Emily Richmond

Reporter/ Education

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Story Archive

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.
U.S. education secretary to visit Las Vegas school: Friday, Aug. 21, 2009; U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is scheduled to visit the Clark County School District Wednesday.
Bad feelings complicate achievement inequity issue: Expert offers advice on healing District-West Las Vegas rift; Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009; William Trent, an expert in education policy, helps school districts across the country deal with issues of segregation, equity and student achievement. Trent, a professor at the University of Illinois, says it’s easy to get people talking about what’s not working and whom to blame. The harder step, and the more important one, Trent says, is the listening.
Quick guide to pronouncing ‘Smatresk,’ last name of the new UNLV president: Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009; Please. The name of the new UNLV president does not rhyme with “mattress.” That’s the bottom-line advice from UNLV on how to correctly pronounce Neal Smatresk. And then there are some television news anchors who are managing to squeeze three or four syllables out of Smatresk — which has but two, according to an e-mail issued by UNLV’s chief spokesman, Dave Tonelli.
School District again taking heat for unequal achievement: Sunday, Aug. 16, 2009; A recent review of the Prime Six plan, by UCLA researchers hired by the district, points to its failure. The researchers found that almost without exception, the Prime Six schools are mired in lackluster achievement that lags far behind the districtwide average.
District’s new teachers fewer than in recent years, full of enthusiasm: Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009; Some came from across town to attend this week’s new-teacher orientation, excited about their first classroom jobs. Others, with decades of experience, arrived from as far away as New York and New Jersey.
Rulffes presses for families’ choice in school attendance: District wouldn’t provide transportation; School Board approval would be required; Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009; Clark County Schools Superintendent Walt Rulffes wants students to pick the schools they want to attend, provided there is space — a proposal that in other districts has led to more innovative programs as campuses compete to fill their seats.
Clark County School District’s new hires plunge, but there’s an upside: Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009; During those heady growth years (not too long ago), more than 2,700 new teachers would be welcomed into the ranks of the Clark County School District each summer. And this year? The district expects to hire 630 new teachers by the start of the school year — about a third of the number hired a year ago.
Las Vegas man fluent in fencing, more: Local man of many talents plans to compete for a world title in Russia next month; Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009; Heik Hambarzumian, 60, speaks five languages, plays the accordion and classical guitar, and teaches ballroom dancing, mathematics and electronics.
Tracking system for achievement is lauded: Test scores are up, but not all schools using program; Wednesday, July 29, 2009; In 2004 the Clark County School District invested in a new approach to tracking student achievement and classroom instruction, which educators say has played a significant role in gains in standardized test scores, particularly in the lower grades.
A high school’s leap from so-so to special: How Valley became first in county recognized for ‘turnaround’; Monday, July 27, 2009; When Ron Montoya first arrived at Valley High School in 1999, he was known for his catch phrase — “You’re the best” — which he uttered nearly every time he crossed paths with a student.
The (new) little school that could: Taylor Elementary School students’ strides hit marks under federal program; Friday, July 24, 2009; For the first time time since the No Child Left Behind law took effect in 2002, Robert Taylor Elementary School’s academic gains were enough to meet federal requirements.
Recovery moving slowly but steadily: Critics call stimulus a failure, but others see welcome progress; Friday, July 24, 2009; In a state where the ranks of the unemployed could fill one of Nevada’s largest cities, hiring a construction crew for highway paving or a few hundred schoolteachers doesn’t sound like much.
But it is beginning to add up. Putting Nevadans back to work under the economic recovery plan is happening, if slowly.
School District falls short of ‘No Child’ goals: Officials still find bright spots in annual report; Thursday, July 23, 2009; When it comes to No Child Left Behind, “close” isn’t good enough, the Clark County School District learned today. School officials announced today that the district had fallen short of “adequate yearly progress” under the federal law for the 2008-09 academic year. The district had made adequate progress in 2007 and 2008. District officials said budget cuts might have played a role in the poorer showing because of larger classes and less support for students.
NASA space camp gives teachers ideas for the classroom: Two local educators attend hands-on astronaut academy on scholarship; Monday, July 20, 2009; Mendoza Elementary School teacher Marilyn Cherry never dreamed of being an astronaut, but she knows the future of space exploration depends on getting students like her fifth graders excited about the possibilities.
Single-sex classes being praised on many levels: Jury still out, but some educators already convinced of benefits; Sunday, July 19, 2009; Single-sex classrooms are part of a Clark County School District experiment to see whether teaching boys and girls separately improves academic performance. The jury is still out, but not for a small group of local educators who are convinced that boys and girls learn so differently that teaching them the same way, in the same room, shortchanges the group. The district has since 2002 used single-sex classrooms for certain subjects and grades.
Turnover of teachers slows with the economy: Fewer sell homes and leave, or can afford to retire, so they stay; Tuesday, July 14, 2009; In 2006 school officials welcomed the district’s new teachers in luncheons at Cox Pavilion that stretched over three days.
Prices may rise but so may food’s appeal: Board puts off hike; food services enlists Wolfgang Puck to help with recipes; Monday, July 13, 2009; The School Board didn’t vote Thursday on whether to approve a 25-cent price increase in campus cafeterias after the topic wound up on the agenda for discussion only.
Successful run under ‘No Child’ likely at end: After two years of progress under federal law, district expects to come up short; Friday, July 10, 2009; Clark County School District isn’t expected to make the No Child Left Behind Act's adequate yearly progress, sources tell the Sun. Although remarkable gains were made at individual campuses, those performances won’t likely be enough to carry the day for the entire school system.
Superintendent offers to take 10 percent pay cut: Thursday, July 9, 2009; Clark County Schools Superintendent Walt Rulffes has offered to accept a 10 percent pay cut because of the ongoing budget crisis and its impact on the community.
School lunch prices might creep higher: Board weighing hike to cover cost increases; Thursday, July 9, 2009; The Clark County School District is poised to raise the cost of a school lunch by 25 cents for a second consecutive year, a move officials said is needed to cover the rising cost of making, delivering and serving more than 31 million meals a year.
Growth of successful teacher program slows in recession: Wednesday, July 8, 2009; The Clark County School District’s decision to partner with Teach for America in 2004 has arguably been one of its more successful experiments. But instead of increasing the number of new graduates recruited from the nation’s top colleges and universities to work as teachers in at-risk classrooms, the district is scaling back its expansion.
Just like Dad, school official says ‘turn off that light’: Energy manager going further, pushing for all appliances to be unplugged for July; Monday, July 6, 2009; Last week the Clark County School District made a frantic push to turn off every possible light, appliance and air conditioner at its hundreds of nine-month campuses, shutting them down entirely for the month of July.
The legacy of Chancellor Jim Rogers: A look at his tenure as chief of state's public colleges and universities; Sunday, July 5, 2009; Ever since his high school days as a student newspaper editorial writer, Jim Rogers has risen to the occasion, inserting his strong opinions even when not invited. This time it was in 2004 and the Nevada System of Higher Education was in disarray.
Six questions for Joe Boteilho: Wednesday, July 1, 2009; Joe Boteilho, chief code enforcement officer for Clark County, says Fourth of July fireworks trigger joy for most Clark County residents — but anxiety for the four-footed ones.
Deaf pupils in danger of losing their school: Also, stimulus money for special ed and Title I doubles bookkeeping work; Tuesday, June 30, 2009; The organizers of the Las Vegas Charter School for the Deaf spent more than six years raising enough money to lease a facility, finally opening the school in fall 2008.
When bathrooms open, so can the school: Charter school $27,000 in water line costs away from welcoming students; Tuesday, June 30, 2009; The new Silver Sands Montessori Charter School has almost everything it needs to open its doors in August: students, teachers and an office building in a Henderson executive park.
Test scores don’t quantify progress at all schools: Thursday, June 25, 2009; Timothy Stephens runs a high school that for six years has been labeled as failing. And in a month, he expects to be told that, for a seventh year running, the campus still isn’t as good as it should be.
Lots of logical uses of stimulus money ruled out: Title I lesson from Sandy Valley: Don’t spend federal money on equipment; Tuesday, June 23, 2009; One of the tricky parts about managing schools is taking into account that what the feds give, the feds can take away.
Unstimulated: Innovation: Nevada risks losing out on competitive grants designed to reward innovation; Monday, June 22, 2009; The intent of the federal stimulus money for the nation’s public schools was to foster improvement, innovation and reform. But in Nevada, the funding instead is largely being used to backfill the state’s financial holes. The idea that the stimulus money might actually stimulate education reform “is something of a fallacy,” says Keith Rheault, superintendent of public instruction. “... We won’t be able to do even one new innovative thing."
Parents at 11 schools opt for stricter dress code: Board expected to sign off on voting results at Thursday meeting; Monday, June 22, 2009; The votes are in, and students at 11 Clark County schools will face a stricter dress code when classes resume in August.
Rogers calls for Ashley’s ouster: Chancellor: UNLV president has the smarts, but lacks leadership; Wednesday, June 17, 2009; In his five years as chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, Jim Rogers has overseen the ouster of one UNLV president — Carol Harter — and, in his final days, wants to add a second notch to his belt.
High school, the sequel: Adult ed grads wiser, grateful, career-ready: Monday, June 15, 2009; High school dropout rates are tied to a community’s economic outlook. The bleaker the forecast, the more likely that students quit school to help their families pay the bills.
Latest graduation ranking has familiar ring: Saturday, June 13, 2009; Once again a national report has ranked Nevada at the bottom in high school graduation rates. And once again Silver State education officials are scrambling to explain why the formula is flawed.
UNLV president back early to deal with crisis: Status of Ashley's employment likely will be resolved next week; Wednesday, June 10, 2009; Calling the swirling storm around his job performance “a touch surreal,” UNLV President David Ashley said Wednesday that he cut his trip to Singapore short to come deal with the crisis head-on. Ashley made a brief visit to his campus office Wednesday. He had previously been due back in Las Vegas this coming Saturday.
After session, launching a charter school no easier: Proposal to cut back on red tape failed in session, and other hurdles remain; Wednesday, June 10, 2009; In a conference call with reporters this week, Education Secretary Arne Duncan once again touted the benefits of innovation and reform, urging states to lift caps on the number of charter schools that are allowed to operate.
Decision on Ashley wanted soon: In light of recent concerns, regents and higher education system chancellor would like to discuss future of UNLV presidency sooner than scheduled; Tuesday, June 9, 2009; Amid questions about his performance and judgment, UNLV President David Ashley said he may return to Las Vegas earlier than planned, cutting short a vacation he and his wife had added on to their university-sponsored trip to Singapore.
Carmen Lai, Clark High School Senior and Nevada Presidential Scholar: Monday, June 8, 2009; Every year two high school students from each state and a few others get to be Presidential Scholars.
Students get taste of fame, state’s history at annual parade: Monday, June 8, 2009; Southern Nevada Water Authority general manager Pat Mulroy was there, along with Steve Wynn and Howard Hughes. Multiple incarnations of Elvis Presley were spotted, strolling the red carpet with Dr. Eliza Cook, Greg Maddux and Sarah Winnemucca.
How we did: A look back at the session: Taxes and budget a big accomplishment, yet Legislature's great failure as well; Sunday, June 7, 2009; The legislative session was impossible. Lawmakers had no choice but to cut services and increase taxes, or see state services, especially education, all but shut down. The Las Vegas Sun reviews their actions on the budget, K-12 education, energy, health care, education policy, human rights, foreclosures, worker safety, F Street, the environment and public employees salaries and benefits. Legislators came in facing the largest deficit, as a proportion of the budget, in the nation.
Wife of UNLV president sends apology note to Rogers, regents: Saturday, June 6, 2009; Bonnie Ashley, the wife of UNLV President David Ashley, apologized Friday for her clashes with campus staff that have been characterized by others as abrasive, rude and intimidating.
Why not sever pricey ties to company?: Because School District’s deal with Edison Schools Inc. gives it no out over costs, and the company mostly has had big success; Friday, June 5, 2009; Some people called it a bad deal back in 2001, hiring the private Edison Schools Inc. to manage seven struggling Clark County School District campuses.
Rainy-day fund’s defeat a bitter pill for education: Wednesday, June 3, 2009; For the state’s school districts and their champions, the end of the 2009 legislative session was a nail-biter that culminated with a kick in the gut.