Recession’s effects evident even in school-bus stops

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009 | 2 a.m.

It was a typical first week of school for the School District’s transportation department — with thousands of students showing up at bus stops where they weren’t expected.

More than 80,000 Clark County students registered for transportation services for the 2009-10 academic year.

The recession is reflected in the transportation requests, said Shannon Evans, bus operations coordinator for the district.

More students needed to be picked up at apartment complexes and fewer requests came in for stops near single-family residences.

The district has about 1,400 bus drivers, including 40 people who were laid off from other district jobs over the summer. The district eliminated about 400 support positions as part of $120 million in budget cuts.

Motorists displayed their usual level of intolerance for school buses, Evans said. There were plenty of reports of impatient drivers trying to pull around buses and avoid being caught behind “our big yellow billboards” when the vehicles stop for student pickups.

She reminded motorists that it takes longer for the buses to come to a complete stop, and that “extra space” means safety, not an opportunity to squeeze in.

Also, if you see the red “STOP” signs unfold, it really does mean stop, even if you are driving in the opposite direction. The only exception is when there’s a cement median dividing the two sides of the road.

• • •

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan visited three campuses during his one-day visit to Clark County, including the Agassi Prep charter school and Valley High School.

While at Harley Harmon Elementary, Duncan — accompanied by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Rep. Dina Titus — sat down for about 45 minutes with parents, students and staff to talk about their ideas for improving public education.

The best ideas aren’t going to come from Washington, Duncan said, but rather from local schools that know what works.

As members of the panel introduced themselves, Reid announced he was there “in my capacity as former PTA president of Doris Hancock Elementary School,” drawing chuckles from observers.

Harmon’s staff told Duncan that the campus is high achieving because of teamwork. There’s also significant involvement by the PTA and community partners. Students said their teachers inspire them to work as hard as they can.

Fifth grader Faylen Lopez told Duncan she knows how many opportunities her mother has missed because she dropped out of school at 16. Faylen, who wants to be cardiologist, spent three weeks at UCLA as part of a summer institute for promising students.

And how did she enjoy the taste of college life? Duncan asked.

It was scary being around all those “big people,” Faylen said. “You know — teenagers.”

“You’re right,” chimed in Titus, a longtime professor at UNLV. “That’s really pretty scary.”

• • •

Installing solar panels at the new Vegas PBS technology campus earned the Clark County School District a $380,000 rebate from NV Energy.

Michael Yackira, NV Energy’s president and CEO, showed up at Thursday’s School Board meeting to deliver the rebate himself, in the form of an oversized cardboard check.

He praised the new Vegas PBS campus, which includes production and broadcast studios, as well as facilities for the School District’s Virtual High School, for maximizing its energy conservation and efficiency.

The $65 million, 112,000-square-foot complex was supposed to be finished in March with staff moved in by the start of the new academic year last week. But some equipment purchases were delayed because of complicated financial arrangements that paid for the project, said Tom Axtell, general manager of Vegas PBS.

Although some offices are occupied, he move-in date for the TV station has been pushed back to early next year.