Courtesy of Katie Williams
Katie Williams, who received 61% of the vote through Friday, will represent District B on the Clark County School Board.
Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020 | 2 a.m.
Newly elected trustee Katie Williams intends to bring a conservative approach to education to the Clark County School Board and says schools should reopen to in-person learning after months of closures because of the pandemic.
Williams, who received 61% of the vote through Friday to represent District B, knows some in the education community may not agree with her views — everything from advocating for school choice to supporting President Donald Trump. But she insists they have one thing in common: helping children.
“I didn’t run to be liked 100%. I ran to help out the kids and the parents,” she said.
Williams, 30, doesn’t have a background in education like other members of the board. Rather, she’s a small-business owner, former member of the National Guard and a beauty pageant winner. However, she was stripped of her Ms. Nevada crown last year for Twitter posts, many in favor of Trump.
She says it was the silencing of a conservative voice. Organizers say it’s because she didn’t separate political commentary from her pageant duties, according to reports.
“Unfortunately, conservative values are not just under attack in the pageant world; they are under attack everywhere,” Williams posted on her campaign site, where she’s pictured in a “Socialism Sucks” shirt. “In no place is that attack more present than within America’s public schools. That’s why I have chosen to run for the Clark County School Board and bring a new, common sense conservative voice to the table.”
She won’t be sworn onto the School Board until January, but one commenter on Twitter has already mentioned trying to recall her.
“I don’t know which of my haters need to hear this ... but you can’t use the excuse ‘I don’t like her’ for a recall,” she responded on Twitter. “I mean I guess you can, but you won’t get very far.”
Williams campaigned on a platform of holding school administrators accountable, working with schools and teachers to identify needs, listening to parents, and bringing school choice into the conversation.
School choice gives families an alternative from public school, such as private school or a religious-based school, and pays for it with public funds. Public school advocates oppose the program because it takes money out of the state education system they feel could be better used.
Most important, Williams will advocate for students to return to in-person learning for the first time since mid-March because of COVID-19 concerns.
“It’s what a lot of parents and teachers want,” she said.
Lola Brooks, School Board president who won reelection this week, said the trustees will work to ensure incoming members understand their roles and expectations in representing the community.
“I am committed to working with anyone focused on the needs of the students and families we serve. I look forward to getting to know each of the trustee-elects,” Brooks said.
John Vellardita, executive director of the Clark County Education Association, said one School Board member, being one of seven votes, doesn’t overpower decisions for the district. He said there have been outspoken members on the board in the past.
“This isn’t the first time the Clark County School District will have a trustee that’s kind of out there, an outlier, if you will, with different views,” he said.
Vellardita said new trustees won’t change the union’s position that the district needs a comprehensive safety plan in place before reopening schools, including coronavirus testing for staff and teachers, contact tracing and temperature checks. He also said the high rate of transmission has to be at a rate that’s controllable.
The board is scheduled later this month to continue reopening talks.
“It doesn’t matter who is a trustee today and who is in January. It doesn’t change our position,” he said. “It’s one thing to be a candidate and another to be a trustee. It’s two different worlds. In campaigns, people say a lot of things.”
Vicki Kreidel, president of the National Education Association of Southern Nevada, hopes Williams doesn’t add more division to the School Board.
“Politics should not be about what they are doing on the School Board. They’re supposed to put politics aside and do what’s right for the children. It shouldn’t be a factor,” she said.
Elizabeth Campbell, who has taught at CCSD for 25 years, said she’s concerned about some of Williams’ philosophies, such as echoing Trump in social media posts in referring to COVID-19 as the “China virus.”
“There’s lots of research that shows the impact of racism on children in schools. As a teacher I’m very afraid of the harm Katie Williams will do to our children,” Campbell said.
Williams said she supports teachers, but “for far too long parents have been left out of the conversation.”
She has also promised not to take a paycheck from the position until every school in District B — in the far northwest valley — reaches a 4-or-5-star rating. The pay is $750 monthly.
