UPDATE APRIL 12: The Clark County School District board decided on Wednesday night to expand the search for a new superintendent to include former and current CCSD employees who applied for the job.
Because of this, the schedule to interview and vote on a new superintendent has been adjusted.
The board will review CCSD candidates on April 19. They will interview all the candidates on April 27. The public will be able to comment on April 28 and the board will vote on May 2.
ORIGINAL STORY
The Clark County School District hopes to announce a new leader in just about a week. Interviews with finalists start on Friday.
But Contact 13 Chief Investigator Darcy Spears talked to some who warn there could be a critical flaw in the search for our next superintendent.
Finding a qualified Superintendent to run a school district with over 320,000 students is no easy task. The Board of Trustees hired a search firm to help zero in on the right candidates. 77 people applied for the job. But do we know everything we need to know about the four finalists?
The district paid Ray and Associates $48,250 according to the contract Contact 13 obtained.
A proposal by the search firm claims they helped dozens of school districts search for leaders including Lander County in Northern Nevada.
But various media accounts show several districts had problems with the candidates Ray and Associates offered up.
In Omaha, Nebraska, a finalist was accused of covering up a sex offense at a previous district. In Massachusetts, a candidate wasn't able to make the deadline for a state license.
And critics say the search firm only recommended outside applicants, with little or no connection to Nevada, some with a history of bouncing from job to job.
Considering CCSD is going through a state mandated reorganization and teacher morale is at an all time low, some say commitment is critical.
"I think the community needs someone who is willing to dedicate the next 10 years of their life," says Brent Husson, President of Nevada Succeeds. "I think that's how long it takes to make real improvement and have some consistency."
While we are still waiting for a response from Ray and Associates, the District tells us the Board of Trustees will announce publicly if they decide to interview additional candidates. As for the past issues raised about Ray and Associates' searches for other school districts, CCSD told us they haven't heard of those problems but will look into it.
