LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Clark County School District Superintendent Jhone Ebert announced a variety of new programs and initiatives during her first State of the District address Thursday morning.
WATCH | Takeaways from Superintendent Ebert’s first CCSD State of the District address
Ebert was preceded on the stage by members of the Student Advisory Council, Public Education Foundation President Peter Guzman, and President of the School Board of Trustees Emily Stevens.
You can watch that full address here:
Here are some of the main topics she highlighted:
Support Programs
Some of the new programs include the Special Education Parent Alliance, as well as CCSD Cares, which works to establish clear expectations for mutual courtesy and mutual respect across the system.
Ebert also announced the CCSD Alumni Association, in partnership with the Public Education Foundation, to help highlight student and school successes within the district.
Staffing Improvements
Ebert then moved on to some staffing highlights. She conceded that for years, the district faced one of the largest educator shortages in the nation, but now, the district has the lowest number of teacher vacancies in nine years.
The school year began with more than 16,000 classrooms staffed by licensed teachers, Ebert said, with full staffing for nurse and police officer positions as well.
Student Performance
Moving to student performance, Ebert said more than 34% of schools improved star ratings, and now CCSD has 48 five-star schools.
She also highlighted an increase in graduation rates, with 23,443 students making up the Class of 2025.
She also highlighted our community's littlest learners, saying 500 Pre-K seats were added at 33 schools this school year. The district also received a $2.2 million from the Early Learning and Development Grant, allowing them to reconfigure and prepare Pre-K rooms and playgrounds.
Student Safety
Student safety has been top of mind this school year, making sure students make it home from school or safely to school.
Ebert said more than 220 students have been hit so far this year, between 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.either coming home from or on the way to school.
That's compared to the 120 reported last school year. Ebert said one reason for the rise in cases is an increase in collaboration between community partners.
She also noted an increase nationally in crashes involving e-bikes and e-scooters, something we've covered extensively here in Southern Nevada.
On a brighter note, to bring some hope to those worried about our students' safety, she highlighted recent passed legislation for harsher penalties to those who violate traffic laws in school zones.