All eyes are on the Clark County School District’s superintendent finalists before trustees meet on Thursday to make their decision. The district has been without a permanent leader since former Superintendent Jesus Jara resigned last February. 

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💵 End of extra pay for certain teachers — Last week, Clark County School District (CCSD) told staff in an email that a wage bump for some teachers would be coming to an end soon as all the funds close to being exhausted. 

• The additional pay, up to $5,000 spread out between 24 pay periods, was an incentive to fill positions in special education and at certain schools with high vacancies rates. It was negotiated by the Clark County Education Association in its 2023 contract with the district. 
• The money for the pay incentives came from the district’s portion of a $250 million matching fund for educator salary raises from a 2023 bill, SB231.
• CCEA Executive Director John Vellardita said the union and the district always knew those SB231 dollars were “finite” and it would be difficult to gauge how many positions would be filled, which ended up being more than they had expected.
  • “So none of this is a surprise,” he said. “None of this is something that people weren’t informed of to begin with. This is not a result of CCSD not managing money.”
• Vellardita said CCEA is working with Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager (D-Las Vegas) on a bill that would appropriate funding to fill more hard-to-fill teacher positions.  

📝 CCSD superintendent finalists to meet with community — The community will have a chance to interact with the three finalists vying to be leader of the state’s largest school district at a community forum on Monday evening at Rancho High School in North Las Vegas. The event will be livestreamed for those who can’t attend in person. 

A refresher on the three finalists: 

• Jhone Ebert, state superintendent of public instruction. She was appointed to the role in 2019 by former Gov. Steve Sisolak.
  • She started her career in education in 1990 as a math teacher at Von Tobel Middle School and Green Valley High School in Clark County.
  • Ebert climbed up in the CCSD administrative ranks and served as a magnet school director, assistant superintendent and chief innovation and productivity officer.
  • After leaving CCSD, she went on to serve as the New York State Education Department’s senior deputy commissioner for P-20 (preschool through college) education policy.
• Ben Shuldiner, superintendent of the Lansing School District in Michigan since 2021. The district has 25 schools that serve more than 10,000 students.
  • His background includes stints as a lecturer, professor and dean’s fellow at the City University of New York. 
  • He also founded a New York public school that served a high number of students from low-income households and led it for 10 years. 
• Jesse Welsh, CEO of Nevada State High School, a charter school system with nine campuses in Henderson, Reno, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas that serves about 1,000 students. Welsh has been in this position since 2021.
  • Welsh started his career in education in 1996 as a math and Spanish instructor at a Maine high school. 
  • Welsh was previously the superintendent of the Paradise Valley Unified School District in Phoenix, which served about 28,000 students. He led the district from June 2019 to December 2020. He resigned after allegedly receiving threats after moving schools to online-only instruction in the wake of the COVID pandemic. 
  • Welsh spent about 20 years in CCSD, starting as a math teacher who went on to become a dean, assistant principal, principal and assistant superintendent. 

Ebert and Welsh previously applied to be CCSD’s superintendent in 2018, and Welsh was among the finalists who lost out to former Superintendent Jesus Jara. In 2022, Ebert applied to be superintendent at the Washoe County School District. 

During their interviews with the board, Ebert and Welsh played up their experience with the district. Shuldiner said he didn’t see his lack of familiarity with Nevada as a weakness and instead advocated for the need for a fresh start for the district.

The board will hold a second round of interviews with the finalists on March 11 and is expected to vote on a new superintendent on March 13. 

School Spotlight

Nonprofit helping making teens’ prom dreams a reality

Prom is a traditional rite of passage for teens, but not all families can easily afford a gown or a tux. 

That’s where Project 150, a Las Vegas-based nonprofit, steps in by providing students with free dresses, suits, shoes and more so they can not only attend prom, but look their best regardless of their family’s income. 

This is the nonprofit’s 14th year of helping teens get prom ready. On Saturday, the nonprofit partnered with Sahara Las Vegas to transform one of its ballrooms into a prom shopping experience — complete with fitting rooms and stylists.

“It’s a rite of passage, it's that last milestone before you graduate, and it's the last fun hurrah before you go on to adulthood,” Project 150 Executive Director Kelli Kristo said in an interview. “So I think that it's just super important that they have a fun experience and one that's memorable when you think about all the things they've gone through for four years of high school, and all the barriers that they've had to overcome.” 

Prom Closet is one of Project 150’s earliest initiatives. The nonprofit was founded in 2011 to provide support and services such as food assistance, clothing, school supplies and scholarships to disadvantaged high school students and students experiencing homelessness. Kristo said the nonprofit has expanded with two locations in Las Vegas and Reno to keep up with the growing needs across the state. 

“It’s a critical lifeline for students so I think it’s great to make sure that we stay connected with the kids while they’re in school and help them graduate,” she said. 

The dresses, tuxedos, ties, shoes and other accessories, new and gently used, are donated by the community. Kristo said Project 150’s volunteers sort through the donations and pick out the best items to be cleaned and steamed ahead of the event. 

Kristo said between 1,600 to 1,800 students were expected to attend, about double the number they served seven years ago.  

In addition to Prom Closet, Project 150 has two clothing boutiques open year-round for high school students referred by their schools. The nonprofit’s newest boutique, which opened in 2023 and is located on Flamingo Road and Eastern Avenue, is designed like any other department store with large mirrors, fitting rooms and sections for boys’ and girls’ attire. Kristo said the items are new and gently used donations. 

“We want to make sure that we're picking things that their peers are wearing, not the neighbors’  hand-me-down clothes or shoes if they're too small or too big,” Kristo said. “In high school, everyone is judging you based on your clothes so there’s nothing more important than having the right look to fit in.”  

Have a student or staffer who we should feature in the next edition of School Spotlight? Share your nominations with me at [email protected].

Reading Assignments

Nevada students are half a year behind in learning. There’s more than COVID to blame.

Nearly five years after COVID-19 forced schools to shutter, a recent analysis of standardized test scores shows that students nationwide and in Nevada remain half a year behind in reading and math — and the causes stretch well beyond the pandemic itself.

Extra Credit

KUNR: Reno teacher receives prestigious award and $25,000 prize

Events

🍎 CCSD superintendent finalist community forum — Monday, March 10, 5 p.m.  

The forum will be held at Rancho High School located at 1900 Searles Ave. in North Las Vegas. 

🍎 Clark County School Board special meeting — Tuesday, March 11, 5 p.m.

The board will hold a second round of interviews with the superintendent finalist and debrief.  

🍎 Clark County School Board special meeting — Thursday, March 13, 5 p.m. 

The agenda includes a discussion and possible vote to name a new superintendent. 

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You can read the bill related to students suspected of substance use, spearheaded by the Nevada Youth Legislature, here.