School’s late opening doesn’t dim gratitude of man it’s named after

Sam Morris

The Rev. Jesse Scott, right, and Principal Sharon Popolo look at a print of the school named after Scott during the Clark County School District’s annual Celebration of Progress. The school opened three weeks after the start of the academic year to give contractors time to finish off-site improvements.

By Emily Richmond

Monday, Oct. 20, 2008 | 2 a.m.

The irony of the new Jesse D. Scott Elementary School opening three weeks late wasn’t lost on the man the North Las Vegas campus was named for.

There was roughly a decade-long pause between the first time someone suggested a school be named after the civil rights pioneer and the Clark County School Board’s final approval in 2006.

Last week the architects and builders who work on the district’s schools hosted the annual “Celebration of Progress,” showcasing the facilities and the people for whom they are named.

Though the rest of the district’s schools began the 2008-09 academic year on Aug. 25, Scott’s debut was pushed back to give contractors time to finish off-site improvements, including the roadwork needed for easy access to the campus at Ann Road and Bruce Street.

But the delay hasn’t made Scott, a reverend and past president of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, any less grateful for the honor.

“Most of the time, people wait until you die to say good things about you,” said Scott, 88. “It’s the story of my life. Everything’s late.”

• • •

Steve Schorr, Cox Communication’s vice president of public and government affairs and master of ceremonies for the “Celebration of Progress,” told the crowd he still can’t believe there’s an elementary school with his name on it.

“I don’t think in the past three years I’ve stopped smiling,” said Schorr, a regular volunteer at the Placid Street school. “I have 837 grandchildren.”

Although the event showcased new school construction, Schorr took a moment to acknowledge the people working inside.

“We build the structures, but it’s the teachers who make the difference,” Schorr said to hearty applause.

• • •

Raising the tax on hotel rooms could yield $125 million annually for Nevada’s cash-strapped public schools, supporters of an advisory question on the November ballot say.

But why should the burden of funding education fall to people who don’t live here?

“Is anyone else volunteering?” asked Kim Sinatra, senior vice president and general counsel of Wynn Resorts, which is supporting Question 5, authored by the Nevada State Education Association. Station Casinos and Harrah’s Entertainment are also standing with the teachers union.

For decades Nevada lured residents with the promise of affordable housing, a low cost of living and no state income tax. When you do that, Sinatra said during a recent meeting with the Sun’s editorial board, you risk winding up with “a bunch of people who don’t want to pay for anything.”

Changing that mind-set won’t happen overnight, Sinatra said, and in the meantime the gaming industry might have to shoulder a disproportionate share of the burden.

For the first two years, revenue from the tax increase would go to the state’s general fund to help offset recent budget cuts. After that, the money would go to a separate account for K-12 education.

Even if Question 5 wins a majority among voters, lawmakers would still have to take action for the room tax hike to take effect.

One opponent of the proposal is the Nevada Taxpayers Association. Writing in the group’s voter guide, President Carole Villardo calls Question 5 “ballot box budgeting,” the “worst tax and expenditure policy that can be enacted.” With visitor volume declining, the tax hike doesn’t represent a stable source of revenue, Villardo said. And the revenue would have to be shared statewide, even though the ballot question is going only to voters in Clark, Lander and Washoe counties.

The dismal economic forecast might have cost Question 5 some potential voter support, said Las Vegas political consultant Terry Murphy, who is working on the campaign.

But “when it comes down to it, everybody is usually OK with a tax on somebody else,” Murphy said. “And that’s what this is.”