EDITORIAL: These are the leaders CCSD needs now

Families are fleeing the Clark County School District. That’s one reason voters should take Board of Trustee races seriously.

Trustee Brenda Zamora is seeking a second term in District D. She wants to help students prepare for adulthood and believes that Superintendent Jhone Ebert is doing a “great job.” Even with district enrollment shrinking, she isn’t in “full support of closing school buildings.” She believes that students who break the code of conduct “need to be disciplined.”

David Gomez, a father of seven, is running against Ms. Zamora. He would be a powerful advocate for parents. He opposes the district’s dumbed-down grading policy and doesn’t view charter schools as an enemy of the district. He believes that children who create serious issues “need to be disciplined and suspended.”

The reforms Mr. Gomez seeks would improve the district. David Gomez is the better choice.

Board Vice President Irene Bustamante Adams is seeking re-election in District F. She has a deep knowledge of the district and calls Ms. Ebert a “great superintendent.” She wants to improve employment opportunities for graduates who don’t go on to college. She understands that schools may need to be consolidated. Instead of letting charters use closed schools, she would like the district to consider “building affordable housing for teachers.”

Robert Hutchinson hopes to depose Ms. Bustamante Adams. He’s worked at the district for almost three decades and is currently director of facilities. He believes there are “a lot of failures where we just throw money at central bureaucracy.” He says that closing school buildings is “unavoidable” and wants to repurpose them “with community partnership spaces.” He believes that students should be graded on their work and face consequences if they don’t complete it.

Mr. Hutchinson has some good ideas, but we recommend a vote for Irene Bustamante Adams based on her grasp of the details.

After being appointed in 2017, Trustee Linda Cavazos is seeking a third full term in District G. She believes her institutional knowledge will be “really helpful as we go forward.” She argues that funding increases in 2023 didn’t produce significant learning gains because student achievement is “not linear.” Ms. Cavazos noted that, because of collective bargaining, most of the money went to educators.

Her opponent, businessman Paul Casey, promotes accountability with spending. He believes the most important thing is improving students’ “reading skills.” He said he’s neutral on Ms. Ebert as superintendent. He has a passion for helping students with special needs.

Ms. Cavazos has more experience, but that’s only led to the current mess. Vote for Paul Casey.