Time for change in District D
Trustee Child carrying too much baggage
School Board races are at the bottom of the ballot, but trustees have a vital role in guiding the nation’s fifth-largest school district. Unfortunately, as headline after headline has shown, it’s been anything but smooth sailing recently. Three years after the largest tax increase in Nevada history, specifically to fund education, the district teeters on the edge of insolvency. Lawsuits and claims of mismanagement or fraud plague the Teachers Health Trust and — thanks to collective bargaining — teachers are stuck with insurance many say won’t pay their bills. The selection of an outside superintendent opened up new divisions in the community and on the School Board.
Each of these incidents in isolation would be bad enough. Taken together, they demand leaders who aren’t creating personal drama.
Trustee Kevin Child has upset many people during his first term. On occasion — as with his call for a financial audit of district finances — that was OK. Too often, however, it involved allegations of harassment and intimidation.
A 2016 investigation by the district found that female employees worried about being alone with Mr. Child. A district memo accused him of flirting with female employees and talking about the “sexiness” of their clothes.
“Throughout conversations and interviews with employees, there has emerged the ‘common theme’ that perhaps Trustee Child is incapable of ‘filtering out’ what is/is not appropriate speech or behavior in the workplace or for a Trustee,” read the memo.
This behavior eventually led Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky to ban Mr. Child from visiting district schools. Mr. Child has said he is defying that prohibition. In March, trustees also settled a harassment complaint filed by deputy superintendent Kim Wooden against Mr. Child. Mr. Child argues he’s the victim of a smear campaign waged by district insiders. While there’s plenty of destructive internal politicking in the district, there are simply too many complaints to ignore the pattern.
Mr. Child is now running for re-election in District D.
His race could be over on June 12 if one candidate earns 50 percent of the vote.
Irene Cepeda, who works at the Nevada State College School of Education, is the challenger who’s received the most organized support. She touts the endorsement of several local unions and says tax revenues are inadequate to “properly fund our district.” Eli Thompson is a 21-yearold UNLV student. A third challenger, Leobardo Martinez, attends the College of Southern Nevada.
None of those candidates stands out, but none of them has the personal baggage of Mr. Child. District D voters would do well to seek new representation on the Clark County School Board.
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Hmm. Maybe that’s the real reason the Dems are pushing this.