Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Sun editorial:

Spotlight on candidates who seek education seats

Four for School Board: Goldman, Matthew, Garvey and Janison

With four of its seven seats on the ballot, the Clark County School Board will see a major change this election.

Three of the seats are open as the board is losing three members with significant experience — Mary Beth Scow, Ruth Johnson and Shirley Barber — who were all first elected in 1996. Barber decided not to run again. Scow and Johnson were forced from office by term limits.

The fourth seat is held by Terri Janison, who is running for reelection.

The district, the fifth largest in the nation with more than 300,000 students, needs stable and experienced leadership as the economic downturn has resulted in rounds of budget cuts.

The decisions the board makes during these times will affect students for years to come.

The board members will have to be effective and tireless advocates for education who can clearly communicate and work with the community as well as political leaders to help improve the quality of education in Clark County. They will also have to find ways to work with each other as well as with school staff, parents and students.

In District A, which includes Henderson and southeastern Clark County, Ed Goldman, a School District administrator, clearly understands the issues facing the schools. Goldman, who holds a doctorate in education, has specific ideas about how to improve the quality of education. He says he’ll retire if he wins. He would also have to step out of his role as day-to-day administrator to take a wider view as a policymaker. Goldman is the best qualified in this race. The Sun endorses Ed Goldman.

Chris Garvey brings a good perspective to the race for the District B seat, which represents the northeastern part of Las Vegas and Clark County. Garvey, a dental technician, is a former PTA mom who understands the issues and frustrations of parents. Her experience as a parent is balanced by her comprehension of the complexity of the issues facing the School District. The Sun endorses Chris Garvey.

Retired Principal Ronan Matthew is facing school administrator Linda Young for the District C seat, representing central Las Vegas and parts of North Las Vegas. Both candidates have doctoral degrees and significant experience in education, but Matthew stands out. Community leaders support him with good reason. He was a stellar principal and, having served for years in the trenches and having children who have been educated in the district, he has a clear view of what the schools need to do to improve. His experience and understanding are sorely needed on a board that has been criticized as being out of touch. The Sun endorses Ronan Matthew.

Terri Janison has been a great addition to the board as the representative from District E, which includes western Las Vegas and northwestern Clark County. She was elected two years ago to fill out a term and has brought energy and ideas to the board. She has been accessible, active in the community and a great advocate for education. Janison has proved herself and deserves another term. The Sun endorses Terri Janison.

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