A search firm is presenting these six candidates to the Clark County school board as finalists for CCSD’s vacant superintendent position. They are, clockwise from top left, Jhone Ebert, Nevada state superintendent of public education; Pedro Martinez, CEO of Chicago Public Schools; John Glass, former commissioner of Kentucky Department of Education; Joshua Starr, former superintendent of Montgomery County (Maine) Public Schools; John Anzalone, superintendent of Camas (Wash.) School District; and Ben Shuldiner, superintendent of Lansing (Mich.) School District.
The consulting firm managing the search for the next superintendent of the Clark County School District will present the school board with six finalists today.
Coming from a pool of 46 applicants, the six have been superintendents of districts or statewide education departments across the country. Three have previous CCSD leadership experience.
The school board will decide which candidates to interview later this month.
The hiring timeline has the selection being made March 13.
Today’s meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Greer Education Center, 2832 E. Flamingo Road.
In alphabetical order, the candidates vying to replace Jesus Jara, whose sixyear tenure as superintendent ended in February 2024, are:
John Anzalone
Current position: Superintendent, Camas School District, Camas, Wash.
Anzalone spent the first 22 years of his career as a CCSD educator, rising from a social studies and English teacher at Hyde Park Middle School to high school principal to assistant superintendent in the Education Services Division.
He left CCSD in 2022 to lead the Camas School District, a district of about 7,300 students in southwest Washington state.
Anzalone, who grew up in east Las Vegas, said in his application that he wanted to return to the city that shaped him personally and professionally.
“Growing up in a community rich with challenges, I was inspired to become an educator who could offer transformative learning experiences — empowering students academically and opening pathways to success,” he wrote in a personal statement. “I bring a wealth of experience from a large urban school district and a proven track record of building strong relationships with school boards and bargaining groups. My background has prepared me to navigate the complexities of urban education while remaining deeply connected to the values of the communities I serve.”
Tracey Malone, the school board president in Camas — coincidentally, in Clark County, Wash. — said she was both sad and proud to recommend Anzalone.
“While we would love to continue benefiting from his leadership, we recognize that his expertise and dedication would be an invaluable asset to the Clark County School District, allowing him to return home and serve the students and families of Clark County, Nev.,” she wrote.
Anzalone in 2018 ran for a U.S. House seat in Nevada. He was defeated in the Democratic primary.
Jhone Ebert
ent position: Nevada state superintendent of public instruction Since 2019, Ebert has served as the state superintendent with regulatory oversight of all 17 of Nevada’s school districts and its charter school system.
Former Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, appointed her, and she now works with Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo.
Ebert spent four years before that as the senior deputy commissioner for P-20 education policy for the New York State Education Department. And for 25 years before that, she was an educator in CCSD, from math teacher on up to chief innovation and productivity officer.
“Rebuild trust. Regain stability.
Restore confidence. Reach higher ground. That’s the goal. The question is, how? The answer begins with insight into what makes a community tick,” she wrote in a personal statement. “It takes clarity about means, purpose and effect. Public education takes teamwork — success lies in unifying people. Easy to say.
Hard to do. Improving outcomes and promoting prosperity is our aim, but building relationships and creating community is the way. Relationships and partnership are the means to our desired end; the challenge is achieving it in stormy conditions.”
Lombardo highly recommended Ebert.
“While many talented individuals may apply for this position, I cannot imagine any having the background of Jhone Ebert.
Few will be able to say — as Jhone Ebert can — they have led organizations that are more complex than CCSD,” he wrote. “Even more uncommon will be individuals who have led organizations of that magnitude and who have also achieved gains at scale — as Jhone Ebert has.”
Jason Glass
Current position: Associate vice president of teaching and learning, Western Michigan University Glass has teaching and administrative experience in Michigan, Kentucky, Colorado and Iowa. He also works as a consultant.
He was the Kentucky Department of Education commissioner, a position equal to state superintendent, from 2020 until resigning in 2023. In his application, he wrote that his reason for leaving was “conflict with legislation re: support for LGBTQI students.”
Local media reports confirm this. The Louisville Courier-Journal wrote that Glass defended preexisting optional guidance honoring transgender students’ pronouns and names, leading lawmakers to encourage the state board to fire him and to pass legislation requiring state Senate confirmation for his position and prohibiting state education leaders from giving guidance on pronouns. The headline in one article read, “Why do Republicans suddenly hate ‘woke’ Kentucky Education Commissioner Jason Glass?”
“Clark County’s mission to prepare students for success in a complex, global society deeply resonates with my values as an educator and leader,” he wrote in his personal statement. “I am eager to collaborate with the board, staff and community to build on CCSD’s strengths, address its challenges and create a brighter future for every student.”
Lu Young, who was chair of the Kentucky Board of Education during Glass’ tenure, said Glass had an “unflappable, steady leadership” style.
“He is articulate and wise, and he speaks from a place of authenticity and genuine concern for others,” Young wrote. “Jason Glass is a man of principle and an accomplished leader with the knowledge, skills, experience and dispositions to lead in a wide variety of contexts and organizations.”
Pedro Martinez
Current position: CEO, Chicago Public Schools Martinez leads one of the nation’s few school districts larger than CCSD and is the only candidate whose application indicates that he is fluent in Spanish.
He has also been a superintendent of the Washoe County School District and was a senior adviser to the state superintendent in 2014 and 2015.
He was deputy superintendent in CCSD before taking the Washoe job in 2012 — an abbreviated tenure marked by controversy.
Martinez sued the Washoe school board for illegally firing him after questioning him about his status as a certified public accountant; the state attorney general confirmed that the board had violated open meeting law during his firing.
He dropped his lawsuits after securing an $800,000 buyout from the district.
Martinez’s tenure in Chicago is nearing an end. The school board voted in December to fire him without cause after a dispute with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, but a clause in his contract means he can stay on through late June plus receive a severance package.
In a personal statement, he said he wanted to return to a formative place.
“Having spent time in Clark County, I have come to admire the spirit of innovation and resilience that defines the region.
CCSD’s role in shaping this vibrant, rapidly growing community makes this opportunity compelling. I am eager to leverage my background to collaborate with the talented educators, administrators and families in Clark County to create even greater opportunities for students to achieve their academic and life goals.”
Former CCSD school board Carolyn Edwards said Martinez would be an “exceptional choice.”
“Mr. Martinez is a man of high integrity with great communication skills and a passion for ensuring that every student is successful regardless of background, ethnicity or circumstances,” she wrote.
Benjamin Shuldiner
Current position: Superintendent, Lansing School District, Lansing, Mich.
Shuldiner has been at the helm of the Lansing School District since 2021 after a two-decade career as a college and high school educator and school board member in New York City.
Three years after becoming a teacher, he became the youngest principal ever in the New York City Department of Education, which is by far the largest school district in the country.
Shuldiner drew parallels between the challenges at CCSD and those present when he accepted his current job in Lansing, a district of about 10,000 students in Michigan’s capital city.
“Upon arriving in Lansing, I encountered a district struggling with financial instability, declining enrollment, and a lack of trust among stakeholders.
Through transparent communication, strong labor relations and a commitment to academic improvement, I helped restore confidence in the district,” he wrote in his personal statement.
“By implementing student and family roundtables, engaging with community leaders, and prioritizing fiscal responsibility, I have strengthened relationships and positioned the district for long-term success.”
Karin Goldmark, a one-time deputy chancellor for the New York City Department of Education, said Shuldiner was a “uniquely talented” leader who put his skills to use in Lansing.
“Ben has rapidly transformed the district with his dynamic leadership,” she wrote in a recommendation.
“Upon arriving in Lansing, Ben immediately took massive action, dispelling a culture of complacency and excuses, and building a strong leadership team excited to deliver far greater results for students.”
Joshua Starr
Current position: Managing partner, Center for Model Schools Starr is the only person on the shortlist coming directly from private industry, an education consultancy that is related to the textbook publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Before that, he was a nonprofit CEO, superintendent in Montgomery County, Md., and Stamford, Conn., and an educator in New York. Montgomery County, in the D.C. metro, has the 15th-largest school district in the country.
He said the size and complexity of CCSD called for a new approach.
“The next superintendent of schools of CCSD will have an opportunity to work with the board of education and multiple stakeholders to drive a new vision for what’s possible in public education,” he wrote in his personal statement. “Our students, families and educators require a bold new approach that will leverage the collective wisdom of the entire community to ensure that every student graduates ready to thrive.”
Nevada State University President DeRionne Pollard knew Starr when she was the president of Montgomery College, which worked with the local schools.
“He is a man who is both erudite and pragmatic. He cares deeply about children in ways that remind me distinctly of former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan,” Pollard wrote in a recommendation. “His commitment to equal opportunity is complemented by his willingness to lead tough conversations about privilege and about the true nature of inclusive communities.” hillary.davis@gmgvegas.com / 702-990-8949 / @HillaryLVSun