CCSD board advances three superintendent finalists after two days of presentations

The Clark County School District Board of Trustees on Thursday voted to advance three candidates — Joan Ebert, Ben Schuldiner and the candidate listed as “Welsh” in the board packet — to community forums and a second round of interviews after two days of presentations and trustee questions.

Trustees voted on a slate of procedural items that set the next phase of the search: the board approved the set of springboard interview questions (7–0), a revised timeline and public format for community forums (7–0), and a one‑hour, one‑on‑one balanced‑governance training session for each finalist at $500 per candidate (7–0). The board also voted on moving each candidate forward individually; the motion to advance candidate John Anzalone failed (1–6), while motions to advance the three other finalists passed (Welsh 7–0; Schuldiner 6–1; Ebert 7–0).

Why it matters: CCSD is one of the largest school districts in the nation and trustees said they are looking for a leader who can manage a complex budget, improve academic outcomes and restore trust with staff and the public. The board’s votes set community input events for March 10 and a second round of interviews March 11, and authorized modest training to ensure finalists understand the district’s balanced‑governance approach.

Candidate presentations and trustee concerns

Ben Schuldiner framed his presentation as a SWOT analysis, saying “The strengths of the Clark County School District are its people,” and pointing repeatedly to budgets, teacher vacancies and systems as the key levers of change. Schuldiner cited his work in Lansing, Michigan — noting gains in reading and graduation rates there — and pressed trustees to take a deeper look at CCSD’s $4,000,000,000 budget during board review. He told trustees the board should conduct longer, line‑by‑line budget sessions and asked for stronger accountability and communication systems between central office and schools.

Joan Ebert emphasized local experience and systems change, repeatedly returning to themes of “reenergizing the passion,” improving communication and building partnerships. She listed tools she would use to diagnose root causes — climate and culture surveys, districtwide review instruments and triage teams — and said, “If we want our students to achieve excellence, we must reenergize this passion.” Ebert also pointed to the Nevada Portrait of a Learner and said partnerships and targeted philanthropic or legislative investments could be used to seed priorities.

Trustees pressed candidates on similar topics: budget transparency and line‑item understanding, teacher recruitment and retention strategies, measurable steps to raise low‑performing schools and graduation rates, and how to rebuild trust after recent district controversies. Questions also covered multilingual learner supports, special education compliance, balanced governance and how candidates would engage the state legislature in Carson City.

Public comment and community input

Board members and the search firm emphasized that the next phase will include three public forums on March 10 (5–8 p.m. in multiple rooms) and a second round of interviews on March 11; the public may submit questions in advance via a Google form that will be posted on the superintendent search web page. Rancho High School was identified as the likely in‑person venue for the March 10 forums because it offers enclosed facilities and parking. The board and staff said the events will be livestreamed and that translations and interpreter services will be arranged; communications staff said advisories and QR links would be posted to the official superintendent search page.

Formal actions and votes

- Approved interview questions for the second round (motion to approve as presented). Mover: Trustee Esparza (motion recorded); second: Trustee Johnson. Vote: 7–0. - Approved revised timeline and community‑forum format (motion to approve). Mover: Trustee Baron; second: Trustee Cavazos. Vote: 7–0. The timeline posted in meeting materials listed community forums March 10 (5–8 p.m.) and second‑round interviews March 11. - Motion by the board president to advance candidate John Anzalone to the next round — seconded; RESULT: failed (1–6). - Motion by the board president to advance candidate listed as Welsh to the next round — seconded; RESULT: passed (7–0). - Motion by the board president to advance Ben Schuldiner (Schuldiner/Scholdener in packet) — RESULT: passed (6–1). - Motion by the board president to advance Joan Ebert — RESULT: passed (7–0). - Approved one‑hour, one‑on‑one balanced‑governance training with Dr. Alsbury for each finalist at $500 per candidate (to be charged against an earlier board‑approved $60,000 authorization). Mover: Trustee Esparza; second: Trustee Baron. Vote: 7–0.

What trustees said and next steps

Trustees repeatedly returned to the need for a superintendent with budget acumen and political relationships at the state level. Several trustees told candidates they expected detailed follow‑up in areas raised during the presentations — for example, plans for reducing teacher vacancies and evidence‑based approaches to accelerate reading and graduation rates.

The board directed staff and the search firm to publish the forum schedule and the Google form for advance questions; staff said they would coordinate translations and media advisories and that Vegas PBS would support the livestream. Finalists will receive the balanced‑governance briefing before the community events; the sessions are confidential and will not produce endorsements.

Ending

Trustees left the meeting with the district’s next public steps set: three finalists will face community questions in staggered forums on March 10 and be interviewed again by the board on March 11. The board said it expects input from the forums to inform the final hiring decision. Vote records and the interview materials will be posted to the superintendent search web page, and the public form for submitting questions will open in the week before the forums.