CARRIE BUCK Candidate for State Senate, Educator, Philanthropist, Wife & Mom By Brenda Damian
S
enate Candidate and educator, Dr. Carrie Buck has come a long way since arriving to Las Vegas 25 years ago. The city was a much different place when she arrived. The city was expanding at a rapid pace and experiencing a burst in job opportunities in all industries, but especially in the field of education. Living in a small town where there weren’t many teaching opportunities inspired Dr. Carrie Buck to begin seeking opportunities else-where. She soon discovered the massive need for Educators in Clark County and thus began her teaching journey in Nevada. Dream to Teach Prior to making her move to the state, Dr. Carrie Buck, who is originally from a small town in Iowa, found her love for teaching at a young age and recalls teaching her younger sister everything she learned in school. “When my sister and I were young, we would play school. I was always the teacher and I taught my little sister everything I learned in school that day. I dreamt of having my own classroom with my own students, so that was always a goal of mine”. Dr. Carrie Buck went on to obtain her Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Montana. Once graduated, she found there was a big lack in teaching opportunities in Montana and so began looking at other possibilities. She learned of the huge demand for education in Clark County and applied for a teaching opportunity and was accepted right away to teach 5th Grade English as a second language. She taught 36 students in her first year at Willie Elementary School. Dr. Buck to the Rescue In the middle of the 2005-06 school year, Carrie was made principal of Sewell Elementary; a school she described as “struggling.” In fact, the school was going through a “technical review” by the State of Nevada after being listed as a “Failing School.” Student attendance and discipline were huge problems. The first thing Principal Buck did was change the school motto to “Kids First.” She then gave the school a much-needed facelift and brightened the school with vibrant colors, landscaping, beautiful murals and a vegetable
“Las Vegas is a city of unlimited possibilities and hope!”
Carrie Buck
Living LArge LV
Carrie Buck poses with her husband, Eric Buck, and their two boys.
garden. Additionally, she was able to secure over $3 million in grants and private funds to upgrade the classroom technology with modern, state-of-the-art equipment, including SMART boards, computers, laptops and projectors for every classroom. She also elevated her teaching staff with extra support and implemented rigorous performance evaluations. Through this, she created her full proof “Kids First” formula which consists of: 1) Strict but fair school discipline; kids can’t learn in an unruly classroom, 2) Setting high but achievable educational goals for both students and teachers, 3) Tutoring and other special assistance for struggling students, 4) Performance-based pay for teachers, 5) An opendoor policy for parents The result of Dr. Buck’s “Kids First” formula, Sewell Elementary increased student achievement more than any other school in Henderson is shown as follows: English proficiency jumped from 35%-81%, math proficiency shot up from 36% to 90%, attendance increased to over 96%, and teacher turn-over dropped to less than 10%. Carrie truly has a sound recipe for creating extraordinary results in education. In fact, she was awarded the “Milken Educator Award for Nevada” in 2008. Nevada’s Education System Being in education for 18 years, Dr. Carrie Buck knows first-hand that Nevada’s education system doesn’t have the best reputation. The state has lagged in performance in comparison with other school systems across the nation. However, Dr. Carrie Buck has done her part in turning around low performing schools with the implementation of her “Kids First” formula. Additionally, Dr Carrie Buck believes that having the right leadership in the schools is a key performance driver. As an educator in the Nevada school system, Dr. Carrie Buck offers advice for parents that are concerned about sending their children in the city. She said, “Las Vegas has so many different opportunities and so many positive things going on in education. If you keep students at the center of your moral compass and what’s best for them, you will see that you can move mountains, and that’s really been my experience. There’s pockets of excellence and it really does come down to the leadership of
