New school chief appeals for support

The Clark County School District's next superintendent stopped Thursday in Las Vegas and issued a call for community support as he prepares to assume leadership of the nation's fifth-largest system of public schools.

"It is going to be a partnership," said Dwight Jones, now the Colorado education commissioner. "It's going to take all of us to get the kind of results we want for Clark County students."

Jones, 48, is in town through Saturday to meet with current Superintendent Walt Rulffes, district staff and the district's employee unions.

Jones' last day on the job in Colorado will be Dec. 13. He plans to start work in Clark County on Dec. 15. Rulffes will stay on through Dec. 17 to help Jones make the transition.

During a news conference, Jones offered no magic solutions to the district's many academic problems and financial challenges.

The state's budget woes, fueled by expected revenue shortfalls, has district officials anticipating reductions in education funding next year. Such cuts would come as schools struggle to improve student performance and raise the district's graduation rate, which was 68 percent in 2008-09.

"If I already had all the answers, I first of all would not be doing this tough job," Jones said. "I would be out selling the book."

As superintendent, Jones will receive a total annual compensation valued at $358,000, which includes a salary of $270,000. Jones said he plans to use the free transitional housing fund that will be created by private donations.

"I'm really honored that the business leaders and other leaders in the state want to welcome me and my family to Clark County," Jones said. "I'm humbled by their gesture to say they want to make the transition as easy as possible."

The Public Education Foundation, the private fundraising arm of the district, plans to raise up to $30,000 to help pay for transitional housing for Jones, his wife, Jenifer , and their 7-year-old son, Landry. Jones would receive $5,000 per month for six months.

The foundation has promised to report the contributions on its website at www.ccpef.org for the sake of transparency.

So far, the foundation has not collected any money, said Dawn Christensen, its director of communications. The account has been set up to receive donations.

As an education reformer, Jones believes in accountability, such as making student achievement data available so the public can judge the district's academic results.

"We have to be really honest about what we're not doing well; part of the honesty is developing a data system that actually tells us that," Jones said.

As the top education official in Colorado, Jones said, he was able to make many national contacts, including U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., who is on the House Education Committee, and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., who is a former superintendent of Denver Public Schools.

Jones said he hopes those relationships will be useful to him as superintendent of the Clark County School District, which has nearly 310,000 students.

"You got to take into account where students actually start (academically), and then we've got to be accountable for the (academic) growth of the students," Jones said. "That's the kind of system we're going to have here in Clark County."

Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal.com or 702-374-7917.