EDITORIAL: Meet the new board member, same as the old board member

When is an election not an election? Apparently when it involves Gov. Steve Sisolak and the state Board of Education.

In the November balloting, voters rejected Mark Newburn’s effort to win a third term on the seven-member panel, which carries out regulations for the Nevada Department of Education and sets state academic standards. Mr. Newburn, who was vice president of the board, lost to Rene Cantu in District 4 — which includes the north half of Clark County and six rural counties — by more than 12,000 votes, 53-47 percent.

But Mr. Newburn won’t be going anywhere.

Last week, Elaine Wynn announced that she would be retiring from the board at the end of the year. Ms. Wynn, a longtime advocate for public education, has served on the panel since 2012. In addition to four elected board members, who serve four-year terms and represent areas aligned with Nevada’s congressional districts, the Board of Education also includes three appointed members who serve two-year terms and are selected one each by the governor, the Assembly speaker and the Senate majority leader.

Ms. Wynn — who was instrumental in crafting a public-private partnership to help underprivileged children with distance learning during the pandemic — was initially appointed by Gov. Brian Sandoval, so her decision left Gov. Sisolak to fill the vacancy. He announced last Friday that he had chosen … Mr. Newburn.

Let’s be clear: Mr. Newburn has the requisite experience to successfully do the job. He has served admirably for eight years and has been a devoted supporter of improving STEM education as a means of economic diversification, an issue that has become even more vital as the state economy shrivels during the coronavirus thanks to its over-dependence on gaming and tourism. On more than one occasion, the Review-Journal has endorsed Mr. Newburn for election to this education committee.

But the voters of District 4 spoke clearly. They chose somebody else to represent them. It’s true that Mr. Newburn, as an appointee, won’t technically be filling the same position on the board that he just lost. Yet his duties will be precisely the same. What does it say about the governor’s faith in the electorate that he fills a vacancy on the state Board of Education with a candidate whom voters booted off that very same panel just weeks earlier?

Only in Nevada.