Jhone Ebert brings decades of experience in the Clark County School District — and across the state — to her new role the role as superintendent.
Ebert will be the first woman to permanently lead the country’s fifth largest school district. Brenda Larsen-Mitchell has served as the interim superintendent since former Superintendent Jesus Jara resigned in February 2024. Larsen-Mitchell announced in December that she would not put her name forward for the permanent position.
Ebert has served as Nevada’s superintendent of public instruction since 2019, under both Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak and Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo. Her experience in CCSD dates back to 1990, beginning as a substitute and then a classroom teacher. She then served several administrative roles, including assistant superintendent for curriculum and professional development from 2007 to 2009 and chief innovation and productivity officer from 2013 to 2015.
She also served as the senior deputy commissioner for education policy in New York state from 2015 to 2019.
Ebert’s selection on Thursday night in a came after a multiround process. More than 40 candidates applied for the role, and four were selected to interview in late February. Ebert and fellow finalists Jesse Welsh and Ben Shuldiner emerged, and went on to a community forum and final round of interviews earlier this week. They also met with legislators, business groups, union heads and administrators.
Accountability
Throughout her campaign for the position, Ebert emphasized her focus on accountability.
“I know we are great,” Ebert said during the community forum on Monday. “I know there are things that are broken and trust has been lost.”
Of all the finalists, Ebert had the most experience working on a large scale — Nevada’s education budget is $6 billion, and New York’s is $26 billion, according to her application.
She told the board that she brings what schools need most: the ability to “achieve impact at scale,” or make critical changes in large organizations.
As state superintendent, she worked with Lombardo to assign a compliance monitor to the school district after it struggled with a potential budget deficit this fall. Prior to that, she sent a long list of questions demanding answers from Larsen-Mitchell about the budget errors.
Ebert also emphasized the importance of balancing empowering teachers and principals with tools as well as ensuring accountability.
“That freedom is there to lead, but if they’re not being successful, we also need accountability,” Ebert said.
Wide-ranging support
Ebert had a wide range of public support for the position. Her application had a letter of recommendation from Lombardo, who, in addition to complimenting her data and policy qualifications, wrote: “Jhone has the rare ability to connect with others, no matter who they are or how many stripes they have on their sleeve.”
Several public commenters highlighted her ability to work with people across the political spectrum, and the relationships she already has with legislators.
She also had letters of support from the Nevada Latino Legislative Caucus and the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Nevada Legislative Caucus.
She also had a letter of support from the Black Caucus and the Las Vegas Alliance of Black School Educators.
Student achievement
Ebert has offered several ideas for improving student achievement, including delaying start times and switching to a more competency-based learning model.
When it came to teacher retention, she emphasized the need for fair compensation and making sure teachers feel valued in their roles.
“All of our staff need to know that they are heard, that they’re valued and that they’re trusted,” she said Tuesday.
When asked about issues in special education in the school district, Ebert said there should be outsiders coming to the classroom to see what was going on, and how the district could improve. As for the increasing number of lawsuits on the issue, Ebert emphasized the need to get to the root cause of the issues.
Ebert said she wants to serve as CCSD superintendent because she knows the school district can do better, and also expressed that she hopes it could be a “destination school district.”
“I am a transformative, collaborative leader,” Ebert said.
Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com.
