Las Vegas – Today, the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce called on the Trustees of the Clark County School District to conduct a national search to select the next superintendent of schools to fill the position that will be vacated by current Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky.
“As the fifth largest school district in the United States, it is imperative that Clark County School District open the search to qualified candidates from across the country to find the best person to serve as the next superintendent. As CCSD continues to transition to the new reorganized system of operations, as well as address its significant budget deficits, it is important that the next superintendent not only have a proven track record of achieving academic excellence and classroom success, but also a high level of system and business management abilities,” said Hugh Anderson, chairman of the Chamber’s Government AffairsCommittee.
As part of the search, the Metro Chamber calls on the Trustees to include representatives from the business community in the selection process. The business community depends upon the school district to graduate students who are prepared to become productive members of a qualified workforce, so it has a true stake in who will lead the system. The Metro Chamber pledges to join with other business organizations to help underwrite the costs of a national search so as not to add new fiscal burdens to the school system.
Additionally, the Metro Chamber opposes the appointment of an interim superintendent to replace Mr. Skorkowsky prior to his stated date of departure at the end of the 2017-18 school year. “Given the significant transition the school district is currently undergoing as part of the reorganization, it would be highly disruptive to teachers, students, parents, and administrators to make any change in leadership before the end of the academic year,” said Anderson.