Sandoval fails to resolve school district, union grant feud

Like a parent forcing squabbling siblings to sit down and talk things out, Gov. Brian Sandoval came to Las Vegas on Thursday to broker an agreement between Clark County School District officials and teachers union leaders, who refused the district's requests to collaborate on a $40 million federal grant and then blocked the district's application.

But Sandoval couldn't seal the deal Thursday evening, 18 hours before the deadline to apply for a chunk of $400 million offered to districts under the federal Race to the Top program.

The Obama administration gave veto power to local teachers unions. The teachers union of the nation's second-largest school district, in Los Angeles, also refused to consent to the grant application.

Clark County School District officials, who said they were glad to meet after trying since July to bring the Clark County Education Association to the table, wouldn't discuss the meeting after it concluded. And the governor's spokeswoman would only repeat the same three words.

"Discussions are ongoing," said Mary-Sarah Kinner, press secretary to the governor. Sandoval arrived late to the meeting, which lasted an hour or two.

When asked whether another meeting was scheduled for today, she repeated, "Discussions are ongoing."

Discussions can't go on much longer. The application deadline is 1:30 p.m. today .

Plus, discussions have been ongoing since July 10, when the district first asked union President Ruben Murillo to participate in the School Board work session for the grant application.

But no union officials showed, an absence that was repeated at half a dozen meetings through October.

"Because the district has not engaged in any genuine attempts at collaboration, we will miss an opportunity to improve teaching and learning in Clark County," union Executive Director John Vellardita said to the district in an Oct. 24 letter, declaring the union would veto the chance at $40 million.

The district and union have been at odds with each other for two years over teacher salaries and benefits.

The union won raises for teachers last school year, but the cash-strapped district cut 1,000 teaching positions to cover the cost, as Superintendent Dwight Jones said would happen.

An extra $40 million would have helped teachers and students, district spokeswoman Amanda Fulkerson said.

The district planned to spend the money on 41,000 students at 63 of Clark County's poorer schools, giving them high-technology tools and literacy intervention programs.

The district also would have hired 22 teachers and 24 support staff dedicated mostly to helping students struggling with English.

Murillo argued Wednesday that the union wasn't offered a "co-equal" role in writing the grant's application and therefore wouldn't let it be submitted. But Murillo didn't tell that to the district earlier.

"The bottom line is any concern could have, and should have, been resolved by coming to the table when invited," Fulkerson said, "not playing vendetta politics with funding that would have helped their own members."

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