CLARK COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD B

The race for Clark County School Board District B might be described as a choice between a fighter and a conciliator.

One candidate, Chris Garvey, emphasizes that she has worked with all kinds of people and believes partnerships are the key to solving problems. Cooperation is critical because the state is facing a financial crisis, she said.

If elected to the nonpartisan office, Garvey, 47, said she would work to increase community involvement in the school system. She is proud of her own volunteerism.

"I did grass-roots canvassing for the bond," she said of the Clark County School District's successful 1998 campaign to fund a 10-year school construction program.

As a mom, she knows what it's like to have children in a fast-growing district that is continually building schools.

"Our kids went to four different schools," Garvey said. "We never moved."

Garvey said she has worked with developers and city commissions to bring improvements to her neighborhood. She also has experience reaching out to the less fortunate, she said.

"As a dental hygienist, I have done a lot of work for the under-served," she said. Garvey has an associate degree in dental hygiene from the College of Southern Nevada.

Her opponent, Ron Taylor, said he is no less committed to public education but added, "Sometimes, you have to fight."

Taylor, a teacher with 20 years of experience, has challenged the "cozy collusion" he perceives between district administrators and the teachers union, the Clark County Education Association.

He has sued the union for kicking him out of the organization and more recently sued the district and the union over the validity and fairness of the latest teacher contract. The association has endorsed Garvey in the race.

His opponents "are afraid because I can't be controlled," Taylor, 57, said. "They want somebody sitting around singing 'Kumbaya.' That's what we've had for the last 12 years, and look where it has gotten us."

One district failing has Taylor extremely concerned, the dropout rate. "We're losing way too many students," he said.

Taylor has a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a master's degree from Wesley College and 60 hours of continuing education.

If elected, Taylor said, he will retire as a teacher. Previously, Taylor has said his preference would be to remain a district employee and recuse himself from voting on matters that would present conflicts of interests.

He said voters should choose the candidate with the most expertise and questioned whether his opponent knows where the School Board has its meetings.

Garvey said she knows the board meets on "East Flamingo" but said has not been able to go to School Board meetings because she works late on Thursdays when the board meets. She added that watches video of meetings online and reads board notes.

Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal.com or 702-799-2922.