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March 28, 2024 11:15 am
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No One Asked Me But… (November 18, 2015)

By DR. LARRY MOSES

No one asked me but… “THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.”

This quote from Thomas Paine in 1776 came to mind as I watched the Local Community Educational Advisory Board face down the tyranny of the Clark County School District on November 13.
CEAB an advisory board to the CCSD Board of Trustees is made up of residents from Moapa, Logandale, and Overton. I originally planned to attend Friday’s meeting as part of a fact-finding mission to help me fill my role as a member of the Technical Advisory Board for the reorganization of the CCSD under AB 394.

Assemblyman James Oscarson and Assemblyman Chris Edwards, who represent our area in the State Legislature; Assemblyman Stephen Silberkraus and Assemblyman David Gardner were also there. Silberkraus is a member of the Advisory Committee that will decide the form the reorganization will take. Assemblyman David Gardner, the author of AB 394 and a member of the Technical Advisory Committee for the Reorganization, was also attending seeking information about our educational community.

As CEAB President Shari Lyman called the meeting to order, an event took place that changed my role, as I became an active participant in the discussion that followed. Declaring my role as a resident of the Moapa Valley, I reacted to an egregious attempt to silence the people of this valley as they attempt to express an opinion as to what they would like to see happen to Moapa Valley when the Reorganization Advisory Committee completes its work in 2017.

As CEAB moved to the first agenda item, a review of the bylaws by Vice-Chair Cindy McMurray, Trustee Chris Garvey, our elected representative to the CCSD Board of Trustees, interrupted the meeting. Holding a sheet of paper above her head, bringing back memories of the days of Senator Joe McCarthy, Trustee Garvey declared that CEAB had no standing and in fact did not exist due to a rescinding action of the Board of Trustees taken eleven years ago.
Garvey did not, however, provide copies of the document to the members of CEAB. She merely referred to it.

Thus, in one action, Trustee Garvey, representing the CCSD Board of Trustees, dissolved not only the Moapa CEAB but also every CEAB in the Clark County School District.

I have not seen the document for it was not made available to the public in attendance. However, Trustee Garvey stated it applied to all CEABs not specifically naming the Moapa Valley CEAB. If eleven years ago, CEABs were dissolved by board action, for eleven years any board of trustee who was engaged with a CEAB, including Trustee Garvey, have been acting in violation of the board’s order to dissolve these organizations.

Declaring CEAB as non-existent set off a firestorm within the board and the residents of Moapa Valley. After some minutes of heated discussion, President Lyman declared, since Trustee Garvey had in effect dissolved the CEAB, the board needed a ten-minute recess to figure out how to proceed. The former board members left the room and huddled up in the hallway to discuss further action. Since they no longer existed, they could not violate open meeting law by meeting outside the room.

During the recess, the non-existent board received some help from residents who know the law as well as from other community members. When the meeting was resumed, President Lyman indicated that CEAB did not recognize Trustee Garvey’s authority to shut down the meeting. Thus the meeting continued.

The issue involved here is much greater than whether CEAB does or does not exist. The issue is:Will the people of Moapa Valley have a voice in the education of their children?

Study after study shows that one of the most important factors in a child’s successful education is the involvement of parents and the local community. However, even that issue pales before the blatant attempt by an elected official to stifle the voice of a community when that community disagrees with that government entity.

If this is not a shot at the Moapa Valley community, Trustee Garvey must explain why on Nov. 12, 2015; when she attended, via phone conference, the Mesquite CEAB meeting; she made no mention of the fourteen-year-old order to dissolve CEABs.

Whether or not you agree with CEAB is not the issue. The issue is that one must not allow the stifling of opposition opinion. I believe it is imperative that the CEAB board request an opportunity to bring this issue before the full CCSD Board of Trustees to ask to be reinstated as an official CEAB, for as of right now they have been dissolved by the actions of Trustee Garvey. I will repeat not only have they been dissolved, so have all CEAB organization within the Clark County School District.

This is a shot across the bow of all communities. If you oppose the stand of the CCSD Board of Trustees, there will be retaliation from the Board. No one must tell the king he has no clothes.
Was this a direct shot at the Moapa CEAB for presenting an opposing view of what the reorganization should look like? Absolutely! The Moapa Valley CEAB set up a subcommittee headed by resident and member Dr. Lindsey Dalley to present their wishes before the Technical Advisory Committee. The premise set forth was that if it were financially feasible, the people of Moapa Valley would like to be a stand-alone precinct within the CCSD. This would give the people of Moapa Valley control over the policy and the day-to-day operation of their children’s education. This position is in opposition to the plan presented by the Superintendent of CCSD.

But make no mistake, this is just one issue the community, represented by CEAB, has opposed the CCSD Board of Trustees, including use of bond money, sex education, localizing maintenance service, placement of athletic teams in a league where our children must compete with schools of 2,500 and more, and the list can go on.

Apparently, Trustee Garvey believes that by dissolving the Moapa Valley CEAB she can muffle the voices of the people of Moapa Valley. I believe I can proudly say that will not happen.

I have not awarded a Gold Star in years but a Gold Star goes to all who serve on the now non-existent CEAB board.

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