In his first public appearance, Jesus Jara toured the Del Sol Academy in Las Vegas Thursday on his third day of work and spoke of his vision to make the troubled school district the No. 1 public school system in the country for kids.
Amelia Pak-Harvey
Reporter: Education
Phone: 702-383-4630
Amelia covers K-12 education for the Review-Journal, where she came after covering education for two years at the Lowell Sun in Lowell, Massachusetts. She is a Boston University graduate with degrees in political science and journalism, and her awards include first place in education reporting from the New England Newspaper and Press Association. She’s a proud North Carolina native.
The deficit, which required the district’s more than 300 schools to cut a collective $47 million from their budgets, reduced the district’s workforce by 400 licensed positions, 104 support staff positions and 50.5 administrative jobs.
Despite efforts to narrow the gap between its highest- and lowest-performing students, proficiency and graduation rates for blacks still lag behind the highest-achieving subgroup. One community leader says that’s because the district lacks a strategy.
A 16-year fight over the representation of Clark County School District support staff may finally be nearing its end after the state Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in the case.
Pat Skorkowsky tried to keep his focus on academic achievement during his five-year tenure as leader of the nation’s fifth-largest school district but that core goal was frequently eclipsed by bureaucratic challenges.
Staff were notified of the possible reduction in force process Thursday in a memo from the district’s human resources department after principals identified $47 million in cuts to their individual school budgets.
It came down to the wire for D’Andre Burnett, the Shadow Ridge High School student we’ve been following during what turned out to be the turbulent, tragic and triumphant final months of his high school career.
Trying to follow education funding in the Silver State can leave you cross-eyed, but look hard enough and you’ll see that money sold as a win for education isn’t always that.
Zhan Okuda-Lim has been fighting for education since he was a Valley High School freshman. Now the Ivy League educated scholar is back in his hometown, working for the Public Education Foundation.
Education funding for the Silver State dominated the discussion at a forum Wednesday night for candidates running for the three open Clark County School Board seats and two of the three open Board of Regents spots.
About a half-dozen students gathered on the hot sidewalk in front of the school on Wednesday to highlight issues with districtwide budget cuts and the school’s designation as an autonomous school.
Amid concerns of overcrowding, ongoing public mistrust and the loss of school staffers, the Clark County School Board approved a final budget for the 2018-19 school year Monday that mended a $68 million deficit announced this month.
With three new schools offering special instruction and programs scheduled to open this fall, bringing the total in the district to 40, the biggest problem is finding room for all the students who would like to attend.
The move follows a Review-Journal report that Clark County School District Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky intervened to place board President Deanna Wright’s husband in a teacher preparation program in 2014.
Luanne Wagner is inspiring future teachers, supporting community involvement and teaching the next generation about the value of helping others.