Victor Wakefield spent a decade in Nevada education policy leadership roles, including as a state school board member and then as a policy expert at the Guinn Center think tank, even after moving to the East Coast in 2017 to pursue a doctorate. 

But he said he was drawn back to the Silver State because he saw bipartisan progress toward improving K-12 education in the last legislative session — and thinks he can help create the right conditions in which school districts can thrive as its new state superintendent of public instruction.

“It feels like a generational moment for change,” he said. “I hope my experience and relationships enable me to help bring the different pieces of the puzzle together ... and also keep education top of the agenda for the state.”

Wakefield, 40, was selected by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo last month to fill the role after Jhone Ebert took the top job at the Clark County School District. He was one of three finalists among the six candidates interviewed by the State Board of Education in August. 

In a Sept. 29 statement, Lombardo called Wakefield “the right leader for the right time for Nevada’s public education system.” 

Wakefield’s first day is Oct. 27. 

Wakefield started his career in education as a middle school teacher at an Indiana charter school in a low-income community. In that role, he got to witness education disparities firsthand as some of the students were behind many grade levels in reading.

“I believed that they deserved an education that would help them reach their ambitions, and at a minimum, would give them the basic academic foundations that everything builds upon,” he said. “So the system had really let my students down, and that shook me, seeing where they were, against where they wanted to be.”

That experience inspired Wakefield, who had graduated college with a degree in history, to abandon his plans to go to law school and devote his life to expanding educational opportunities. 

Wakefield has spent the past 16 years working in leadership roles at Teach for America, a national organization that recruits new college graduates, trains them to be teachers over the summer and places them in high-need, Title I schools. 

He was based in Nevada for 10 years, served on the State Board of Education and worked as a senior fellow for the Kenny Guinn Center for Policy Priorities. 

As state superintendent of public instruction, Wakefield’s duties include developing and implementing a strategic plan to improve student outcomes, as well as overseeing accountability programs, educator licensure and distribution of state and federal funds.

During an Oct. 6 interview with The Nevada Independent, he said his priorities as state superintendent include ensuring students have strong academic foundations, focusing on college and career readiness, investing in educators and building strong partnerships with parents. 

“I'm excited to really dig in, roll up my sleeves, and learn about how the state can advance an agenda that is clarifying what we're pursuing, that is clear around accountability and metrics, but also is supportive and empowering to districts in that journey,” he said. 

Literacy

During his interview with the State Board of Education, Wakefield said Nevada’s low literacy rate was the most pressing education issue in the state. One of his suggestions to improve this area was to expand access to pre-K. 

Democrats and Republicans support expanding high-quality pre-K. SB460, a 2025 bill sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas) that Lombardo partnered on, allocated $21 million for early childhood literacy and readiness programs and to expand early childhood education facilities. But because of state budget woes, it fell short of Cannizzaro’s earlier goal of providing universal pre-K. 

In addition to keeping pre-K funding at the “front and center” before the upcoming legislative session, he also wants to ensure the state’s early childhood education programs have the necessary workforce and facilities.

“It’s not just about expanding pre-K seats, but actually ensuring they’re high quality,” he said. 

Wakefield said he was encouraged to see that SB460 requires that kindergarten through third grade teachers be trained in the science of reading, a research-based literacy instruction approach. 

He said this will help schools prepare for 2028, when a requirement kicks in that the state holds back third graders who can’t read at grade level. That Read By Grade 3 policy was brought back in Lombardo’s 2023 education omnibus bill, AB400. 

Wakefield said he also wants to focus on students who are losing ground on reading after fourth grade and supporting vulnerable students.

“I think improving outcomes for underserved student groups or students in poverty has to be the lens that we hold for all of our work at the state, and that's been also a through line of my own career and education,” he said. 

Nevada roots

On a personal note, Wakefield said his family is looking forward to returning to Nevada, where he met his wife, a former Clark County special education teacher. 

Together, they have two young children, ages 4 and 2. 

“They love their Las Vegas cousins, so we have built in babysitters. … I think the transition would be smooth for them as well,” Wakefield told the state board during his Aug. 28 interview. “I believe that my relationships and connection to this place would allow me to hit the ground running in the position.”

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News briefs

🤫 Governor mum on joining federal school voucher program — Gov. Joe Lombardo has yet to announce whether he will follow Nebraska’s lead in opting in for Trump’s new federal school voucher program created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. 

Last month, Nebraska’s Gov. Jim Pillen announced an executive order indicating his state would opt in to the new program, which allows individuals to receive federal tax credits in exchange for donations to organizations with scholarship programs. The scholarships help cover K-12 students’ educational expenses, such as private school tuition.  

Nebraska is the first state to take this step, although governors in North Carolina and Tennessee have said they intend to opt in, according to EducationWeek. 

Lombardo’s spokeswoman, Elizabeth Ray, said in a July statement that Lombardo’s office and the Nevada Department of Education are evaluating the bill and Lombardo continues looking for ways to “enhance choice options for Nevada students and parents.” Ray said in a Wednesday statement that the governor’s office hasn’t received updated federal guidance on the bill, so its position remains the same. 

Opting in could vastly expand access to private schools, as Nevada’s existing Opportunity Scholarship program has remained small due to Democratic legislative opposition. 

School choice advocate Valeria Gurr said she thinks other states, including Nevada, are waiting for the Treasury Department to undergo a rulemaking process to create regulations for the program, which will go into effect in 2027. 

“Governor Lombardo has shown his support for school choice many times,” Gurr said. “I’ve shared information with his team and am eager to hear more about him opting in — especially since a recent poll shows 64 percent of Americans want their governors to take this step. To me, it’s a no-brainer.”

📚 Coalition sets ambitious 3rd grade literacy improvement goal — The Clark County School District, Teach for America Nevada and the Spread the Word Nevada nonprofit are launching their new Read With Me NV initiative that aims to raise third grade literacy proficiency to 64 percent by 2030. 

New standardized test data shows 44 percent of Clark County third graders read proficiently. Children who don’t read on grade level by third grade are four times less likely to graduate high school, limiting their future opportunities and economic mobility. Officials say the new campaign will rally parents, educators, and community members around the importance of early childhood literacy and the role everyone plays in helping children succeed academically and in life.

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Reading assignments

Nevada child vaccine rates continue decline, raising herd immunity concerns

Advocates say Nevada’s declining vaccination rates mirror national trends and could have deadly consequences.

Teachers’ posts on Charlie Kirk raise questions about the limits of free speech in schools

Although the First Amendment offers broad free speech protections, a local attorney said courts have become increasingly tolerant of school policies that restrict speech they deem disruptive — a trend that could affect the employment prospects of some Clark County teachers. 

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🥕Here’s a good chance to support students and stock up on some produce from school gardens.