Clark County School Board elects new president in 5-2 vote
The Clark County School Board elected Trustee Lola Brooks as president on Wednesday, but the 5-2 vote hinted that the longtime divide on the board was not entirely bridged by recent election changes.
Trustee Linda Young, who voted against Brooks’ nomination along with Trustee Chris Garvey, said concern over Brooks’ employment at a charter school was the reason for her vote.
There’s a perception in her community, she said, that charters take away resources from public education.
“How does it look … that here she is, an employee of a charter school, over a public education board?” Young said.
Young also argued that Brooks didn’t yet have the experience, noting that if a trustee hasn’t served as vice president yet then they should not be president.
Brooks responded that she has always voted the same way as Young on charter issues.
“I believe in public education, and if I did not believe in public education I would not spend so much of my time working with this board and for this board,” she said.
The addition of Irene Cepeda and Danielle Ford to replace Trustees Kevin Child and Carolyn Edwards on the board was seen as possibly ushering in a new era of cooperation on the board. The former board was often split 4-3 in votes, with Trustees Brooks, Edwards, Deanna Wright and Linda Cavazos consistently siding against Child, Garvey and Young.
The board voted unanimously, however, to elect Cavazos as vice president and Garvey as clerk.
A previous version of this article gave an incorrect vote total.
Contact Amelia Pak-Harvey at apak-harvey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4630. Follow @AmeliaPakHarvey on Twitter.