What does Clark County want in its new superintendent?

As part of the search to find a superintendent for the country’s fifth largest school district, Clark County School Board trustees asked members of the community to weigh in with their own input. Now, after 51 focus groups and survey responses from 13,749 respondents, the results are in.

Two priorities appear clear. People want a superintendent who would give top priority to recruiting and retaining personnel and fostering a “unifying, positive, professional climate of mutual trust and respect among faculty, staff and administration,” according to Hazard Young Attea Associates, the firm hired to conduct the search.

They also want to see effective planning and managing of CCSD’s long-term financial health, transparent communication, a culture of high expectations for students and personnel, and an understanding of educational research.

Lack of trust

The survey and focus groups revealed widespread frustration and lack of trust in the district. Responses showed “an expressed need for a Superintendent that can rebuild morale, prioritize student and teacher well-being, support building level administrators and reduce bureaucratic burdens,” the presentation states.

People want someone who can both unify the district and respect the diversity and autonomy of each school, and while many value people with an understanding of the complexities of CCSD, others called for a fresh, outside perspective, according to the presentation.

“Lack of alignment, constant changes in programming, vague reasoning, and unstructured use of resources were words used to describe the current reality in CCSD,” stated HYA’s presentation.

Former superintendent Jesus Jara resigned this year. In the interim, Brenda Larsen-Mitchell holds the position. On his way out, Jara gave new contracts to his top administrators with added benefits that could cost taxpayers $3 million, a Review-Journal analysis of public records found.

In the survey, only one in five respondents agreed that CCSD is financially responsible, 27 percent think there is transparent communication from the district, and a quarter of survey respondents think the district’s decisions are based on data and research.

A sizable gap existed between administrators’ opinions about the district and other groups — a fact HYA said is not unusual.

While 35 percent of administrators gave the highest rating to the overall quality of education in CCSD, only 15 percent of teachers and licensed professionals gave that rating.

Parents share concerns

The focus groups demonstrated concern over a lack of trust between different levels of leadership. Staff members said they are unclear about how decisions are made and unsure about how curricular resources are selected and implemented.

“Parents want to be viewed as partners, but feel pushed out of the way and not involved in decision making,” HYA’s presentation added.

During a Tuesday focus group for parents at Clark High School, parents responding to the first question about the district’s strengths struggled to come up with positives.

“I have almost no positive feedback for the board,” said Dennis Tyson, a parent of two children.

Parents cited several problems, including overcrowded classrooms and teachers not taking care of individual needs. Parent Melissa Tucker said when she told the school her child was not up to speed with reading and might need some extra help, they assured her: “He’ll catch up.”

Tucker said she did like the way the schools incorporated technology into the classroom, though it was listed as a common strength in the data presented by HYA.

Parent Yunita Ross said she thought the superintendent should be someone in business. Several attendees disagreed, saying the person needed to have a background in education. In HYA’s general data, many people wanted the superintendent to have a strong understanding of finances and education.

Kristi Sichri repeatedly approached the microphone to call for the importance of oversight of schools misusing funds.

Many parents brought up low levels of success from students. A 2021 report ranked the Las Vegas area as second-worst for school quality among the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas.

One parent presented the moderator with a written list of asks.

Tyson wasn’t so sure why the parents were being asked to engage.

“If the board does not know what they want in a superintendent, what are they doing asking us? That’s a hardcore failure of leadership, and I find it absolutely detestable. It’s unprofessional, and I’m embarrassed for them,” he said.

The board has spent several meetings debating the details of its community engagement phase, wondering whether they were offering enough opportunities. At the Sept. 9 meeting, HYA said about half of people who sign up for focus groups end up attending. But at Tuesday’s meeting, only 11 of the 59 people who had signed up showed up.

Survey results show the highest level of engagement from parents, making up almost half the people who took the survey. Just under a quarter were licensed professionals and 11 percent were students, according to the presentation.

There will be two more virtual focus groups and seven more in-person groups. The board will present the final version of the leadership profile on Sept. 26, and the deadline to apply for the position is Sept. 30. Interviews with candidates are scheduled to take place throughout October, before a person is chosen by November.

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com.