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SAM MORRIS / LAS VEGAS SUN FILE
Chancellor Jim Rogers speaks at a rally in January 2009 on the UNLV campus to protest Gov. Jim Gibbons’ proposed cuts to state funding for higher education.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 | 8:11 p.m.
Walt Rulffes
Sun coverage
Beyond the Sun
Sun archives
- Clark County schools superintendent announces retirement (3-25-2010)
- Jim Rogers gets chancellor emeritus title at Regents meeting (3-4-2010)
- Dose of Rogers for ailing UMC (1-14-2010)
- Rogers calls for Ashley’s ouster (6-17-2009)
- Rogers: UNLV President Ashley should be fired (6-16-2009)
- College students band together, rally against budget cuts (1-22-2009)
- Rogers adds own incentive for president (5-6-2006)
- Rogers shares wealth of experience (5-13-2005)
- TV mogul is willing to serve as chancellor (4-20-2004)
- Praises pour forth for interim chancellor (4-6-2005)
Businessman and past university system Chancellor Jim Rogers on Wednesday offered the Clark County School Board his services as superintendent, making himself available free of charge through July 2013.
In a letter sent to School Board President Terri Janison, Rogers said he had decided to make the offer after becoming “more and more concerned, not only about the School District’s ability to solve the present K-12 education problems in Southern Nevada, but it’s ability to have substantial future success.”
His offer comes after several months of lobbying by a coalition of parents who have asked the School Board to name Rogers interim superintendent while a formal search is conducted.
Superintendent Walt Rulffes retires at the end of August.
Rogers served as chancellor from 2004 until his retirement last summer. The Board of Regents named him “chancellor emeritus” in March in recognition of his service.
He had previously said he would be willing to serve as the School District’s interim superintendent, after being approached by several people who asked him to consider the job.
In his letter to Janison, Rogers said that while he would commit to serving three years, “if at any time the board feels I am not doing the job adequately, the board would be free to terminate my services on ten-day’s notice.”
In an interview with the Sun, Rogers said he hoped his offer would take some of the pressure off School Board members to rush the search for a permanent superintendent, or to make a selection from a potentially inadequate pool of candidates.
“I want them to feel they have a backup plan,” said Rogers, who is owner of Sunbelt Communications, which includes KVBC Channel 3.
Rogers said his knowledge of the state’s public education system and politics would mean a smooth transition at the helm of the nation’s fifth-largest school district, particularly going into the 2011 legislative session in February.
Janison could not be immediately reached for comment.
School Board Vice President Carolyn Edwards said she was aware of the letter’s contents.
“I think it’s great that he’s interested,” Edwards said. “But we need to see who all of the applicants are and what our choices might be before we nail it down.”
Rogers said he intends to formally apply for the job through the search firm McPherson and Jacobson of Omaha, Neb., which was hired earlier this month by the School Board.
Rulffes earns about $270,000 annually, although School Board members have indicated that the starting salary for the next superintendent might be lower.
Free is about what he is worth.
When he was "hired" to run the college system I was in communication with a reporter from this newspaper who was gushing about the great job he was going to do as chancellor. I suggested to her that she wait about five years then look at his work product.
I'll wager a buck or two that, if he "gets" the job he now seeks, the CCSD in five years will be as disrupted as is the NSHE.
You stay in the TV business there Jimbo. I don't want your left wing rear end running my ice cream stand. I guess if Terry Janison wouldn't support this effort, then the hot head can fire her husband in retalliation. Free ice cream for all bilingual illegals. Hire a professional, not some head case senile head case. Too bad Reagan closed all the places you belong.
First the casino's are the ones who fund a great portion of the education budget. Every time NV is in a $$ crisis everyone always expects the casino's to bail them out. How about the state quit wasting money and handing out $300 refunds when we have huge surplus. Jim Rogers was trying to fix the University system and run it like a business. But the Regent's did not like the fact the he was going to get the job done without them and without their useless input. Mr. Rogers is a very sucessful business man who cannot be bought by special intrests groups. He may be a bit crass at times, but his goal is to get the job done and get it done right so everyone including himself can make money.
Good Morning, class, and welcome to Mister Rogers' Neighborhood!
DO YOU FEEL SPECIAL TODAY?
Sure. I knew you would.
Can you say Plaid & Argyle???
Verrrry good boys and girls!!!
You have got to respect Mr. Rogers for his passion for education. Let's face facts; not too many Nevadans have put their big money where their big mouth's are regarding education...
Jim Rogers has.
Time and money, donated freely and in large measures, because he CARES.
You can call him kooky all day long and twice on Sunday, but you cannot challenge his commitment
and PASSION. God bless ya, Jim, but I do not think you are prepared for the realities of CCSD.
It might hasten the reading of your voluminous last will and testament, Sir.
Removed? Thats a load of crap.
I'll say the first part again for BCDave's benefit - Rogers was a Republican until he changed to independent when the crazies that voted for Angle took over the party.
The second part of my comment is still true, no matter how many nerves it touches - you wonder why CCSD has a high number of administrative staff and why they never get cut? Theology is thicker than water.
The School Board could never hire him; they wouldn't get their kickbacks from the consultants and search firm they hired to find a superintendent.
Are you crazy? I would take Jim Rogers in a heartbeat to fix CCSD.
Siromega and FRM make valid points. It's all about grabbing power and money. No one wants to do the right thing anymore. CCSD is corrupt as the rest of Nevada - and Washington for that matter. Jim Rogers appears to be genuine and certainly couldn't do a worse job than the last two supers.
Many are worried that if Mr. Rogers takes control of the CCSD that he might just require that parents become responsible for their children.
Parents of this valley would never want that to happen. Make their kids show up for class prepared and rested so that they could learn something.
CCSD has become nothing more then a baby sitting service for parents that don't care about their kids.
I thought he was going to lead the charge to fix UMC and get it affiliated with a teaching and research organization. Has he given up on that already?
"Many are worried that if Mr. Rogers takes control of the CCSD that he might just require that parents become responsible for their children."
Worried? He had said as much in interviews - the reason for failing schools is failing parents (though perhaps not that blunt). I don't care if CCSD needs to hire someone to write an iPhone app to help parents check on their child's progress, getting parents involved in schools is the key to success.
I'll do it for free too.
Throwing some caution to the wind; Some times we get what we pay for.
Back in 1945 somebody handed a file named 'General Motors' to a guy who had never fixed a car and said 'Fix it' and TaaDaa, Management was created in this country by a foreign born philosophy professor name of Sloan.
Peter Sloan, father of International Business management theory and practice from a guy who didn't really know about all its ins and outs until he just upped and looked.
I say Jimbo's heart would do us all some good. And his mind's good too. Give it a go. Our kids thank you though they have no idea what they are getting!
Good man.
Good idea.
Sounds like a good deal to me.
He's stat. are inline.
Try it,he will save money and he will do a good job.
Better than those other BOZO's that only
care about there pay checks.
At no cost to the tax-payers of Clark county! Give Jim Rogers the chance to straighten out the finacial mess CCSD is in. The last 2 superintendants only cared about their job title, how much money they would make, and any other special interests to their own benefit.
I'd say let him do it. Politics doesn't matter since the one they hire for a quarter million would have the same politics as well. I say let him do the free job if he's willing.
Time to get rid of more of the high paid administrators who get high salaries and then hire a staff to do all of their work for them, while they drive around in a district owned vehicle talking on a district provided cell phone on the way to their next free dinner.
I love the idea of Jim Rogers working for CCSD. It will never happen. CCSD is too polluted to allow someone like him to clean their mess.
LOTTERY folks, it's what other states use for their education system. It's no so hard to do except the casino's don't want it.
Jim Rogers is all about education. And Nevada is all about being at the bottom when it comes to education. Jim Rogers would make an excellent Super. We just need a Governor in office that will allow the proper funding for education. UNLV classes were cut, not because of Rogers hard work, he has always rallied for the student and education, but because of Gibbons, not picking up Nevada's fair share of Grants, you know he was just too too busy to do his job. Thank GOD he will be gone in November!
Rogers, has the heart to fix this mess, since money is not the reason he would be taking the position, I beleive he could make clear choices with no intentions set on kickbacks and raises.
Not to have a greedy person working for CCSD, would make me breathe a sigh of relief and would raise my hopes of my children at least getting a proper education in this state.
For now I will continue to home school my child. The K-12 program is sponsored by the Clark County school district. Computer & books are free. Go to http://www.k12.com/nvva/
Sal,
I feel your frustration.
However, if you think Walt Ruffles (have ridges, and flavor!!!) "only cared about a title and a paycheck" you never met the man. Very intelligent, very passionate about education.
I think Mister Rogers has his heart and wallet in the right place, and his sweaters and plaid shirts are QUITE SARTORIAL, but this is a little different than "overseeing" higher-ed, and ranting and raving for more funding.
Giving Jim a year to buy the search committee time to make a great choice isn't a horrible idea, but Mister Rogers may have met his match with CCSD.
It should be in suck knowledge a fortune and pioneer in education has diseased, but up from the ashes has emerged a new leader, and his name is James Rogers. The Clark County School district shall seek no other qualified persons to run its intuition as I have in full faith and confidence a true and moral leader in Education. Where Guinn has left off James or I should really say doctor several times is the noble leader to run the worst school district in The United Sates. Not one penny should be spending looking for another person to administer The Clark County School District. I must say in very few words that Dr. James Rogers is the most qualified person to run our school system.
Dr. James Rogers, you are the most qualified person to operate the Clark County School District. You are a man of the highest virtue. You are a person nothingness of one's self in oversight of the WORLD's worst school district.