Emily Richmond

Reporter/ Education

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Nevada out of ‘race’ for innovation funding: State could get into second round of competition, but only if law barring use of test scores in teacher evaluations is changed; Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009; It’s official: Nevada has been shut out of the “Race to the Top,” a federal grant program offering $4.35 billion to improve the nation’s public schools. Keith Rheault, Nevada’s superintendent of public instruction, said Thursday “it’s looking pretty hopeless ... they won’t even let us come to the starting line.”
School maintenance slipping: To-do list of a division hit by budget cuts has nearly tripled in a year; Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009; As of July 31, the district’s backlog of maintenance work orders had nearly tripled to 12,937 from 4,327 at the end of July 2008, according to information being presented at Thursday’s School Board meeting. According to the report, the district buildings generally are not in “showpiece” condition, nor do they reflect “comprehensive stewardship.”
First grad of Nevada Southern, now UNLV, didn’t expect to be: UNLV donor Jon Cobain, not his class’s valedictorian, was tapped for historic role; Monday, Nov. 9, 2009; Jon Cobain didn’t give much thought to his place in history when he walked across the stage and accepted his college diploma from Nevada Southern, which would later become UNLV.
Success!: Despite the toughest of economic times, UNLV hits mark of $500 million in cash and pledges; Friday, Nov. 6, 2009; Nearly eight years ago multimillionaire businessman and philanthropist Jim Rogers met with Don Snyder, then-president of Boyd Gaming, to explore the possibility of UNLV mounting its first-ever capital campaign. ¶ Consultants were hired to test the university’s readiness for a proposed $250 million drive, and the potential level of community support. ¶ The consultants’ report was far from encouraging: UNLV lacked the heft and infrastructure to attempt such a massive, multiyear undertaking, and community support was lacking. ¶ Rogers — who served five years as the higher education system’s chancellor before retiring in June — not only decided to forge ahead, but he raised the campaign’s target to $500 million. People scoffed. ¶ On Thursday, UNLV President Neal Smatresk told a UNLV Foundation dinner audience of 600 supporters that the goal of $500 million in cash and pledges had been exceeded.
Success: UNLV hits mark of $500 million in cash and pledges: Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009; Nearly eight years ago multimillionaire businessman and philanthropist Jim Rogers met with Don Snyder, then-president of Boyd Gaming, to explore the possibility of UNLV mounting its first-ever capital campaign. A consultants’ report was far from encouraging: UNLV lacked the heft and infrastructure to attempt such a massive, multiyear undertaking, and community support was lacking. Rogers not only decided to forge ahead, but he raised the campaign’s target to from $250 million to $500 million. People scoffed. On Thursday, UNLV President Neal Smatresk told a UNLV Foundation dinner audience of 600 supporters that the goal of $500 million in cash and pledges had been exceeded.
Program gives incentive to consider college — in eighth grade: Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009; The eighth grader was curious Wednesday why he had been chosen to attend an off-campus event to motivate him to aim for college, given that middle school was proving to be a challenge.
Permit issue puts clinic on hold: School District didn’t seek county approval to build health center; Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009; Much of the anger voiced at a Spring Valley neighborhood meeting Monday about a proposed student health clinic at Elaine Wynn Elementary School was directed at the Clark County School District for not having previously discussed the plan publicly.
UNLV announces $12.6 million scholarship program: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009; UNLV President Neal Smatresk this morning announced the largest active endowed student scholarship program in the history of Nevada higher education -- $12.6 million from the Engelstad Family Foundation.
Neighbors speak out against school clinic: Principal says children benefit, but some think area would look impoverished; Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009; The burden of identifying students with health issues has increasingly fallen to local public schools, some of which share their campuses with independently operated health clinics. Over the years the health clinics at six Clark County campuses have done more than just connect needy students with basic care. Staff have spotted potentially life-threatening illnesses and diseases that might otherwise have gone undiagnosed.
Math teacher posted numbers for championship football team: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009; Sports fans might have recognized the name of a teacher featured in a Las Vegas Sun story about single-sex classes at West Prep’s middle school.
On Nevada Day, how well do you know Nevada?: Residents give their answers: Right, wrong and creative; Friday, Oct. 30, 2009; Less than a month after moving to Nevada in fifth grade, Katharine Conti impressed her school’s music teacher by learning all the words to the state song. How unfortunate for Conti that she was one of dozens of Nevadans approached Thursday at the DMV in Henderson by a reporter armed with questions about the Silver State. Nevada Day, which falls on Saturday and commemorates the date the state entered the Union, will be observed as a state holiday today.
In single-sex experiment, school failed to measure: District has no data for one campus, so questions are left unanswered; Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009; For six years a Las Vegas junior high school separated its seventh graders by gender for reading classes, in a bid to boost student achievement.
For shot at a jackpot, state must ante up, alter law: Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009; Nevada has the chance to qualify for as much as $200 million in federal education grants. But to do so, the Legislature will have to change state law in a hurry. That would require a special legislative session that carries at least a $100,000 price tag. Is the gamble worth it? Gov. Jim Gibbons says no, unless there is another reason to call legislators to Carson City for a special session.
Idea behind charter is already in action: Magnet high school program helps train future teachers; Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009; John Jasonek, executive director of the Clark County Education Association, has asked the State Board of Education to sponsor his proposed charter school, where high school students could simultaneously earn high school and college credit for classes toward teaching degrees.
Crime fighting dogs — and their handlers — to have their day: Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009; The 19th annual Las Vegas Police K-9 Trials are this weekend, with 36 police dog-officer teams from across the United States and one from Mexico competing. Metro Officer Mike Horn, president of the nonprofit group behind the event, joined the force in 1980 and the K-9 unit six years later.
Schools have valued partner in Elaine Wynn’s group: Since 2003, it has made a big difference helping where parents, schools fall short; Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009; More than a decade ago Elaine Wynn approached the Clark County School Board with an offer — to help establish a local affiliate of a national organization that helps find community partners for needy campuses. The group even offered to set up a student health clinic.
Proposed: A high school just for future teachers: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009; John Jasonek wants to start grooming the next generation of educators at an earlier age — by nurturing them at a charter high school designed to foster teaching.
UNLV researching why so many freshmen aren't ready for college: Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009; UNLV is about to launch what may be its most important research project ever: Why are so many freshmen not ready for college even though their high school grades suggest they are? The UNLV president says the problem needs to be addressed clinically.
Mentors key to helping students succeed: Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009; After graduating from Cheyenne High School with a B-plus grade point average, Vanessa Ocampo figured she was ready for her freshman year at UNLV.
Grants aplenty, but can matching funding be found?: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009; A $650 million grant initiative, announced this month by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, holds a wealth of opportunity for the Clark County School District, but meeting one of the key requirements won’t be easy.
Merit pay: How best to decide who earns it at schools: Clark County schools weighing whether empowerment schools should consider campuses’ ‘at-risk’ factors in awarding bonuses.; Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009; The notion of holding teachers accountable for their classroom performance — and paying them bonuses for a job well done — is gaining support across the country. But what criteria should be used to judge teacher performance?
Swine flu shots could be available at schools: Plan is to use campuses during off-hours, if needed; Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009; Ten high school campuses may serve as large-scale vaccination sites to help prevent the H1N1 “swine flu” virus.
Board revokes teaching license after unlawful contact conviction: Friday, Oct. 9, 2009; A former Boulder City middle school teacher had his license revoked today by the State Board of Education following his conviction for unlawful contact with a child, a gross misdemeanor.
Recession hits charter parents two ways: At two schools, some can no longer play key roles; Friday, Oct. 9, 2009; The economy is taking different tolls on a pair of Las Vegas charter schools.
Rulffes wants more campuses ‘empowered’: Superintendent seeks to expand pilot program, even without full funding; Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009; Superintendent Walt Rulffes wants to add up to 20 campuses to the Clark County School District’s “empowerment” pilot program, even if most of them likely won’t get the extra funding that has previously come with participation.
Rule in works in try to keep comments at meetings civil: Objective: Rein in personal attacks on board members; Monday, Sept. 28, 2009; The Clark County School Board’s patience is wearing thin with people who are more interested in lobbing insults than in useful discourse.
A month into school year, district takes student census, backfills areas of need: Monday, Sept. 28, 2009; Spanish teacher Marie King spent three weeks setting up her classroom at Gibson Middle School, even paying to have one wall painted a cheery shade of purple that she thought her students would enjoy.
Hand sanitizer here, not there as flu prep goes in fits, starts: Friday, Sept. 25, 2009; After fielding dozens of calls from parents concerned about the upcoming flu season, Principal Tam Larnerd decided to provide each of his classroom teachers with hand sanitizer, spending about $450 in school supply money for 60 large bottles at Sam’s Club.
Striking a chord with students: Accomplished musician takes time out to inspire orchestra at Basic High; Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009; Despite Clark County School District’s budget cuts — including $120 million for the 2009-10 academic year — moments like concert pianist and guest instructor Alpin Hong teaching at Basic High School still happen. Research has long shown that students who are involved in fine arts programs typically do better in their academic classes than their peers who don’t take part. Basic is expected to dodge any fine-arts cuts because it had no enrollment drop. Still, Principal David Bechtel says he’s not satisfied with the status quo.
School district sees enrollment decline of 1,667 students: Monday, Sept. 21, 2009; The Clark County School District is seeing its first enrollment decline in more than a quarter-century. As of Friday, the official “count day” used by the state to determine per-pupil funding for public schools, Clark County had 309,573 students.
Principal says parents’ action helped score ‘Blue Ribbon’ honors: Monday, Sept. 21, 2009; At Gray Elementary School, Principal Carl Johnson wanted to encourage more parental involvement.
Task at hand: Flu-readiness: School District working on H1N1 vaccination plan, outbreak response; Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009; In a state with one of the nation’s worst track records for childhood immunizations, the Clark County School District is strategizing how to provide motivation and opportunity for tens of thousands of students to be vaccinated against the H1N1 “swine flu” virus.
Smatresk: UNLV strong, but 'doing more with less': University president expects economic woes to continue through four years; Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009; Despite steep budget cuts, fiscal uncertainties and the challenges of an evolving mission, UNLV is standing strong, President Neal Smatresk said in his first “State of the University” address. Speaking without notes to a nearly full house in the main ballroom of the campus Student Union, Smatresk praised the university community for banding together to weather a tough economic season, saying “thanks to our legislators … because it could have been worse.”
Keeping kids in class often falls to novice school workers: Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009; In June, Adam Mauk was a Clark County School District attendance officer, his eight-hour days spent chasing down truants, breaking up house parties and ferrying students “left over” at the end of the day.
Today Mauk works fewer hours for less pay as a special education classroom aide at a Henderson elementary school, lifting students in and out of wheelchairs, escorting them to the bathroom and helping with their personal hygiene.
Likely this year in the valley: Fewer students, no increase in state money: Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009; For some 10 years, the Clark County School District broke ground on a new school every month. But enrollment growth appears to have stalled — and maybe for the first time in at least 25 years, there will be fewer students this fall than the previous year.
Newest health center fills a need: Clinic at elementary school provides basic medical care; Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009; A campus-based health center opened Friday at Matt Kelly Elementary, providing services to hundreds of students who would otherwise likely go without basic medical care such as hearing and vision exams and treatment of chronic illnesses such as asthma.
Schools will be funded based on Sept. 18 attendance: Friday, Sept. 11, 2009; As discontented parents at 100 Academy of Excellence talk of taking their children out of the charter school, the Clark County School District is wondering how many of them might end up in traditional public schools that serve West Las Vegas.
Rulffes has rough draft of fix for Prime Six: Proposal outlines course of action for improving schools in West Las Vegas; Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009; The recent assessment of a 15-year effort to improve education at six elementary schools serving West Las Vegas offered a bracing, unflattering conclusion: Rather than help the students, the program appears to have backfired, resulting in campuses largely isolated by race, poverty and low achievement.
Washington think tank with ideas for the West starts UNLV partnership: Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009; Last summer the Brookings Institution identified Nevada as one of five Western states poised to become a new American heartland. A year after its study, Brookings is setting up shop in Las Vegas to help achieve those goals.
Too much state bureaucracy for schools?: Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009; Are appointed boards of education more effective than ones with elected members? 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.
Cheaters, helpers alike mar testing: Results of annual state analysis of hiccups in assessments are in; Friday, Sept. 4, 2009; A Mojave High teacher didn’t just send her students off to a math proficiency exam and wish them well — she sat down and took the test, too. That was one of 134 irregularities detailed in an assessment of test security in Nevada’s public schools.
What ﬁne print of federal plan means for our local schools: Some would have to make aggressive changes to qualify for money; Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009; At first blush it looks like a boon for the Clark County School District:
The U.S. Education Department is offering tens of millions of dollars that could potentially be used to expand the district’s popular — and expensive — initiative to empower schools with money and autonomy.
But a closer reading of the fine print suggests the district won’t be able to tap the money to turn an unlimited number of campuses into empowerment schools.
Recession’s effects evident even in school-bus stops: Number of pickups outside single-family homes decreases; Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009; 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.
U.S. schools chief seeks big changes, has money to spend: Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009; Arne Duncan, appointed by President Barack Obama to be his secretary of education, knows he better do something about the state of public schools. His predecessors had less than $20 million in discretionary funding to help the nation’s struggling public schools. Duncan has $10 billion. “Unprecedented resources need to come with unprecedented reform,” Duncan says.
Sought: More schools like West Prep: Steps local school took for turnaround are the kind feds are now encouraging; Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009; One of the more recent success stories in the Clark County School District is West Prep, which in its previous incarnation had the worst academic performance in the state.
Kirk Kerkorian’s gift feeds future: $14 million will fund UNLV institute for seeking grants; Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009; An initiative to raise money to advance education, health care and social services in Nevada will be launched at UNLV today with a $14 million grant from Kirk Kerkorian’s Lincy Foundation. The gift will fund the creation of The Lincy Institute.
Students back to school, staying close to home: West Las Vegas parents forgo other options to keep children in ‘Prime Six’ schools; Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009; Second grader Ayanna Walters showed up for school Monday in her new clothes — a red and black plaid blouse with matching shoes, crisp dark denim pants — and with her notebook and pencils carefully stowed in her hot-pink backpack.
“I’m ready,” said Ayanna, smiling broadly. So was Ayanna’s school, Booker Elementary. And that’s the good news for the Clark County School District.
Many paths to teaching posts: For some, dissatisfaction in other careers opened schoolhouse door; Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009; More than 600 teachers have joined the Clark County School District in time for the start of the new school year Monday. They are a mix of rookies and veterans and bring with them a wide range of life experiences. Here are six of them.
With critical issues to tackle, UNLV leader takes reins: Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009; Neal Smatresk is as an academics expert — he was chief academic officer at the University of Hawaii at Manoa before joining UNLV in 2007 as vice president and provost. Now Smatresk, 58, has been asked to broaden his repertoire by steering the struggling university through a recession and emerge at the other end of the tunnel with a focused mission.
TV crew learns the lesson of its story: Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009; One of the TV news crews should have paid more attention when the Clark County School District held its annual back-to-school news conference at Adcock Elementary to warn drivers to slow down around campuses.