Search for new schools chief shifts into high gear

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Sunday, Oct. 23, 2005 | 10:01 a.m.

The Clark County School District has the nation's fifth largest and fastest growing student population, breaks ground on a new campus each month and successfully negotiated multiyear contracts with the unions representing its teachers, administrators and support employees.

The district also boasts an A-plus bond rating, a $1.7 billion operating budget that hasn't seen major cuts in three years, and School Board members who -- for the most part -- support the recommendations of administrators and staff.

What it doesn't have right now is a superintendent.

Not to worry, said Tim Quinn of the Los Angeles-based Broad Foundation's superintendents academy, a training program for administrators in urban school districts.

"You're going to see some of the best candidates in the country" applying for the Clark County job, he said. "It's a lot more fun to build schools than to close schools. Clark County is a growing district, not a declining district. And that makes all the difference in the world."

To be sure, Clark County's next superintendent has significant hurdles to overcome. The district's graduation and dropout rates, while slightly improved in recent years, continue to be among the worst in the nation.

Teacher turnover, particularly among those with five years or less experience, remains high. And while the budget has been spared major cuts, district officials say funding isn't keeping up with student needs.

But outside of Nevada, Clark County's reputation is more than respectable, Quinn said.

"Academically it's facing the same challenges as most large urban districts," Quinn said. "But what's different is the mindset in Clark County is one of optimism that there's the capacity to make things better. You're well-poised to see a number of candidates who have successfully addressed these types of challenges."

The Clark County School Board expects to interview candidates this winter so the new superintendent can be on the job for the start of the 2006-07 academic year. The salary range is expected to be around $290,000, up from the $212,242 that former Superintendent Carlos Garcia was earning at the time of his resignation in July.

Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of Great City Schools, said he has spoken with several "awfully good candidates" who have expressed interest in the Clark County job. He declined to name them but said they were "impressive."

Clark County is just one of eight of the nation's largest urban school districts either actively searching for a new superintendent or preparing for the process.

Thomas Payzant, the widely respected superintendent of Boston Public Schools, has announced he will retire at the end of the current academic year after a decade at the helm. Boston has 58,600 students, about the size of one of the Clark County School District's five regions.

Payzant's longevity makes him a rarity. Casserly said most urban superintendents spend three to four years in the post.

Garcia served five years as Clark County's chief executive. His predecessor, Brian Cram, held the post for 11 years.

Of the large urban districts seeking superintendents, two -- Detroit and Cleveland -- are facing significant political and financial difficulties. Detroit is in the midst of switching from a governing board appointed by the state to one that is locally elected. Cleveland's superintendent announced her resignation in August after the district posted a $100 million budget deficit, closed 11 schools and laid off about 2,000 teachers.

"Clark County is in better financial shape than many big-city school districts in this country," Casserly said. "Most prospective (superintendent) candidates don't want to go somewhere where the budget worries are constant. Clark County has to mind its pennies, but it's not experiencing the kind of gut-wrenching cuts other places are enduring."

Clark County School Board member Susan Brager-Wellman said she was pleased by Quinn's and Casserly's assessments of the district's strengths. But, she added, the next superintendent may already be in Clark County.

Agustin Orci and Walt Rulffes, the co-interim superintendents, are both expected to submit applications for the permanent position.

"I want to make sure we're looking carefully in our own backyard as well as out of town and out of state," Brager-Wellman said.

Emily Richmond can be reached at 259-8829 or at emily@lasvegassun.com.