Mayoral hopefuls talk of education but couldn’t do much about it

At times, some of the Las Vegas mayoral candidates sound like they are running for a spot on the School Board.

Take Carolyn Goodman. Her TV spots conclude with the line, "I will be taking action to improve our schools to take Las Vegas to the next level."

Or Chris Giunchigliani, who has called for an "adopt-a-school" program and for older schools to be fixed up or rebuilt, as well as special high schools focused on technology and the culinary arts.

That these and other education-related goals are largely beyond the reach of the city's power does not deter enthusiasm for them, and candidates are going to keep beating the drum for them no matter how many times it is pointed out that the next mayor will have no formal authority to enact school reform.

"It's a stretch, but if it builds up some momentum for you, it's not a bad strategy," said Erik Herzik, chairman of the political science department at the University of Nevada, Reno.

It's also cynical, he said, because candidates are counting on voters not to know the limits on the mayor's duties.

"If you're talking about teacher pay, you're appealing to teachers perhaps, but you're really not talking about anything the mayor can fix," Herzik said. "At best, you're making a value statement to show people what kind of person you are, but it's more political than policy."

Education is a constant voter concern, especially because Nevada consistently gets poor marks in school funding and student achievement. The fact that the Legislature and the governor are debating further cuts to K-12 and higher education exacerbates this focus.

Some of it comes from background. Goodman founded and presided over The Meadows School for 27 years, and Giunchigliani, a Clark County commissioner, was a special education teacher when she started her political career. Businessman Victor Chaltiel chairs the board of trustees for the Adelson Educational Campus.

When pressed, the would-be saviors of education fall back on the "bully pulpit" defense, despite the fact that what they are offering to voters sounds like specific campaign promises instead of general advocacy.

"You have to have it for economic development," Giunchigliani said. The mayor's role is to "bring people together" and push for new programs and reform in addition to being an ambassador for tourism and economic development.

"I think that's part of what the new mayor's job has to be," she said.

Goodman said the same thing.

"We will never get people moving here unless we get a top-flight education system," she said. "Jobs and education are married."

Candidate Steve Ross, a Las Vegas city councilman, promised in his platform to "invest more in public education and job training," but he also acknowledged that directing school funding is "absolutely not" in the mayor's purview.

"As I talk to businesses, they say to me now, 'Where are my kids going to go to school?' " Ross said. "As mayor, I can be that bully pulpit."

Chaltiel also went both ways on the issue.

"I know that the mayor of Las Vegas has no control of education," he said. "I want, as mayor, to get involved at the local school level to talk to principals, talk to teachers, talk to kids, and provide leadership. Please, don't let one kid not graduate."

A lot of this focus is driven by polling, said candidate Larry Brown, a former Las Vegas councilman who is now on the County Commission.

City officials can support the Clark County School District's outreach efforts in many ways, and the city has a role when it comes to land use, zoning, school siting and the like, but that's about it, Brown said.

"What's important to people? Education. Certainly it's important that we support the schools," he said.

"Those that want to change the school district should run for school district board of trustees."

Mayor Oscar Goodman, Carolyn Goodman's husband, said education has come up "all the time" during his 12-year tenure, and is usually one of the "litany of things that Nevada should be ashamed of."

"To people who are considering coming to Las Vegas, who are recruited to come to Las Vegas, education is very important," he said. "If the mayor talks about education, and links education to job creation and to development and to diversity, I think that helps the message get out."

Even so, Goodman's efforts on behalf of education have been limited. He visits schools, makes the education-economic development link and has talked with the school district about locating a school for high-achieving students in Symphony Park, most of which is city-owned land.

"Those are primarily my efforts as far as education is concerned," he said. "You can just be a voice. I'm hoping that the new mayor will be able to do a lot more than I've been able to do."

Early voting will start March 19 for the primary election, which will be April 5. In races in which no candidate achieves a majority, the top two finishers will compete in the general election June 7.

Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.