The Clark County School District Education Advisory Recommending Committee on Oct. 16 recommended five parent or guardian representatives and two student representatives to the Board of School Trustees, elected Donna West as chair and left two vacancy categories—medicine/nursing and religion—in a tie vote that produced no committee recommendation.

Why it matters: The recommending committee’s choices are advisory and must be approved or rejected by the CCSD Board of School Trustees. Several committee members and a public commenter urged a stronger application process to give the committee more information about applicants’ qualifications, licensing and affiliations before recommendations go to the board.

The committee convened at 5:03 p.m. and confirmed a quorum before proceeding. Members unanimously adopted the agenda and later unanimously approved minutes from the Feb. 29, 2024 meeting. Donna West, representing District G, was nominated and elected chair by unanimous vote.

The meeting’s principal work was agenda item 2.03: to consider and recommend applicants for membership on the CCSD education advisory committee in categories including medicine/nursing, counseling, religion, teaching, parent/guardian and student. The committee heard one substantive public comment from Chris Ginkuliani, who criticized the applicant form as “so bare bones” and urged the committee to require narratives, resumes or proof of professional credentials so the committee could better evaluate candidates. "I was shocked that the application applications were so bare bones," Ginkuliani said.

Medicine and nursing: The committee nominated Esmeralda Clark and Rosie Holland among others. After discussion and an initial roll-call-style vote, the committee was split 3–3 between Esmeralda Clark and Rosie Holland (Courtney DeFeo, Lindsay Dally and Marie Solomon voted for Rosie Holland; Stevon Corbett, Ender Austin and Chair Donna West voted for Esmeralda Clark). The Office of General Counsel advised, “If it’s a tie, then technically, we’ve taken no action,” and the tie meant the recommending committee made no appointment in that category; the seat will be reported to the trustees as unresolved.

Counseling: Committee members nominated Carissa Quantrino for the counseling seat. The recommending committee voted unanimously (six yes votes recorded from Courtney DeFeo, Lindsay Dally, Ender Austin, Stevon Corbett, Marie Solomon and Chair Donna West) to recommend Carissa Quantrino to the Board of School Trustees.

Religion: Andy Thompson was nominated for the religion seat. The committee vote was 3–3 (Courtney DeFeo, Lindsay Dally and Marie Solomon voted yes; Ender Austin, Stevon Corbett and Chair Donna West voted no). Because the vote tied, the recommending committee made no recommendation on the religion seat; the tie will be reflected in the committee minutes and reported to the trustees.

Teaching: Keith Frank was nominated for the single teaching seat and was recommended unanimously (six yes votes).

Parent/guardian category (five vacancies): The committee used a two-round ranked-choice process. In the first round members ranked up to seven candidates; the top 10 advanced. In the second round members ranked up to five of those candidates; point values were applied (first choice highest). After tabulation, the committee nominated and unanimously approved the following five parent/guardian candidates to forward to the trustees: Nikia Jackson Hale (District B), Araceli/Arcela Barajas (District E), Joanna Soto (District D), Amanda Stevens (District C) and Dia (Di) Thomas (District G). The motion to recommend those five carried unanimously.

Student category (two vacancies): The committee used ranked-choice voting among three applicants and recommended Kara McAnallen (often recorded in the transcript as Kara McAllen/McAnallen) and Shay Bravo Bizard to the Board of School Trustees; the committee’s motion to recommend these two students carried unanimously.

Process and staff/legal clarifications: Committee members pressed staff and legal counsel about two recurring issues: (1) whether staff verifies claimed credentials and affiliations, and (2) how ties would be handled at the trustee level. Chris Carroll, CCSD staff, said staff telephone-verified information that applicants provided on their application; those verification notes are part of the public record. The Office of General Counsel told the committee the Board of School Trustees could accept, reject or request new nominations; because committee bylaws cap voting membership at two members per district, that restriction could affect how the trustees treat tied recommendations.

What was raised in public comment: Public commenter Chris Ginkuliani said the application should require a letter of interest, resume and proof of licensure for medical, counseling or religious roles. He suggested adopting a more detailed application similar to Washoe County’s process. Committee members and staff acknowledged the application is minimal and said they would consider recommending revisions.

What happens next: The recommending committee’s nominations (and the tied/no-action results) will be forwarded to the CCSD Board of School Trustees for final action. The trustees can accept the committee’s recommendations, reopen the application process for any category, or take other action at their discretion.

Votes at a glance

- Adopt agenda (Oct. 16, 2025): motion carried unanimously (aye votes recorded from all present voting members).

- Elect chair (Donna West): motion carried unanimously.

- Approve minutes (Feb. 29, 2024): motion carried unanimously.

- Medicine/Nursing (one vacancy): tie; no committee recommendation. Recorded roll-call: Courtney DeFeo (Holland), Lindsay Dally (Holland), Marie Solomon (Holland); Stevon Corbett (Clark), Ender Austin (Clark), Donna West (Clark). Outcome: no action (tie).

- Counseling (one vacancy): Carissa Quantrino recommended; unanimous (Courtney DeFeo, Lindsay Dally, Ender Austin, Stevon Corbett, Marie Solomon, Donna West — yes).

- Religion (one vacancy): Andy Thompson — tie 3–3 (Courtney DeFeo, Lindsay Dally, Marie Solomon — yes; Ender Austin, Stevon Corbett, Donna West — no). Outcome: no action (tie).

- Teaching (one vacancy): Keith Frank recommended unanimously.

- Parent/Guardian (five vacancies): Ranked-choice process produced five nominees recommended unanimously: Nikia Jackson Hale (Dist. B); Araceli/Arcela Barajas (Dist. E); Joanna Soto (Dist. D); Amanda Stevens (Dist. C); Dia (Di) Thomas (Dist. G).

- Student (two vacancies): Kara McAnallen and Shay Bravo Bizard recommended unanimously.

Committee members and staff quotes

- "I was shocked that the application applications were so bare bones," public commenter Chris Ginkuliani said, urging narrative responses, resumes and proof of professional credentials.

- "If it's a tie, then technically, we've taken no action," the Office of General Counsel told the committee when asked how to treat the 3–3 outcomes.

Limitations and next steps

The recommending committee’s role is advisory; the Board of School Trustees will make the final appointments. The committee recorded two tied votes and noted concerns about the current application format and the difficulty of making an informed recommendation without consistent documentation of credentials or affiliations. Several committee members said they would ask staff to explore a more robust application for future cycles so trustees have clearer, documented recommendations.

The recommending committee adjourned at 6:58 p.m. and will transmit its recommendations and meeting minutes to the Board of School Trustees for consideration at a future trustees meeting.