2012 Voter Guide: Clark County School Board District A

The Clark County School Board election won't be a simple re-election in Henderson and southeast Las Vegas. That was made clear June 12 when incumbent Deanna Wright squeaked through the primaries.

For Wright, the difference between an early exit and a spot on the ballot was 0.68 percent of the votes, her margin over the third-place finisher. The other spot on the ballot went to Kevinn Donovan, political newcomer and businessman, who won 36 percent of the primary votes compared with Wright's 32 percent.

Wright, who said it would be a "tough campaign," must persuade District A voters to keep her in the seat.

"Stability of the board at this time is critical," she contended, noting that the Clark County School District is in the middle of several reforms, such as new curriculum, school-grading systems to replace No Child Left Behind standards and new teacher evaluation standards.

"I want us to move from the country's fastest-growing district to the highest achieving," Wright said. "And we're on our way."

Since 1988, the district has tripled in size to more than 300,000 students but has ranked near or at the bottom in terms of student performance. And class sizes are averaging 35 students this year, which is "unacceptable," she said. A high priority is finding funds to decrease class sizes.

That is where Donovan argues that his experience would be invaluable in making "each dollar of the district's $2 billion budget go further." He writes contracts for a living, ranging from $1 million to $4 billion, and he's invested in the district, having four children in public schools, he said.

His background also would help with other major issues, such as the November ballot question to raise property taxes for school improvements, Donovan said.

"I'm not optimistic it will pass," he said, noting that Henderson residents are also being asked to pass a tax increase for libraries, and voters would probably pass one or the other, not both.

Libraries would be the easy choice because that costs the owner of a new $100,000 home an estimated $7 per year, he said, while the school tax would cost about $74 annually.

"They haven't done a good job selling it," he said.

The district also is facing arbitration with the teachers union again, which ended unfavorably for the district last year. The district was ordered to continue paying teacher raises and had to cut 1,000 teacher positions to offset the cost. Wright emphasized her devotion to reaching an agreement this year because arbitration isn't beneficial to either side.

"I can't believe we're going through round two," said Donovan, arguing that it's the board's job to negotiate an agreement. "I write contracts for a living. We can get it done."

Contact reporter Trevon Milliard at tmilliard@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279.