Goldman, Wright to spar in District A school board race

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008 | 10:30 p.m.

Veteran school district administrator Edward Goldman and parent volunteer Deanna Wright will face off in November for the District A seat.

With 82 percent of precincts reporting, Goldman was in first place with 30 percent ahead of Wright’s 23 percent.

Incumbent Mary Beth Scow received 26 percent of the votes, but has been ruled ineligible for a fourth term by the Nevada Supreme Court. The ruling came too late for her name to be removed from the ballot.

Goldman said he was “humbled” by his first-place finish, and the encouragement he has received from teachers, support staff, administrators and other members of the community. “I can only express my thanks for the people who have expressed confidence in me,” Goldman said.

He is associate superintendent of the district’s education services division, which includes alternative schools and adult education programs. During his tenure as superintendent of the district’s southeast region, Goldman instituted a stricter dress code policy, which was later adopted by the School Board as an option for campuses that wished to take part. Goldman has said that improving school climate and teacher morale would be top priorities. He would also support creating a separate school district for the city of Henderson.

His endorsement list includes the Clark County School Police Officers Association, the local Teamsters Union, Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., and former Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones.

A homemaker with two children in district schools, Wright was endorsed by Scow. A first-time candidate, Wright said she’s grateful for the show of support from voters. Her goals include keeping the state-mandated budget cuts from hurting core instructional programs. She has also spoken in favor of dividing Clark County into two school districts along north-south lines.

Steven Bergstrom, a Henderson tax consultant, was in third place with just under 22 percent of the vote, less than a percentage point from making the November ballot. Six of his seven children are Clark County School District graduates — the youngest is headed for her senior year at Basic High School.

Bergstrom said it was unfortunate that the Supreme Court ruling came too late for Scow to be removed from the ballot. The votes that went to her could have gone to one of the grassroots candidates, Bergstrom said.

“People don’t realize how dramatic the School Board’s impact could be with a few changes,” Bergstrom said.