Clark County School District (CCSD) Superintendent Jhone Ebert said she believes this is the right time, and she is the right person, to turn around the nation’s fifth largest school district.

During The Nevada Independent’s IndyTalks event last Monday at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Ebert discussed the setback that students experienced during remote learning, the need for more funding and rebuilding the community’s trust in the school district. 

Remote learning during the pandemic 

Ebert criticized former Superintendent Jesus Jara’s decision to limit in-person learning for so long during the pandemic.

“I called many, many times and spoke with the former administration and said, ‘You've got to get the kids back into school,’” she said. 

She blamed this as part of the reason why student proficiency rates are not yet back to pre-pandemic levels, though she’s optimistic they will get there soon. 

“We're seeing that residual effect of not having children in a classroom with their teachers, with other students for learning,” she said. 

Ebert reiterated her support for extending the school day and the school year to help students catch up. 

“That is the only way,” she said. “They lost time. You have to bring the time back.”

Advocating for more funding 

Ebert said student performance has a track record of improving every time the Legislature makes an investment in K-12 education, and the 2023 session was no exception — pointing to recent improvement in Clark County schools’ star ratings. Though she acknowledged the district’s current proficiency rates (46 percent in third grade literacy and 40 percent in eighth grade math) are still not where they should be. 

She said if the state wants to see further improvement, Nevadans must be willing to support policies, such as property tax reform, that can produce more revenue for K-12 education. 

“If we want things to go up in a positive way, we need to make an investment,” she said. “Our children … make up about 20 percent of the population right now. They are 100 percent of our future.” 

Ebert said she’s already asked Gov. Joe Lombardo and the state lawmakers to increase funding for education. 

Lombardo, a Republican who has pledged to not raise taxes, has previously downplayed recommendations by school funding experts on a state-sponsored commission as “advisement, not as a mandate.”

Ebert said she’s hopeful to change the minds of the governor, who’s running for re-election next year, and others who are opposed to these ideas.

Though The Indy’s CEO Jon Ralson, who hosted the event, expressed doubt this would happen. 

“I can try,” Ebert replied. 

Lombardo said in a Friday statement to The Indy that he “will continue to prioritize education funding in 2027, but I’ll also continue to insist on accountability.”

“My goal is simple: every dollar we invest must translate into better outcomes for Nevada’s kids,” he said. 

Regaining the community’s trust

Not everyone trusted the school district when it announced in July it had reduced its teacher vacancies, even after education data experts such as Data Insight Partners and principals confirmed it was true. 

On Monday, Ebert clarified that the district's lower vacancy rate had nothing to do with staff positions that were surplused after 2024 budget issues. She said the district actually has more staff positions, thanks to the 2023 K-12 education state funding boost. 

But she acknowledged the need to rebuild the community’s pride in the district, and said she planned to get out into the community more often and be the district’s biggest cheerleader.

“The noise and shooting inward has got to stop,” she said.

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News briefs

⏰ Clark County schools considering shifting school start times — The Clark County School District is looking for community input on a proposal to push all school start times back by 30 minutes for the next school year. 

Currently, most Clark County high schools start at 7 a.m., but Ebert said in a Friday press release that research shows that later start times are associated with better mental health outcomes, including reduced stress, lower rates of depression and anxiety, and improved overall emotional well-being. 

In 2023, the State Board of Education, which Ebert had worked with as the former state superintendent of public instruction, proposed changing school start times, but superintendents, including Jara, opposed the idea. 

Community members have until 5 p.m. on Oct. 17 to fill out the survey.

✅ Clark County School Board approves contract for support staff — The Clark County School Board approved on Thursday a $122 million, two-year contract with the Educational Support Employees Association, which represents the district’s support staff. 

The contract will:

• Continue a 3 percent salary increase previously funded by a 2023 bill, SB231.
• Provides 3 percent salary increases in both 2025 and 2026.
• Provides a salary increase equivalent to an employee’s share of the 2025 increase to the Nevada’s public employee retirement plan’s contribution rate, which shall be used to pay for that contribution increase.

The contract states that step advancements, an annual pay increase employees receive for their length of service, will not be implemented during the contract’s term. 

During a Thursday press conference, association President Jan Giles acknowledged the contract’s financial provisions fell short of what some support staff wanted, with some earning under $20 an hour. 

“This is not because CCSD was unwilling, but because the Nevada Legislature has failed to provide adequate funding,” she said. “Without state investment, meaningful salary improvements remain out of reach.”

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