CCSD trustees hear presentations from superintendent finalists John Anzalone and Jesse Welsh

Trustees of the Clark County School District heard 20‑minute presentations from two superintendent finalists — John Anzalone and Jesse Welsh — and then questioned each candidate about recruitment, budgeting, governance and student achievement.

The presentations were the first round of interviews the board plans to use to select a new superintendent. Board President Irene Bustamante Adams opened the session by saying trustees would focus on each candidate’s presentation, and the district’s search consultant explained the timing: a 20‑minute presentation followed by roughly 30 minutes of questions from trustees.

Why it matters: CCSD is the state’s largest district; hiring a permanent superintendent will shape strategy on staffing, budget priorities and community engagement. Both candidates highlighted recruitment and retention, restoring trust with employees and partners, and directing resources toward classrooms.

John Anzalone, who described returning to CCSD as “feels like home,” framed his priorities around four themes: recruitment and retention, data-driven decision making, clear communication and strategic financial stewardship. He told trustees, “This is not a stepping stone for me. This is it. This is my last stop,” and said he would ask senior leaders to reapply for their jobs and seek top candidates for chief academic and financial positions. Anzalone emphasized rebuilding relationships with legislators and bargaining units and described school safety work he led, including integrating threat‑detection software into cameras.

Jesse Welsh framed his presentation with a SWOT analysis of CCSD and proposed six initial focus areas: organizational culture and climate; hiring and retention; engagement with students, families and municipalities; stakeholder‑driven strategic planning; evaluating systems and processes; and directing resources to schools. Welsh described efforts he led previously to expand magnet seats, implement online learning platforms and simplify teacher evaluation processes. He said rebuilding trust and improving transparency were central to his approach.

Trustee questions focused on concrete first‑100‑day actions, rebuilding labor relations, budget priorities and how each candidate would use data to address gaps for multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Anzalone said his immediate priorities would be school visits and outreach to the Legislature; Welsh said establishing regular, structured advisory groups with labor leads and principals was essential to restoring trust.

The board discussed logistics for the search: trustees confirmed community engagement sessions and a second‑round interview schedule, with 45‑minute interviews planned for March 11 and a community forum the day before. The board asked trustees to submit their proposed interview questions to the search consultant for consolidation; trustees were asked to email their top one or two questions by 12:00 noon for consideration.

Votes at a glance: Early in the meeting trustees adopted the meeting agenda with added reference material for the superintendent search. Trustee Johnson moved to adopt the agenda; Trustee Cavazos seconded. The motion passed, 7–0. At the meeting’s close, Trustee Cavazos moved to adjourn; Trustee Zamora seconded and the motion passed, 7–0.

The board will continue interviews in March, and community forums and feedback mechanisms were described as part of the next round.