Window opens for School District

Slower growth allows shift of focus from quantity to quality

Saturday, July 19, 2008 | 2 a.m.

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The economic realities that prompted the Clark County School Board to pull its $9.5 billion bond measure off the November ballot could also force the district to change the way it views itself.

What is the Clark County School District if it can no longer boast the fastest enrollment growth in the nation? Or when hiring 3,000 new teachers each year isn’t routine?

No one knows the depth or length of the downturn that has slowed new arrivals to Southern Nevada, but a sharp drop in enrollment could change the identity of a district where rapid growth has long been a convenient explanation for lackluster classroom performance.

“We’re going to have to redefine our brand,” School Board member Larry Mason said. “This is an opportunity to build a new identity.”

To be sure, the district isn’t shrinking — yet.

Even if enrollment remains flat this year, there are still more than 308,000 students to be educated. Twenty-three new and replacement schools, under construction or being designed, are expected to move forward. And nearly $450 million in renovation and modernization work is scheduled for the next two years, funded by the 1998 capital campaign.

But there is no question things are different. The bond measure, when combined with hotel room tax and property tax revenue, would have generated $9.5 billion for school construction.

Now, the district will likely wait until 2010 to seek voter support.

Superintendent Walt Rulffes said the decision wasn’t motivated by a fear of failure.

“We never, ever considered that we would lose on the ballot,” Rulffes said. “But with enrollment well below projections, and the economic conditions changing so dramatically, we owe it to the voters to have a more accurate model of what we expect to need.”

To Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, who spent nearly 30 years teaching special education in the district, growth-related issues have been more than just a distraction.

“It was their excuse for everything,” Giunchigliani said. “It allowed people to run things under the radar.”

Rulffes acknowledged he’s never liked it when, while attending out-of-state conferences and workshops, he is invariably introduced as chief executive of the nation’s fifth-largest school district.

“I would rather be introduced as superintendent of a district with world-class academic programs,” Rulffes said.

But the superintendent disputed that growth-related issues have distracted the district from improving student achievement. He pointed to a dropout rate that has inched downward in recent years, the success of the expanded career and technical education programs, and more schools meeting the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

At the same time, Rulffes acknowledged that an enrollment slowdown would be helpful.

“Growth issues will be less of a distraction,” he said.

Rapid growth, coupled with a transient population and a huge influx of at-risk students and English language learners, created “something of a perfect storm,” said Veronica Davey, senior director of the Los Angeles-based Broad Foundation, who oversaw a grant the foundation awarded the district several years ago.

“If things slowing down provides them with some breathing room, they should take full advantage of that,” she said.

Growth issues should never displace student achievement at the top of any district’s priority list, said Davey, adding that she has no reason to believe that’s been the case in Clark County.

Giunchigliani said she expects the district’s enrollment to begin rebounding in a couple of years, leaving a small window of opportunity for the district to take stock of its performance.

“They have to take advantage of it,” Giunchigliani said. “Are they going to examine whether they’ve taken a scattershot approach to school programming? Have they taken teachers out of classrooms and stuck them in special assignments when they didn’t really need to go? This is an opportunity to really evaluate what’s worked and what hasn’t.”

School Board member Carolyn Edwards said there is no better place to start than with the district’s attendance zone boundaries, which were last overhauled in 1994.

What has evolved since then is a baffling school boundary checkerboard, with some students bused past four campuses closer to their homes before reaching their destinations. To the frustration of parents, elementary schools have been forced to go year-round to accommodate crowding while neighboring campuses were allocated extra portable classrooms and allowed to stay on a nine-month schedule.

A host of equity issues need to be addressed, Edwards said, and with fewer new students needing seats, the time might be ripe.

If the School Board is looking at the lull as an opportunity to try new approaches, it should start by extending the school day, said Davey, who oversees the foundation’s nationwide initiatives to improve urban public education. It’s no surprise that the more time students spend on task, the better they perform academically, she said.

Adding minutes to the school day can be costly, but districts across the country are coming up with innovative ways to do it. Clark County might soon be in a position where such an undertaking isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.

Admitting that a change of course is needed, as the School Board did in pulling the bond measure off the ballot, isn’t always easy for elected officials, Davey said.

“I would commend them for being upfront about the numbers and not seeking more taxpayer dollars than needed,” she said. “Honesty with their constituency is critical.”

Discussion: 7 comments so far…

By vsestini

7/19/08 at 6:07 a.m.

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The school district must concentrate its efforts on reducing unnecessary administration costs as this directly impacts students and related programs. It makes absolutely no sense to eliminate valuable programs and teachers without first making major changes to the administrative hierarchy. Students need teachers, textbooks and materials far more than they need more central office and building administrators.

It is apparent that considerable savings in financial resources could be implemented with the elimination of many of the administrative positions that have been created in the last decade by superintendents Carlos Garcia and Walt Rulffes. The establishment of 5 area superintendents each with two assistant superintendents, related staff, office space and equipment is an example of where reduction must first be considered. Without a doubt $100 million dollars could be saved by eliminating area superintendents and that is a significant start!

Walt Rulffes continues dodging the issue of eliminating administrative positions and continually mentions it is necessary to fire teachers and student programs. Students need certified teachers in classrooms; administrators have little direct impact on daily instruction and are not essential for the overall education of students.

It is hard to understand why retired administrators have been rehired as mentors, consultants, specialists and advisors but budget funds cannot be found to hire more teachers; it is certified teachers and student programs that are most essential to the education of our students.

It is incumbent upon the CCSD Board of School Trustees to immediately fire Walt Rulffes and find a suitable replacement. We must have a new leader who will end the ‘good ole boy’ promotion system and ramping up of administrator’s salaries and benefits that is currently prevalent with Walt Rulffes’ leadership. . Rulffes has not contributed significantly to the advancement and improvement of this district since assuming his office.
By mwh710

7/19/08 at 11:26 a.m.

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"Rulffes has not contributed significantly to the advancement and improvement of this district since assuming his office."

I'll go one further, he has run it further into the ground than Garcia did. Administration has increased at a far greater rate than teachers or students, and lots of SIGNIFICANT raises are given on top adminiistrators along with the "Me Too" raises (when the teachers get a piddily 2%, they do too). Of, course I'd like to have 2% of $100,000.00+ instead of $40,000. Leave the teachers alone - admin is where the big money is going in great disproportion. Hmmm, I wonder why the newspapers and television stations are AFRAID to delve into the real truth....?
By CJ

7/19/08 at 12:17 p.m.

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Well the reason channel 3 won't look for the truth, i.e.corruption is because they have a conflict of interest with one of the most powerful and corrupt school board members - Terry Janison (who is arrogant, awful and she aughta be voted out!) the wife of their favorite weatherguy Kevin Janison.
By kw

7/19/08 at 2:37 p.m.

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Shift from quantity to quality? That is a pretty broad statement. First on their agenda should be to hire the HQ teachers that have moving to this state to teacher. The hiring freeze has got to be the most highly guarded secret since Watergate. Nobody knows anything about anything. If they don't pick up the phone at the district they won't have to answer uncomfortable questions regarding the freeze.

I guess in the meantime they can rehire retired staff and place them in "consulting" positions. I guess if you have the stamina to wait out the freeze all the more power to you. Some of us have bills that are mounting monthly, and may have perhaps delayed relocating here had we known we would be standing in line for weeks waiting for an interview.
By azsk8fan

7/20/08 at 2:07 p.m.

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Maybe they can start by co-ordinating bus runs. I work in a gated community where we have 3 or 4 buses daily coming in to pick up 1 or 2 kids at the most. All that gas to bus 1 special needs child - how bout getting a small van and picking up all the kids at once and then taking each child to their respective schools? Nah, that makes too much sense.
By rosemoore

7/20/08 at 5:15 p.m.

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Again the School District Trustees have meetings at a time that no one can go to - 9 am? Even Larry Mason, who works full time, has stated he can't make alot of these early morning meetings.
They do not want the Public as part of their decision making. Ruffles holds Town Hall Meetings when no one can come and doesn't even advise his own communications Department, who put out Press Releases, when he schedules meetings for the public to come at the last minute.
They do not want the public to come and be part of the decision making. I would also say "get Terry Janison out and vote for someone that says they are going to "put the public back into public education" and who will give the public more time to talk at Board Meetings and someone that KNOWS what education is all about and is definately not afarid of the Hoffman and Ruffles.

I feel that the Superintendent position should be an Elected Position by the Public - NOT appointed by Trustees that have no idea what the world they are doing? The Trustees are run by the District and their husbands, instead of the District answering to the Trustees.

Also....everything that is going on Trustee Shirley Barber has stated for years would come back and haunt them if things were not taken care of properly and the public is not respected. She knows what she is talking about but the other trustees would not listen because they are being told what to do by the District, and their husbands and the Districts Legal Counsel. Now all of a sudden the Trustees are saying the same thing Shirley Barber has been saying for years. But instead of listening to her they have had numerous verbal, embarassing fights with her at Board Meetings to put her in her place. As they say...What goes around, comes around! Watch out for the new Trustees that will be voted in. These are people who respect the public and will demand that "putting the public back into education" is what is needed".
By ZeddyBear

7/23/08 at 8:24 a.m.

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Hey don't come down on Teri Janison. She's the only cute one on the school board. ;>)

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