14 candidates added for Clark County schools superintendent post
Fourteen current or former Clark County School District employees were added Monday to the list of candidates for the soon-to-be-vacant post of superintendent.
It’s likely at least one name on the list will join the three external finalists to move forward to the interview stage of the process to replace retiring Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky, although the School Board could add more when considering the new additions on Thursday.
Last week, trustees said they were not satisfied that Ray and Associates, the search firm hired to assist in the nationwide search, did not include any former or current district employees on the shortlist.
The trustees asked the firm to go back to all 77 applicants who had experience in the district and see if they’d be willing to have their names and resumes made public for the board to consider. Trustees described the move as a “course correction” and Trustee Carolyn Edwards said last week the overall search process was going “just fine.”
Connected candidates
Candidates due to be considered Thursday are:
— Mike Barton, the district’s chief academic officer. Barton has a lot of vocal support from community members who showed up at the last meeting to lobby in his favor.
— Cody O. Claver, executive vice president of iCademy Middle East in Dubai and a former teacher in the district from 1989 to 1991.
— Mark Coleman, superintendent/principal at Littlefield Unified School District #9 in Arizona and former principal deputy director of the administrator’s union in Clark County
— Jhone M. Ebert, a deputy senior commission in the New York State Department of Education and former chief innovation and productivity officer in Clark County.
— Robert A. Gerye, founder and president of consulting group The EdExcellence, and former principal and administrative leadership development director in Clark County.
— Deborah Gruner, a host and server in the food industry and former substitute teacher for the district.
— John S. Haynal, a franchise principal of three elementary schools in Clark County.
— Mollie Ann Holt, a spokeswoman for Dickey’s BBQ and former guest teacher and support staff in Clark County.
— Timothy S. Hughes, a partner with education-organization The New Teacher Project, called TNTP, and a former teacher coach in Clark County.
— April Lealia Key, the district’s deputy chief human resources officer.
— Antonio Rael, one of the district’s associate superintendents.
— Michele Robinson, superintendent of schools in Paramus Public Schools in New Jersey and former teacher in Clark County.
— Jesse Welsh, the district’s associate superintendent of curriculum and professional development.
— Eva M. White, the director of human resources and administrative services in Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools and former interim chief financial officer for the district.
The district began with four external candidates, but former Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent John Deasy dropped out of the process the day after the board decided to consider internal candidates.
The other external candidates are Donald T. Haddad, superintendent of St. Vrain Valley Schools in Longmont, Colorado; Shonda Huery Hardman, former chief school support officer for the Houston Independent School District; and Jesus Jara, deputy superintendent of Orange County Public Schools in Florida.
A question of process
That’s a tight timeline according to some local education advocates. Brent Husson, president of Nevada Succeeds, a local consulting firm, said picking the right superintendent may take more interview time than the trustees have slated to research candidate backgrounds and ask them about their ideas for Clark County.
“There’s so much of that that needs to be discussed with each one (candidate). I just don’t think you can ask good, solid questions,” he said. “If they’re going to be hiring somebody and they’re planning on doing it simply based on a 45-minute interview, I think that’s a terrible idea.”
But Husson said lengthening the timeline — trustees were going to interview the external canddiates last week but pushed it off to add the internal candidates to the list — is giving them more time to look into candidate backgrounds.
Contact Meghin Delaney at 702-383-0281 or mdelaney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @MeghinDelaney on Twitter.
What comes next
The following is a schedule of important upcoming dates in the superintendent search. All events will take place in the Clark County School Board’s boardroom at 2832 E. Flamingo Road.
April 19: The trustees will review the list of internal and former district employees who applied and select some for interviews.
April 27: The internal and external candidates will be interviewed by the board.
April 28: Candidates will participate in a community meeting.
May 2: The board will vote on a new superintendent and begin contract negotiations.
Meetings will be broadcast live on ccsd.net and the district’s Facebook page. They also will be recorded and posted on the district’s website.
The district also unveiled an email address — superintendentsearch@nv.ccsd.net — and invited residents to send questions they would like to ask candidates.
