Meet the four candidates who want to be CCSD’s next superintendent

Forty-six candidates applied to be Clark County School District’s new superintendent, but the school board chose only four as the top choices to be interviewed next week. 

Hazard Young Attea Associates (HYA), the firm conducting the superintendent search, presented the School Board Trustees the six candidates they saw fit during a special meeting Tuesday evening. After the presentation, the trustees further narrowed down the candidates from six to four. 

The first round of interviews will be held Feb. 24 and 25 during a public meeting. After the candidates’ interviews next week, CCSD trustees will choose the top two or three applicants who will move forward to the second round of interviews, which will be held on March 10 and 11. 

The School Board is also planning community forums and meet and greets on March 10 to allow parents and community members to ask the candidates questions, too.

Screengrab of CCSD presentation on new superintendent selection timeline 2025.

Jhone Ebert: She is the current Nevada state superintendent, a seat she took in 2019. She guided the state through the pandemic and ensured that all of the nearly half a million students in the state had a laptop or Chromebook and internet connection to be able to take part in remote learning. As State Superintendent, Ebert also shifted Nevada’s 54-year-old funding formula to one that allocates resources in a more equitable, student-centered way. 

John Anzalone: He is currently the superintendent of Camas School District in Washington, where he oversees a $100 million budget and nearly 7,200 preschool to twelfth-grade students attending 14 schools. Anzalone has experience as a classroom teacher, dean of students, high school principal, and most recently also served as an assistant superintendent in CCSD.

Ben Shuldiner: He is currently the superintendent of the Lansing School District in Michigan, where he has been since 2021. In the candidate presentation, HYA noted that Shyldiner raised Lansing’s four-year graduation rate by 27% to 89%, raised the district’s daily attendance rate by 14% to 84%, and increased enrollment for the first time in 30 years. 

Jesse Welsh: He currently serves as the chief executive officer of Nevada State High School, a public early college charter school with nine campuses across the state of Nevada. Welsh is also the former superintendent for Paradise Valley Unified School District in Arizona, where he resigned in 2020 after reportedly receiving death threats after COVID-19 school closures led to remote learning.