicated in honor of three local educators: Edward Goldman, associate superintendent of education services; Eva White, assistant superintendent of the east region; and Jack Lazzarotto, a retired administrator who oversaw the alternative education services division.

All three individuals have been loyal supporters of the Community ESL program's mission, said director Priscilla Rocha.

And all three shrugged off the individual praise.

"This is a perfect example of what happens when people in the district, people in the government and people in the community work together," White said.

Hayes Elementary School went Hollywood last week as students got the star treatment for demonstrating positive character traits.

Two students from each classroom were chosen for the honor, with their peers and teachers casting the votes.

With a spotlight guiding the way, students walked the red carpet to receive their awards from Principal Scott Bailey and Assistant Principal Robert Hinchliffe, clad in tuxedos to mark the occasion. After the requisite photo op (and, we're guessing, prying questions from the school paper's paparazzi), the winners autographed paper stars for display.

Southwest Region Superintendent Jolene Wallace, who attended the event, praised the administrators for their creativity.

"They just went above and beyond to make it special for the kids and their families," Wallace said.