3 new trustees make all-female Clark County School Board

The Clark County School Board took on a different look Monday with three newly elected trustees taking the oath of office and making the first all-female board in more than a decade.

District D Trustee Irene Cepeda, District F Trustee Danielle Ford and District G Trustee Linda Cavazos were sworn in at the Edward Greer Education Center.

Choking back tears, Cavazos, who was appointed to the vacant District G seat in 2017 and re-elected last year, looked at her daughter and granddaughter in the audience

“It’s been a steep learning curve,” she said of her time on the board. “I’m very happy to be here. I feel very fortunate to be in this position.”

Ford, a business owner who replaces outgoing Trustee Carolyn Edwards, took office after campaigning as an outsider who was not a politician but a mother. She thanked her children in her remarks.

“Not only do they inspire me, but I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t grown up with them, going to CCSD schools and seeing firsthand some things that I thought needed to be changed,” she said.

Cepeda, a graduate of Canyon Springs High School who works at Nevada State College, said she wants to make sure the community’s residents are heard. She said the grueling campaign was worth it because she’ll be able to speak for those who don’t have a voice.

“I can really be part of that change that we really want to see in our school district and in our education system,” she said. “It’s something that I’ve been passionate about for a really long time.”

Monday’s ceremony also brought stronger Latina representation on the seven-member School Board. Cavazos’ grandparents immigrated to the United States from Mexico. Ford’s grandfather also hailed from Mexico, while Cepeda’s heritage stems from Nicaragua. Hispanic or Latino students accounted for about 46 percent of the district’s enrollment in 2017-18.

“This is a historic moment for our community, for our entire community, but particularly the Latino community,” said Jose Solorio, a former trustee who was the first Latino to serve on the School Board, from 1993 to 1994. “We have for the first time three Latinas serving on the School Board, which represents approximately the proportion of Latino students in our school district.”

A previous version of this incorrectly reported Trustee Irene Cepeda’s place of employment.

Contact Amelia Pak-Harvey at apak-harvey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4630. Follow @AmeliaPakHarvey on Twitter.