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3rd candidate declares for Clark County School board seat

Updated February 3, 2020 - 12:11 pm

Indian Springs High School teacher Alexis Salt will run for the Clark County School Board this fall, challenging board President Lola Brooks for the Summerlin-area District E seat.

In addition to teaching in the district for 14 years, Salt is the parent of a Clark County School District middle school student and a regular attendee at School Board meetings, most recently scolding the current board over a payroll issue that has left teachers, substitutes and support staff shorted on their paychecks.

She says she believes she can bring a needed perspective to the board as a recent classroom teacher, though she’ll need to leave her job if elected to avoid conflicts of interest.

“The board needs someone who understands how schools are impacted by the decisions they make,” Salt said. “I get so angry when kids are screwed over.”

Salt described her priority as a trustee as bringing joy back to schools for students and staff. She said that middle schoolers, for example, face over 50 hours of testing each year with little attention given to gauging the efficacy of those tests.

“We push kids through, but how many remedial classes do they take (after CCSD)? How prepared are they?” Salt said. “Would you want to come to school if you were just a data point?”

Salt said for students and teachers alike, the outsourcing of learning to outside curriculum developers has led to less engagement in the classroom overall. She added that as a trustee, she’d also support more investment into arts education, and create advisory committees of students and teachers to meet with monthly.

The Summerlin seat is now a three-way race between Salt, Brooks, who intends to run again, and Realtor Tiger Helgelien, who had previously planned to challenge Rep. Susie Lee, but suspended his campaign last fall.

Candidates have until March to file to run for one of four open School Board seats up for the Nov. 3 election.

Contact Aleksandra Appleton at 702-383-0218 or aappleton@reviewjournal.com. Follow @aleksappleton on Twitter.

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