CCSD’s Jara pushes education equity in State of the Schools speech

Clark County School District Superintendent Jesus Jara gave his second State of Our Schools address Friday, emphasizing the need for equity in programs districtwide and praising excellent schools and principals that he said are making a difference.

Speaking to elected officials, business leaders and district leadership at Wynn Las Vegas, Jara referenced a recent report from the Superintendent’s Student Equity and Access Commission, which found that African American and Hispanic students have less access to advanced learning opportunities like GATE programs and AP classes, creating a pipeline of inequity.

“If you’re lucky to live in a certain ZIP code, you’re given different opportunities,” Jara said. “That has to change.”

Jara also praised schools and programs, including Charlotte Hill Elementary, a nationally recognized Title I school, and said more work is needed to replicate the successes of individual schools across the district.

“Children living in poverty can perform at high levels if we give them the support,” Jara said. “How do we replicate the work that (Charlotte Hill Principal) Jennifer Reynolds is doing in her school?”

Jara also acknowledged that the district has more work to do, including addressing remediation rates for CCSD students once they enroll in college and developing leadership and teacher pipelines at the district.

The last time the school district was fully staffed was in 1994, Jara said.

Contact Aleksandra Appleton at 702-383-0218 or aappleton@reviewjournal.com. Follow @aleksappleton on Twitter.