CCSD Needs a House Cleaning and I'm Ready for The Task
Clark County School District is the 5th largest school district in the
country. Since that distinction has arrived, and recently
before, the educational environment has steadily deteriorated.
In January 2010 Education Week Magazine rated Nevada 50th in the
Nation. This is the second year in a row for that notorious
distinction. This is the result of bad management at the top.
Current Trustees are trying to shirk the blame by any propaganda
that they can come up with. The unfortunate conclusion is
inescapable. Bad management followed by lies to avoid the
blame is more than the taxpayers and parents should or can put up
with. More...
School Board Praises Superintendent Walt Rulffes and Nominates
Him For a National Award
As a part of their program to reward substandard performance the
School Board Trustees have nominated failed superintendent Walt
Rulffes for "superintendent of the Year". To the dumbfounded
amazement of onlookers CCSD Trustees publicly affirmed the success
of Rulffes after grading a report card that he himself set up.
Copies of this report card later revealed that according to Rulffes
own carefully selected criteria he was given praise and this
nomination after achieving a grade of 51%. The failure of the
Trustees to set up a grading system that has anything to do with
what parents want their children to learn is part of the blame free
"Policy Governance" system that the district pays for annually both
in fees for the packaged system and in failed management.
Maybe Walt is being rewarded for something that parents,
students, educators and tax payers don't understand?
My comments were mentioned in the LVRJ editorial this week. Here is
the link:
http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/wait-to-replace-rulffes--or-not--91350384.html
Commentator Glenn Cook brings up the School Board's plan to hire an
immediate replacement for superintendent Rulffes. Last month there
was a scandal wherein the public discovered that the school board
gave superintendent Walt Rulffes a huge bonus while simultaneously
planning to cut teacher and staff pay and cut school days. The
scheme came to light after Trustee Edwards reported in her
newsletter that "The additional benefits discussed were awarded in
2006, prior to..." (Edwards being seated on the board).
The Article. Jim Haug of the LVRJ then
posted a recording of Edwards voice reading the decision to give the
big bonus into the school board minutes during October 2009.
Last month Trustee Young attempted to get the matter heard
publicly. she told attendees at the school board meeting that she
did not understand what she had voted for (I think that she meant
that something was not explained) and wanted to bring the item
back. Walt then gave his notice (of leaving) when his contract was
up in August 2010. The bottom line is that the
School Board and the CCSD Public Relations Machine is real anxious
to get this story behind them.
No "F Minus" Please... Education Week Names Nevada 50th in the Nation for Education
Education Week Magazine named Nevada 50th in the nation for a
second year in a row in it's January 2010 issue. The dubious
distinction was first announced in January 2009 based upon analysis
done in 2008. that year was before the big economic downturn
hit the Clark County School District which is the biggest
educational entity in the state by a large margin. CCSD
educates 72% of Nevada's students. In spite of the districts
persistent failure to comply with the requirements of 'No Child Left
Behind' and 'Adequate Yearly Progress' the
Trustees led by Board
President Janison and Vice President Edwards continue to
congratulate CCSD education management staff for their performance. The school board is
apparently unaware that the letter equivalent of 50th in the nation
is usually an F minus. More...
Families Flee Las Vegas Due To Bad Schools No Matter What The Economy
Is Doing
If you are a homeowner in the Las Vegas valley, like I am, then
the Trustees are visiting a disaster on your neighborhood. I
have no idea when it will arrive or if it did already. But,
let me tell you what it is... When the economy was on the way
up people who owns homes in close to town would sell their houses
and move to the outlying areas where the new schools were being
built. The new neighborhoods weren't as convenient as the old
but the old schools were allowed to deteriorate and it became one
more reason to move out. Neighborhood values slid as families
moved outward. Those left behind didn't notice because they
had no kids. Eventually the neighborhood went down in
value and no one knew why. Much of this was caused by
triggering events, mostly AZAC. When the school that served
your neighborhood for many years changes and your kids have to
change schools that is one example. AZAC is how the Trustees
have abdicated responsibility for deciding this to. Another reason
to go is when AZAC
decides to take a group of affluent neighborhoods and send them to a
nearby school while annexing a giant trailer park or transient
apartment complex into yours. The next summer everybody is talking
new houses and you start thinking that it's time to go too.
The current choice encouraging departure by CCSD is when you are free to leave or stay in
Vegas. Maybe you get a chance to transfer with your job and
you are a renter. Maybe you are a young couple deciding to
live where her family is or his family is? The fact that we
are 50th in the nation weighs in.
Dr Robert Fielden, probably the most well
respected architect in Las Vegas gave me his endorsement. Dr.
Bob is the only architect in the state (that I am aware of) with a
PHD. As such he is very well respected in the architectural
community. This is
the link to his letter.
05/20/10
I just got a letter from the Nevada Secretary of
State regarding Carolyn Edward's absurd allegation against my
campaign signs. She claimed that the signs were illegal
because I didn't say I was not an incumbent. What part of "Big
Change" is implying I'm an incumbent? Anyway... the Deputy
Secretary of Elections decided that she was wrong. This is the
kind of inability to read and comprehend simple laws that Edwards
lacks!
04/17/2010
My comments were mentioned in the LVRJ editorial
this week. Here is the link:
http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/wait-to-replace-rulffes--or-not--91350384.html
Commentator Glenn Cook brings up the School Board's plan to hire an
immediate replacement for superintendent Rulffes. Last month
there was a scandal wherein the public discovered that the school
board gave superintendent Walt Rulffes a huge bonus while
simultaneously planning to cut teacher and staff pay and cut school
days. The scheme came to light after Trustee Edwards reported
in her newsletter that "The additional benefits discussed were
awarded in 2006, prior to..." (Edwards being seated on the board).
The Article. Jim Haug of the LVRJ then
posted a recording of Edwards voice reading the decision into the
minutes during October 2009. Last month Trustee Young
attempted to get the matter heard publicly. she told attendees
at the school board meeting that she did not understand what she had
voted for (I think that she meant that something was not explained)
and wanted to bring the item back. Walt then gave his notice
(of leaving) when his contract was up in August 2010.
The bottom line is that the School Board and
the CCSD Public Relations Machine is real anxious to get this story
behind them.
04/15/2010
There was a great news
article in the LVRJ regarding the trustees plan to hire a
replacement for Walt Rulffes before the next election. Hurry
and lock in the failed policies of the past before the voters do
something about it!!!
http://www.lvrj.com/news/board-leaves-options-open-90817769.html
CCSD just announced that the 9 month school year
is cheaper than 12 month. This is a reversal of their previous
insistence that a 12 month schedule was "Slightly cheaper".
Why has this changed? They built 4 unneeded schools by
mistake!!! That is correct a $50 million mistake.
Watch the
video. Now the cost of running the 4 unneeded schools and
running many unneeded portables have lead to loss of jobs and
reduction in funding for other things that students need. The
Trustees see no relationship between incompetent planning and
management and the disaster that they have perpetrated upon our
school district. Do you? I predicate this mistake and could
have avoided it.
Upcoming Events
Election Dates.
Subject
Start Date
Last day to register
to vote (by mail) for General Election
10/2/2010
Last day to register
to vote (in person) for General Election
10/12/2010
Early voting for
General Election begins
10/16/2010
Campaign and Expense
Report 2 Due
10/26/2010
Mail ballot request
deadline for General Election (must be received)
No "F Minus" Please... Education Week Names Nevada 50th in the Nation for Education