Education posts

For a spot on the Clark County School Board, parent activist and volunteer Erin Earlene Cranor — easily the most promising School Board candidate to enter the fray in years — is campaigning for the District G post against UNLV student and teacher-in-training James Brooks. Well-versed on the district staff’s tactics of runaround, Ms. Cranor says “reform has to originate between the student and the teacher in the classroom.” Voters can start by electing the refreshing Erin Cranor.

In District D, retired college administrator and voucher proponent Lorraine Alderman is a better choice for trustee than Javier Trujillo, former head of the schools’ mariachi music program and a voucher opponent, who wants “additional funding” for non-English-speaking students, new pre-kindergarten classes and anything else his teacher union sponsors can dream up.

In District F, incumbent Carolyn Edwards says “we have some teachers that shouldn’t be teaching any more,” and the answer is not to raise pay, which is already at the national average. She’s opposed by voucher opponent and board critic Ken Small. Ms. Edwards has some good ideas, but time is running out to actually employ them, instead of complaining about staff “push back.” Carolyn Edwards deserves one more try.

For university regent in District 3, incumbent Kevin Page, who favors a reduction in force, consolidation of services, limited tenure and more selective admissions to universities, is a better choice than Ken Lange, a former head of the local teacher union.

For university regent in District 7, ophthalmologist Mark Doubrava, who would not mind smaller student bodies, thinks professors should work harder, and he would closely scrutinize the “economic diversification benefits” of all operations. He’s a better choice than dentist Ray Rawson, the former state senator who vows to protect university funding at current levels.

For university regent in District 12, articulate technology consultant Mark Newburn would emphasize revenue-generating programs, saying a research university should support “a whole cluster of spinoff companies.” He is a better choice than Andrea Anderson, the retired college administrator appointed to fill a vacancy on the board a year ago.

For university regent in District 13, Joe Pitts proposes to cap benefits and get rid of the mandatory tenure track for faculty. Incumbent James Dean Leavitt’s main goal, on the other hand, has been to make the Board of Regents “civilized, cultivated and refined.” That’s all very nice, but Mr. Leavitt has defied attempts to cut programs and budgets. Joe Pitts — “refined” or not — is the better choice.

For State Board of Education in District 2, Democrat Jose Solorio, a former school board member and city Economic Development employee, has a useful background in business administration. He is the better choice over career social worker and educrat Annie Yvette Wilson.

In the race for State Board of Education in District 5, former elementary schoolteacher Steven Corbett faces Realtor John Tippins. Steven Corbett edges his inexperienced opponent.