Board moves toward overtime limits

By Emily Richmond

Monday, Jan. 26, 2009 | 2 a.m.

The Clark County School Board gave preliminary approval Thursday to stricter regulations on overtime, a move intended to trim the annual costs and quell public outrage.

For the 2007 fiscal year the district spent $14 million on overtime for support employees and School Police. Teachers and administrators are not eligible for overtime, although a small percentage earn extra pay for taking on additional duties.

A dozen district employees — five School Police officers and seven facilities workers — each racked up at least 1,000 hours of overtime during a 10-month period last year, in some cases doubling their earnings.

But School Board President Terri Janison said although she was troubled by the amount of overtime and its cost, she also realized it had been requested and assigned by schools. The majority of the School Police overtime requests were for athletic events.

“It looks like the employees are trying to gouge the district for extra money,” Janison said. “That’s not the case.”

The revised regulation, which is scheduled for a second vote Feb. 12, would limit employees to 24 hours of overtime per week. Overtime shifts would have to be offered first to the lowest-paid qualified employee, and department heads would have to turn in quarterly reports of overtime costs.

Bill Garis, deputy chief human resources director, said the district’s cap on overtime reflects industry standards.

“The question has to be what is their effectiveness in their normal, eight-hour jobs,” Garis said. “We need to monitor it so we’re protecting the integrity of the jobs they do.”

•••

The State Board of Education is getting a new member — longtime community volunteer Charlotte Hill, whom an elementary school is named for.

She is Gov. Jim Gibbons’ pick to replace Gregory Nyberg Nance in the District 5 seat, which includes a wide swath of older Las Vegas neighborhoods. Nance resigned over the summer, citing health issues.

Hill is the founder of the Friends of Channel 10, now Vegas PBS, and co-founder of the Sun Camp Fund, which helps send underprivileged children to summer camp. She is still active in both organizations.

Hill said she received her paperwork from the governor’s office Tuesday. She will be sworn in when the State Board meets next month. She will finish out Nance’s term, which ends next year.

One hot topic waiting for her is charter schools, a source of conflict among some board members and lawmakers in recent months. Hill said “provided the quality is maintained,” she supports the concept of charter schools.

“There couldn’t be anything better and more successful” than Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a Clark County charter school, Hill said. “I would hope they would all reach that kind of achievement.”

Her appointment was praised by Tom Axtell, general manager of Vegas PBS. He noted her efforts on behalf of education for more than 40 years, including matching local businesses with campuses in need through the Clark County School District’s community partnership office.

“Her understanding of school finances, student achievement, public and private school options for parents, volunteer support, educational technology, and the impact of tax investment on student achievement and workforce readiness will make her a strong and reflective policymaker for the state’s

K-12 schools,” Axtell said.

•••

The district’s middle school magnet programs are seeking students for the 2009-10 academic year, and information meetings are scheduled for interested families at two campuses.

Hyde Park Middle School’s math and science magnet program will hold a parent information meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday at 900 Hinson St., Las Vegas. K.O. Knudson Middle School, which has magnet programs in the creative arts, language and technology, will hold its information meeting at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 3 at 2400 Atlantic Ave., Las Vegas.

All of the district’s magnet schools, as well as the career and technical academies, are accepting applications. Programs are available at the elementary, middle and high school level.

For more information, go to ccsd.net and enter “Select Schools” into the search engine.