Only a few seats were left open in the audience at Monday’s Clark County School Board meeting, after community members filed in to watch the first round of interviews for the fifth largest school district’s next superintendent.
The School Board interviewed Camas School District Superintendent John Anzalone and Nevada State High School charter school CEO Jesse Welsh on Monday evening.
It will interview the two other superintendent candidates, Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction Jhone Ebert and Superintendent of Lansing School District Ben Shuldiner at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
The Clark County School District has been without a permanent leader since former Superintendent Jesus Jara resigned in February 2024. Brenda Larsen-Mitchell, the district’s interim superintendent, announced in December 2024 that she would not put her name forward for the permanent position.
More than 40 candidates applied for the role by the Feb. 5 deadline, and the board narrowed it down to four candidates at last week’s meeting. The second round of interviews on March 10 and 11 will include community forums. According to the current timeline, the board will debrief and make its selection on March 13.
Anzalone and Welsh each gave 20-minute presentations on Monday and then responded to questions from the board, making for a 50-minute interview.
“Your leadership has started to change,” Chris Giunchigliani, a former Clark County commissioner and frequent participant at CCSD board meetings, told the board at the end of Monday’s meeting. “Everyone is thinking and asking thoughtfully. Thank you. It made a huge difference, and I think that’s going to set the tone for revitalizing this district and the culture that’s been there.”
Candidates have roots in CCSD
Anzalone and Welsh both have long histories in CCSD.
Anzalone has more than two decades of experience in the school district, including serving as the assistant superintendent from 2021 to 2022 and as a principal at three high schools in the district.
As he sat before the board on Monday, Anzalone said he remembered being a student at Chaparral High School 30 years before and that he never believed he would be sitting in front of the board today. His message to students: “If I could be here, you can be anywhere you want to be.”
Welsh has been an educator in Clark County for 22 years, he said Monday. He served as a principal, assistant principal, as well as a math teacher and a Spanish teacher, among other roles.
Both candidates also emphasized the school district’s need for greater transparency and relationships with different community groups, including unions and school organizational teams.
John Anzalone
The first 100 days of Anzalone’s tenure, he said in response to a question from Trustee Isaac Barron, would be at schools and the Legislature.
But although some things have changed since he left to take the superintendent position in Washington in 2022, his existing knowledge of CCSD and his relationships there would mean he would not need as much of an adjustment period as he did in Washington, he said.
He also emphasized the importance of rebuilding relationships that have struggled in CCSD, starting with School Organizational Teams, which he said were a strong way for families to have a voice.
To keep people engaged, he said it is important for the superintendent to be visible and at events to personally invite people to meetings.
Anzalone also pledged to have senior leadership reapply for their positions, and he has committed himself to finding the best people for the jobs of chief academic officer and chief financial officers.
He said that a culture of micromanagement stalled progress and that it was important to let teachers teach.
When asked how he would incorporate relationships with teachers, Anzalone said: “That’s where it begins. It begins from the inside out.”
Anzalone also emphasized a commitment to school safety, highlighting Camas’ use of AI cameras that detect potential weapons, and the potential for that use within CCSD.
“This is not a stepping stone for me, this is it. This is my last stop,” Anzalone said.
Jesse Welsh
Welsh gave what Trustee Ramona Esparza-Stoffregan later said were “brutal facts” about the weaknesses of CCSD (though she thanked him for it) including staff vacancies and turnover in leadership.
Still, Welsh said, there are many opportunities for growth, including at the legislative session, which he said had several bills related to education.
Welsh emphasized the importance of expertise and said that he is often referred to as the “data dude” for his commitment to data-driven solutions. He highlighted his role in leading CCSD to use the online platform Canvas, which it currently uses, as well as switching it to Google.
In instances in which the data does not exist, Welsh said that’s where regular meetings and “pathways for two-way communication” would make it easier to make informed decisions.
Prior to his current role, he was the superintendent of the Paradise Valley Unified School District in Phoenix, Arizona, from June 2019 to December 2020.
Welsh said he has a background in school finance, including a dissertation that focused on where to spend money to get the best results. He called the budget the “fiscal representation” of a school district’s priorities.
When asked how he would repair community relationships, Welsh said: “Leadership starts at the top.”
He said he would ensure that his team understood his expectations and knew what they were doing and how to engage with staff.
Welsh also said that CCSD has been “flat footed” in getting talented educators to the schools needing them the most and that he would work to make sure there were proper incentives.
“I believe education is the great equalizer,” Welsh said.
Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X and @katiefutterman.bsky.social.
