Carolyn Goodman: A champion of education

By Emily Richmond

Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010 | 2 a.m.

In December, Carolyn Goodman announced she would retire in June from her position as president of the Meadows School, the nonprofit private campus she founded in 1984 and has led ever since. Goodman, whose husband is Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, spoke with the Sun recently about her plans post-Meadows, including speculation that she will seek to succeed her husband as mayor.

Q. What made this the right time for you to step down as president of the Meadows School?

Everybody’s asking, “What are you going to do, and why are you leaving?” I’ve told them all the truth. Twenty-six years ago there was nothing but an idea for a school, and now every single position is filled with an exceptional person. There’s nothing more for me to do. We’ve had some outstanding young board members come on, and it’s time to let the next generation of leaders take over.

We’re going to put away the title of president — I’ve stepped in and done that twice. The only permanent piece of the Meadows is the board of trustees. Henry Chanin, the current headmaster, will take on the title of head of school. He understands who we are, and what we are.

And if you’re not happy with his leadership ...

(Laughs) Right, it’s not difficult to fix. That’s one of the charms of the Meadows. Everybody is on a one-year contract. That means every student, every teacher and every administrator. Everyone reapplies for her spot every year. If things aren’t working out, we try and help you to improve. After that, we wish you well and say goodbye.

This isn’t rocket science at the Meadows. We put the money where it best belongs: in the classroom and with the faculty. And we keep administrative costs down.

Have you had any job offers?

Believe it or not, I’ve had some job offers from the private sector, all of them meaningful and interesting. I really know K-12 education. I’ve spoken to education groups over the years, and wannabe-startups looking to create something similar (to the Meadows) in their own community.

I’ve spent just as much time working with our students and parents, helping them to gain confidence. I love young people, and I know parenting can be very difficult right now. I know how effective I can be in those areas, and I almost wish someone would come to me with an opportunity that puts those skills to work.

Does becoming mayor of Las Vegas interest you?

Every person on the City Council and every well-meaning person that wants to be mayor might be better equipped and more knowledgeable than I am. But I believe all leaders want to make their own mark, and not necessarily follow my husband’s past agenda.

The only reason I would even consider running for mayor is if we don’t find someone who is truly going to carry that torch.

We believe in what he’s been doing and what’s been created. The economy is going to turn around, and downtown (Las Vegas) is going to be a big part of that. With the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and the performing arts center and all the road improvements, I think it’s going to be phenomenal.

What’s next for Oscar Goodman?

I’m just waiting for my husband to make up his mind, and you know how he is. Of course, I would love to stay here in Nevada and not move back to Washington, D.C. All four of our children live here with our grandchildren. Whatever Oscar does, wherever he goes, I’ll be there.

He’s a wonderful man — exactly who he was when I met him in college. He’s only stronger and better now, and simply brilliant. There are people out there who might not have much affection for him and think he’s too far out there. But I’ve never seen anyone else give four or five original speeches in one day. He never has notes. He just stands up and talks, and one minute he’ll have everyone hysterical with laughter and the next he’ll make very serious points. It takes a lot of character and energy to be able to do that.

Would you want him to be governor?

The problem is that the state, the country and the world are in such a mess.

We talk about it all the time — what innovative ways are there to fix things? What are the realities? People talk about raising taxes, but you can’t get blood from a turnip. Nobody’s making any money, so if we raise taxes how are the citizens going to pay? It’s a hard, hard road. Nevada is such a diverse state — every little community knows what they need and it’s the governor’s job to somehow bring all of that together.

Nevada’s Constitution requires the governor to live in Carson City. If you became mayor, you would have to live in Las Vegas. Would you and your husband ever live apart?

No (laughs). Oscar said to me, “I do not want to go to sleep or wake up without you beside me.”

You and your husband recently changed your voter registration to Independent from Democrat. What prompted the decision?

Over the past decade the fights between Republicans and Democrats nationally have become nauseating to me, they argue all the time. I really believe it’s hurting us.

When Oscar and I lived back East, we were actually both Republicans. Oscar actually ran for public office as a Republican, for a committee chairmanship. When we moved out to Las Vegas in 1964, Richard Bryan was part of the firm. He was entertaining the idea of running for political office (Bryan later served as governor and a U.S. senator). Richard Bryan said the lion’s share of the vote was Democrats, so we changed our registration and never switched back.

The mayor of Las Vegas is a nonpartisan office. He represents the people, which is really the purpose of everything in elected office when you think about it.

Looking ahead to Oscar’s future, and not being really sure what he’s going to decide to do, I told him he had to stay with representing all the people. I told him, “You’ve spent the past 11 years speaking the truth. People might not like what you have to say, but they know it’s the truth.” He told me I was absolutely right, and we went down to the registrar’s office and changed parties.

I can’t tell you the number of people who have come up to me and Oscar and say, “We absolutely agree with you. Party politics have really become something that’s fouling up this country.”

What do you see as the most significant challenge facing Nevada in the new decade?

I would hope that we somehow get the future leadership of this state to truly focus on education. When we started the Meadows, Nevada was ranked 32nd in the nation (for education funding). Now we’re 49th out of 50. That doesn’t say much for this wonderful state.

Education is the key to everything — it’s how you build your economy, it’s how you overcome prejudice. The problem is that, as a nation, we’ve continued to lower our standards while the Far East has raised theirs. We need to go back to the days when education in the United States was really something phenomenal. Locally, the seeds are there. The question is how we are going to all pull together, and will we have the brain trust to get the job done.

I see the next decade as a time of great promise, and great hope.