STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION DISTRICT 7

Three people are contending for the State Board of Education's District 7 seat now held by longtime educator Merv Iverson, who is not seeking a final four-year term.

Iverson has voiced support for one of the people running to replace him: 29-year-old Chris Wallace, a business owner who has grown up in Clark County.

"I've told people I feel comfortable supporting him," Iverson said. "I think Chris would do a good job."

Wallace has competition for the nonpartisan seat in Val Olsen, a former White Pine County School Board member, and James Brooks, a recent Valley High School graduate who will attend the College of Southern Nevada this fall.

Olsen touts her four years on the school board and sending four children to Nevada public schools as her experience with education in the state.

During her time on the White Pine school board, Olsen said she was part of a successful lobbying movement in Carson City to get funding for a school in Lund and more per-pupil funding for the county.

If she wins, Olsen said she'd like to prevent school curriculum standards from being "dummied down."

"If you have a diploma but you don't know the material, it doesn't do anybody any good," she said.

Brooks, a native Las Vegan, said he's running for the post to make a difference in education. He's put off going to college at the University of Glasgow in Scotland to run for office.

Brooks said his 12 years of experience going through the Clark County School District has given him a good perspective on education in the state.

He would like to see expanded student opportunities to improve graduation rates, such as more evening class hours for those who need to work during the day.

"The school system right now is so rigid that it's difficult for some students to graduate," Brooks said.

Wallace also would like to see more alternatives for improving graduation rates, including allowing students to spend their last two years of high school learning a trade.

"If you can give students a choice that's not a college-bound curriculum, they might choose to do a trade," Wallace said.

Wallace said he comes from a long line of educators. His mother is a librarian at Mojave High School, his father is a retired Clark County teacher and his wife is an anthropology instructor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.