Glitch in superintendent search

Terry Webster

Monday, March 27, 2000 | 11:11 a.m.

Both of the candidates in the running for Clark County School District superintendent have an out. And it's the same one.

Reports in their hometown newspapers indicate candidates Timothy Jenney, superintendent of Virginia Beach City Public Schools in Virginia, and Carlos Garcia, superintendent of the Fresno Unified School District in California, both told reporters they will consider the Clark County position only if their families agree to it.

While that seems logical, the thought brings back bad memories for School Board president Mary Beth Scow.

"We learned about that the last time, didn't we," Scow said Sunday, referring to candidates who cited family issues after dropping out the first round of superintendent interviews. Five candidates came forward for the position in November for a variety of reasons, none of them worked out.

But Scow remains optimistic that this search will be more productive.

Following second interviews held Friday, both candidates said they are still interested in the position, she said.

Last week the School Board and Superintendent Selection Process Committee interviewed two hopefuls as part of the second attempt to find a new leader for the nation's eighth-largest school district.

Both candidates hail from districts with approximately 78,000 students, while Clark County has 217,000.

The board meets this afternoon to outline the the candidate's strengths and weaknesses.

School Board members have been pouring over video tapes of the interviews, making last-minute reference checks and reviewing notes they took, Scow said.