LETTER: To elect or appoint Clark County school board members?

Sherry Hobbs Henderson

2 years ago

FILE - In this June 9, 2020 file photo election workers process mail-in ballots during a nearly ... — FILE – In this June 9, 2020 file photo election workers process mail-in ballots during a nearly all-mail primary election in Las Vegas. The Trump campaign and Nevada Republicans want a state judge to stop the counting of Las Vegas-area mail-in ballots, alleging that "meaningful observation" of signature-checking is impossible in the state’s biggest and most Democratic-leaning county. The lawsuit filed 10 days before the Nov. 3 election alleges the local elections chief failed to get proper approval in April from the Secretary of State for the vote plan. (AP Photo/John Locher,File)

In the Review-Journal’s Friday editorial on whether the Clark County School Board should be elected, appointed or a hybrid, you suggested that civic groups recruit and promote candidates with the background and skills necessary and then allow voters to decide. But that still has some downsides.

I attended a meeting a couple of years ago in which two Clark County school trustee candidates spoke and presented their credentials. One was a young attorney with a finance background. She was informed about the issues and had extensive knowledge about the role of the job. The other person was a high school graduate whose only qualifications were that she was a mom. The second person was elected.

So much for offering qualified candidates.

Regardless of whether local school board members are appointed or elected, I think it’s imperative that there are some educational qualifications as well as relevant background experience required for all candidates.