Good news for schools is in short supply

By Emily Richmond

Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008 | 2 a.m.

For the first time since taking over as superintendent of the Clark County School District in 2005, Walt Rulffes struggled to put together talking points for his annual news conference kicking off the academic year.

Forget the $9.5 billion capital campaign he had expected to promote. The School Board decided to put off the bond measure until 2010, rather than ask voters to support the endeavor during a period of slow growth and economic troubles.

The usual spiel about the huge number of new teachers also had to be set aside. More than 1,000 rookies will be on the job Monday, but it’s less than half the number last year and a third of the tally from 2006.

Rulffes thought he might be talking about changes to the federal requirements of the No Child Left Behind law, which is up for reauthorization. But the feds have told districts it’s likely to be status quo for the next two years.

So on Friday, Rulffes fielded questions about budget cuts — what programs and services won’t leave the starting block because of canceled state funding. He tried to put an upbeat spin on it.

Although lawmakers eliminated funding for a new “empowerment schools” pilot program, Clark County is moving ahead with expanding its own version. Six campuses have been added. Rulffes said he plans to announce next week that private donors are stepping in to fill the funding gap for empowerment schools.

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Given the continual grousing by local and state education officials about the burden of having to sponsor charter schools, some lawmakers said Thursday the answer might be to hand off the responsibility — and accompanying funding — to a new entity.

The Legislative Committee on Education voted unanimously to consider a bill draft request to create what would amount to the state’s 18th school district, made up entirely of charter schools. The next review will take place at the committee’s October meeting.

Also considered were proposals to add staff and funding to the Nevada Education Department, without major changes to the State Board of Education’s authority over charter schools, or to create a separate charter schools committee that would report to the state. But the committee ultimately preferred a version based on the Colorado Charter Schools Institute, created by that state’s lawmakers, to sponsor, oversee and support charter schools.

Assemblyman Mo Denis, D-Las Vegas, who is also president of the Nevada PTA, said he agreed the state’s charter school law was due for an overhaul but he wanted more details on costs and accountability.

“I have heartburn about just creating another governmental organization that’s going to need administrators and money,” Denis said.

Sen. Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, said she preferred the Colorado model largely because of the autonomy it offered. Cegavske, who serves on the charter schools advisory team created by Gov. Jim Gibbons, said she thinks the Colorado model is closest to what the other members of the team would prefer.

“It would be nice to see Nevada recognized as having some charter-friendly legislation,” Cegavske said. “That’s one area where we get dinged all the time.”

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At a news conference at John Mendoza Elementary School highlighting traffic safety before the new academic year, motorists buzzed past, oblivious to police cruisers and motorcycle officers lying in wait.

In addition to getting speeding tickets, several people were cited for failing to wear seat belts and for not having driver’s licenses.

Wait, they didn’t have driver’s licenses at all? Or were they licensed drivers, but didn’t have the cards with them?

It was the latter, Metro Officer Dave Corbin said. “Otherwise, we’d be waiting for the tow trucks.”