CCSD sets mid-april target to pick new superintendent

Public meetings, surveys for input to be scheduled

The Clark County School Board has set a timeline for its search for a new superintendent, aiming to select the next leader of the nation’s fifth-largest district by mid-april.

The district will host public meetings at different schools — exact times and places to be determined — and launch an online survey late this month to gather input.

At a session Wednesday, some trustees seemed amenable to increasing the current salary of $280,788, although final details and a job description will be finalized on Feb. 8.

Gary Ray, whose firm was hired to conduct the search for a successor to retiring Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky, advised that a competitive salary would be in the $300,000 range.

The district could face tough competition in its search, with other large urban school systems such as Seattle, Los Angeles and New York City also seeking new permanent leaders.

Trustees generally rejected a proposal

to hire two positions — one to oversee education and the other to manage business operations.

Trustee Carolyn Edwards, who suggested the idea, argued the district might get better results and realize savings.

“The problem that I have is educators don’t understand the business side of things, they really don’t,” she said. “And then if you have a business person as a superintendent, they don’t understand education.”

The board will spend roughly $5,280 advertising the position, mainly through education groups such as the School Superintendents Association, the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents and the National Alliance of Black School Educators.

Contact Amelia Pak-harvey at apak-harvey@reviewjournal. com or 702-383-4630. Follow @ Ameliapakharvey on Twitter.