Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

CCSD: Superintendent search down to 4 candidates

Updated Friday, April 6, 2018 | 4:36 p.m.

The Clark County School Board announced this afternoon that it has narrowed its superintendent search to four candidates.

They are:

• John E. Deasy, CEO of the Reset Foundation. Reset is an alternative incarceration facilities for young men. Deasy is the former superintendent of schools for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

• Donald T. Haddad, superintendent, St. Vrain Valley Schools, Longmont, Colo. Haddad in 2013 was the Superintendent of the Year by the National Association of School Superintendents.

• Shonda Huery Hardman, coach and consultant, urban specialist, FranklinCovey. Hardman is the former Chief of Schools in the Chicago Public Schools, which is the third largest district in the nation. Currently a coach and consultant to school districts.

• Jesus F. Jara, deputy superintendent, Orange County Public Schools, Fla.

The board received 77 applicants to replace Pat Skorkowsky, who is retiring in June.

Trustee Carolyn Edwards expects some to ask why there isn’t a finalist who is an internal candidate. She didn’t know how many currently in the district applied for the position.

“If you bring someone from the outside, there (could be) a discomfort level with what kind of changes are coming forward,” Edwards said.

Three of the candidates have experience at a school district with a higher enrollment than Clark County. Huery Hardman would be the first female superintendent.

“I suspect they all have ideas on how to really improve student achievement,” Edwards said.

Candidate interviews with the board will be conducted April 13 and 16. Community forums, where residents can ask questions of the candidates, are set for 10 a.m. April 14 and 11:30 a.m. April 16.

A hire is expected to be announced at 5:30 p.m. April 19. The district has 321,000 students and 358 schools and is among the nation’s largest.

“We are encouraging the public to get involved in this process,” School Board President Deanna L. Wright said in a statement.