Trustees to question search firms vying for job of hiring new CCSD superintendent

The Clark County School Board wants to know how potential superintendent search firms have sought out diverse and nontraditional candidates.

These are among the many topics the board plans to address when it holds public interviews Wednesday with three of the five firms that applied to run the search to replace former Superintendent Jesus Jara, who stepped down in February after nearly six years at the Clark County School District.

According to a rubric posted to online meeting materials this week and questions the board workshopped this month, trustees plan to ask firms to give an overview of themselves and describe their experience, and describe their proposed project teams, selection processes, and proposed schedules and divisions of responsibilities.

More specifically, interview topics will include: firms’ experience overall and in hiring school superintendents; projects most similar to CCSD’s search, including how long the searches have taken and how long successful placements have lasted; how they find and vet qualified candidates, including nontraditional and diverse candidates; and proposed timeline.

Each firm will be given an hour to give presentations and answer clarifying questions from the board.

The finalist firms are Alma Advisory Group of Chicago; McPherson & Jacobson of Omaha, Neb.; and Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates of Arlington Heights, Ill.

A timeline the board reviewed this month said the board will confirm the purchasing award — or contract — for the winning firm June 13, and firm representatives will return before the board June 20 to begin discussing the process in earnest.

The board hopes to have a new hire in place Nov. 1.

Wednesday’s meeting begins at 4 p.m. at the Greer Education Center, 2832 E. Flamingo Road.

[email protected] / 702-990-8949 / @HillaryLVSun