Too much state bureaucracy for schools?

By Emily Richmond

Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Are appointed boards of education more effective than ones with elected members?

Should responsibility for hiring Nevada’s superintendent of public instruction be shifted to the governor?

Does Nevada really need three separate academic commissions to oversee standards, technology and school improvement?

Those are just a few of the questions a newly appointed interim legislative committee intends to address.

Assemblywoman Bonnie Parnell (D-Carson City) will lead the committee, which was created by lawmakers during the recent legislative session. Other members are Sens. Joyce Woodhouse (D-Henderson), Barbara Cegavske (R-Las Vegas) and Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas), plus Assemblymen Paul Aizley (D-Las Vegas) and Lynn Stewart (R-Henderson).

Nevada’s convoluted K-12 governance structure has long been a source of annoyance for many educators and lawmakers, who argue that there is unnecessary duplication and no clear chain of authority. The state Board of Education sets policy for Nevada’s 17 school districts. The board can suspend or revoke teacher licenses and is the conduit for federal education money awarded to Nevada. The state board also has authority for hiring and firing the superintendent of public instruction.

During the interim, the committee will evaluate governance models used in other states, Parnell said. The committee, which will hold the first of its three meetings in January, will also hear testimony from interested parties.

“I’m coming into this without any preconceived notions,” Parnell told the Sun. “We might end up keeping things exactly as they are. But I think everyone agrees that we need to do whatever we can to make sure that our K-12 system is as effective as possible.”

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To qualify for more than $23 million in new federal grants aimed at turning around failing schools, Nevada needs to identify the 5 percent of campuses that are the lowest performers.

Von Tobel Middle School Principal Roger Gonzalez said he realizes his campus is likely to be on the shortlist.

Von Tobel’s lack of adequate academic progress has kept it on the state’s “needs improvement” list for seven consecutive years, longer than any other campus in the Clark County School District. The federal grant program, announced last week by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan during a visit to Las Vegas, will give priority to schools that have been identified as “needs improvement” for at least five years. Von Tobel also meets another requirement of the grant program — it receives Title I federal money to help serve its large population of students from low-income households.

The district’s budget cuts cost Von Tobel several staff members, including a bilingual aide who served as a liaison between the school and families.

“That was a terrible loss for us,” Gonzalez said. “Our aide really knew how to establish a rapport. She made home visits, checked up on students who weren’t in school for a few days and translated for families at parent-teacher conferences.”

If Von Tobel were to win a grant, Gonzalez said, he would use it for more instructional time, a longer school year and professional development for teachers.

“Anything that will improve the lives of our students, we have to be prepared to do,” Gonzalez said.

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The Nevada Public Education Foundation is offering resources to help students cope with real-life problems that get in the way of success at school.

The foundation’s online database offers links to providers of help with such basic needs as housing, employment, food, clothing and health care. Users can enter a street address for a location map showing the closest provider locations.

The “Ready for Life” initiative — www.readyforlifenv.org — is backed by a coalition of community partners, including dozens of social service agencies, nonprofit organizations and school districts. The initiative’s goal is to reduce dropout rates, increase graduation rates and ensure that students are prepared for college and the workforce.