Ex-teacher, consultant win seats on Nevada education board

A former schoolteacher and a school district consultant won seats on the State Board of Education on Tuesday.

The board establishes policies that govern the state's schools.

Alexis Gonzales-Black, 28, a former high school science teacher who works as a Zappos college recruiter, defeated challenger Forrest Darby, 69, for the District 1 seat.

Attempts to reach her Tuesday night were unsuccessful.

She has said she moved to Las Vegas in 2011 to recruit teachers in high-need districts, including in Clark County.

She said her top priority will be making sure the state has great teachers by improving the teacher evaluation system.

She also wants to improve access to early education. She said that's a main concern she hears from parents.

She also wants to improve graduation rates and decrease the need for graduates to enroll in remedial courses in college.

In District 3, Allison Serafin, 36, a special consultant to the Clark County School District superintendent, defeated Ed Klapproth, 60.

She said she was grateful to the people who volunteered to work on her campaign.

"We're going to make sure every kid in our state has access to a great school," she said.

Serafin has said it is vital to invest in early childhood education. She said she thinks the state should look into requiring school before age 7, as the requirement is now.

She wants to explore full-day kindergarten statewide.

She said she also supports ending social promotion in schools, and wants to have high school seniors take the ACT college entrance exam or Work-Keys job skills assessment tests as high school exit exams.

Contact reporter Richard Lake at rlake@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307.