CCSD has not had a superintendent since February of 2024, when Jesus Jara ended his term as superintendent. Jesus Jara was the previous superintendent of CCSD since the school board hired him in 2018. Although the school board usually looks for a unanimous vote, Jesus Jara was voted as CCSD superintendent when the vote among the trustees was 4-3. The reelection of a new CCSD superintendent was delayed last year due to “instability on the school board.” Dr. Brenda Larsen Mitchell, Jara’s second-in-command, is the temporary superintendent until a new superintendent is selected.
The Clark County School District recently listed six candidates for the spot of superintendent selected from a pool of 46 potential candidates. After reviewing these candidates, the number of candidates were narrowed down to just four on February 18. At this meeting, two candidates were voted out by the board of trustees, one candidate dropped out, and one applicant was added to the final candidates to be interviewed.
News 3 Las Vegas states, “It comes at a time when critics say there is a lot of distrust following the last superintendent who resigned nearly a year ago today.”
On February 25, after conducting their first round of interviews, the candidates were narrowed down to just three: Dr. Jesse Welsh, Jhone Ebert, and Ben Shuldiner.
Welsh was the candidate who was added later to be interviewed as a final candidate. He is the current CEO of Nevada State High School and has had lots of experience as an educator in CCSD, as well as having had many roles in CCSD, such as Assistant Superintendent.
Similarly, Ebert has had many education roles in CCSD, and currently serves as the Superintendent of Public Instruction at Nevada Department of Education.
Unlike the other two final candidates, Shuldiner has no local ties to CCSD. He is the current superintendent of the Lansing School District in Michigan, and has also served as a board member in the largest school district in the nation.
Vicki Kreidel, the president of the National Education Association of Southern Nevada, and a teacher at CCSD remarks, “We need a new superintendent who has less of a learning curve regarding district operations so they’re able to make quicker, more informed decisions,”
The final vote for the two finalists for superintendent will take place on March 11 after more in-depth interviews with all of the possible contenders. On March 10, the public can attend a meeting with the three final candidates that is most likely going to take place at Rancho High School. By March 13, the board of trustees will have elected a new CCSD superintendent.
