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IN BUSINESS EDUCATION SCHOOL BOARD PICKS OUTSIDER OVER UNION ADVOCATE FOR JOB By Paul Takahashi staff writer T June due to budget cuts stemming from cause of his previous experience as a School Board member. he Clark County School Board tapped an outsider over three candi- dates with closer ties to the School Dis- trict in its appointment of a new board member to represent northwest Las Vegas. Rene Cantu Jr. — the executive direc- tor of the Latin Chamber of Commerce's Community Foundation — was sworn in July 19 as the interim School Board member to represent District E for the remaining five months of the term. The District E seat — which encom- passes Summerlin — was made vacant twice during its four-year term ending early 2013. Elected School Board member Terri Janison resigned in November 2010 to join Gov. Brian Sandoval's administra- tion; she has since resigned from her position as director of community rela- tions. Janison's appointed replacement, John Cole, stepped down to move to Colorado for work. The School Board, in a nearly three- hour special meeting, interviewed four candidates for the position. After little public deliberation, the board voted 5-1 to appoint Cantu, with Deanna Wright supporting another candidate. The other candidates included Ken- neth Rezendes, owner of A-Dependable Insurance Agency who serves on a school attendance zoning committee; Georgeann Ray, a substitute teacher and parent who served on various dis- trict volunteer and committee positions for 19 years; and Jose Solorio, who was appointed and served on the board in 1993 and 1994. As a Latin Chamber executive, Cantu has experience in fundraising, grant- writing and implementing scholarship and workforce programs to help at-risk youth and adults. The 48-year-old Las Ve- gas resident moved to the valley in 2001, and has an 11-year-old son in the School District and another in preschool. Cantu earned bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as a doctorate in edu- cational administration from the Uni- versity of Texas at Austin. He was also a finalist for the state superintendent position this year. The self-described "fiscal conserva- tive" said he would like to see the School District spend its money wisely, focus- ing not on just the revenue side but the expense side. Part of Cantu's budget solution for the cash-strapped School District may lie in resolving labor issues. The district declared an impasse in contract nego- tiations with the local teachers union after cutting 1,000 teaching positions in | 30 JULY 2012 | He's photographed all 50 states. Presidents and celebrities collect his work. The $1 million sale of his photo "One" set a world record. Life is good for Master Photographer Peter Lik. And while Peter focuses on capturing his next award-winning landscape, his legal advisors at Lewis and Roca focus on helping him protect his creativity and grow his business. Thousands of photos and 13 galleries later, Peter knows that being the best means having the right team to help you see the bigger picture. LAS VEGAS RENO PHOENIX TUCSON ALBUQUERQUE SILICON VALLEy LRLAW.COM an arbitration win by the union over sal- ary step and education raises. "There needs to be compromise," Cantu said. "We need to put the needs of students first." Cantu's primary opponent, Solorio, was considered among the more likely candidates for the District E seat be- School Board members have said they were looking for a candidate who could hit the ground running because of the upcoming capital improvement tax ini- tiative and Legislative session. The Latino community activist and Democrat is also an outspoken support- er of the local and state teachers union. "Advocating support for the teachers union is at odds with how the district is proceeding with negotiations," Solorio said. "Maybe (the School Board) had qualms with having a union voice on the board. If that's the case, they made their decision based on other things than qualification." Re: Reinvent The Business Lens From: 1 Shot To: 13 Galleries 9