Why are you running for WCSD Trustee? What is your vision of success for this role? 

I am running for re-election to WCSD as the lone main stream conservative on the 7 member board. “To lodge all power in one party and keep it there is to insure bad government and the sure and gradual deterioration of the public morals.” (Mark Twain). But for a pro-transparency candidate, WCSD would descend in an abyss of secrecy. Anyone that follows, knows that WCSD is beyond dysfunctional and that across the board, scores are falling like a rock. I represent Integrity and leadership. I bring an intelligent seasoned expertise to the Board with my military and law enforcement background. I am a retired USAF Lieutenant Colonel (Reserve) and retired Reno Police Sergeant. I’m a very mixed cultural Spanish speaking person. I believe in inclusity including all protected classes. That includes LGBT and Religious Rights.

My vision of Success means taking decisive action and not rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. We must strongly address internal violence, a lack of discipline and respect for staff. We must not tolerate chronic absenteeism. I care deeply about our many At-Risk children and ignoring that is not the answer. I support the live-in Carlin Challenge Academy and more like it. I support school choice. Restorative Discipline is an overall failure. Restorative Credit aka Credit Recovery is a failure: “D is for Diploma”. NV is last in ACT and ranks 39th to 50th worst in most reliable studies.

I’ll take this opportunity to take the State Department of Education for a lack of leadership and direction. We must take back our DoE Board!

Success should be easy to rate: lower absenteeism, lower acts of violence, increased ACT scores, increased SBAC scores etc.

How do you define student success? What experience do you have and what role do you intend to play in advocating for student success?

See above. I do not care about graduation rates. Providing our kids with the needed discipline, feeling of safety and a real education are #1. My magic wand (in case Jeff Bezos is reading this) would be regular fieldtrips for many that have never been out of their county. Educational trips to see the ocean, (I’m biased) military bases, and so much more. How about instead of “D is for Diploma” we have “Sea is for Success”. after we visited those San Diego Navy & Marine bases kids take an educational sea cruise thru the Panama Canal and fly home (repeated in reverse). I support training police in Drug recognition and as much as possible drug testing.

That said, anyone that has all the answers is not who you want. We need to 1. Identify the Issue 2. Collaborative research 3. Action . We have college students doing PhD and masters thesis so put them to work on real world issues. Use non profits like the Guinn Institute. UNR, UNLV or University of Eastern West Virginia – I don’t care but get ‘er done.

A lot of my ideas are found at WatchdogJeff.com

On the 2022 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), fourth-grade students, in Nevada, scored 6 points lower in math and 7 points lower in reading when compared to 2019. If elected, how can you use your position to ensure Nevada stops following this national trend and starts leading the way for student outcomes?

The Nevada Report card is dismal. In Washoe only 22% of high schoolers are math proficient. Absenteeism is at above 50% in some 12th grade classes. Our inflated graduation rates are 81%. We must do better as I articulated above. Nevada’s stats are similar to Washoe and those of Mineral and Nye are absolutely terrible and in need of state takeover! Stop with tweaks and make major changes dealing with violence, absenteeism, poor academics, and At Risk kids.

What, if any, barriers currently exist to educational excellence and equity for every student? If elected to the Board of Trustees, how will you help eliminate these barriers?

I believe in Martin Luther King’s vision of equality. Equity has been abused and taken the place of education. See my answers above. So called Equity IS THE barrier to Education when a good term is stolen.

What do you believe are the top three most persistent challenges facing the WCSD Board of Trustees? What is an example of a bold approach you would propose to address one of those challenges?

1. Violence
2. Poor Academics
3. Absenteeism

As much as legally possible let Restorative Discipline & Credit Recovery die. Parents should be welcome in the classroom. Partnership with the community & non-profits. Address drug abuse. Please see my previous answers.

Research suggests that more than 50% of a board meeting should be focused on student outcomes. How would you ensure the board allocates this amount of time to student outcomes?

Our board meetings are an ancient form of feel good torture as we cover everything except Quality of Education. It would take a miracle to throw out the dysfunctional board but that is how I’d ensure it. State take over has to be an option esp in Nye & Mineral.

If elected to the Board, how would you approach challenging conversations and/or criticisms that might arise from fellow Board members, stakeholders, and the broader community?

See the previous Mark Twain quote. I welcome discussion and negotiation but it does not exist at WCSD.

“Legislators have an obligation to take positions on controversial political questions so that their constituents can be fully informed by them, and be better able to assess their qualifications for office; also so they may be represented in governmental debates by the person they have elected to represent them.” (US Sup Ct)

and

United States Supreme Court,1936, “Since informed public opinion is the most potent of all restraints upon misgovernment, the suppression or abridgement of the publicity afforded by a free press cannot be regarded otherwise than with grave concern.”

“The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum–even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there’s free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate. NOAM CHOMSKY”

Unfortunately WCSD is a Dictatorship of repression and secrecy. Here is just one example: Generally committee members are chosen by majority vote so the minority never gets their choice on committees. It is 100% stacked. Most committees should have 7 members, one each picked by the District Trustee.

What key indicators would you use to assess the performance of WCSD’s Superintendent? How would you hold the Superintendent accountable?

The easiest way is the listed scores and stats: absenteeism, violence, SBAC, Start school ratings, ACT, etc. Most the Superintendents I see represent a revolving door of repeated failure. Show me one, just one, outstanding school district anywhere in the USA.

I equate the role of the Super to a CEO. I’d like to see a military General or Admiral that lead a mi;tary education program come in. A CEO is leadership and management A degree in education is not what we need in the #1 job, I bet the CEO of McDonalds never flipped a burger. The CEO of Lowes doesn’t drive a nail. The CEO of American Airlines need not be a pilot. At WCSD we have our own police department, the majority of employees are not teachers. We are building and repairing schools, Busses must runoon time. we have unions to work with, etc. I think I made my point. Give me a successful City-County manager any day.

In a recent survey, 77% of Nevada residents agreed that parents should be able to send their children to the public school they feel is best for their child, even if it is outside of their neighborhood. Do you agree? Please explain your reasoning.

I 100% support School Choice and vouchers (ESAs). That includes district variances as possible. I also support research and action on alive in high school along the lines of the Carlin Academy except it needs to be disciplined but not in a military fashion, that works for some but not all. I still like the “Sea is for Success” idea for kids that don’t get seasick but it could involve a semester in a foreign country not just for high achievers but many. These type ideas limit gang anddrug access and promote discipline.

The following question was submitted by a current public high school student: How will you ensure students are put at the forefront of the decision making process as a member of the Board of Trustees, and what accountability measures would you put in place to make sure this happens? 

If I understand the question: Student Voice is important as I knew everything over my ignorant parents at age 16 but that turned out not to be the case. Adults still need to lead but listen.

The good of the students needs to be #1 above politics. Still elected officials represent the taxpayers to be sure that we represent their interests as well.

PLEASE DO NOT GRADE ME ON TYPOS AS I GET MANY OF THESE AND TRY TO ANSWER ALL. Jeff Church

My website: WatchDogJeff.com