LAS VEGAS (CN) — Las Vegas resident Ben Sobanski sees a night-and-day difference in his children’s educational experiences.
His two youngest are thriving at Don and Dee Snyder Elementary School, part of Clark County School District that serves the Las Vegas area. But for his eldest son at Sierra Vista High School, it’s a different story.
“My high school freshman struggles with his grades,” Sobanski said in an interview.
The 15-year-old does well with a couple of his teachers, “but for the most part, he doesn’t feel like his teachers spend enough time explaining the work,” Sobanski said. “I feel like when he gets a bad grade, it’s kind of expected.”
Sobanski’s son isn’t alone. Clark County School District underperforms other districts in the state, and the situation has only deteriorated in recent years, according to data from the Nevada Department of Education and elsewhere.
From math to language arts, Clark County students are doing worse than the average Nevada student. And when it comes to education, the Silver State is already behind much of the country.
Clark County students also lag behind those in Washoe County, the state’s second-most populous. To take a couple snapshots: During the 2023-2024 school year, only 30.1% of eighth graders at CCSD were proficient in math, lower rates than the state (32.6%) or Washoe County (33.9%).
Similarly, just 39.3% of Clark County students were proficient in English and language arts, 1.8% lower than Washoe County and 2% lower than the state average. High school graduation rates — already in decline across the Silver State — are also falling faster in Clark County.
Sagging grades are just one problem facing the district. In October, CCSD reported a whopping $20 million shortfall, which it later revised to $10.9 million.
Adding to the headaches, former Superintendent Jesus Jara resigned last year after a tumultuous six years on the job, leaving a monthslong vacuum in leadership.
His tenure was marked by pandemic drama, clashes with the Clark County school board and teacher’s union and a range of other controversies. Among them: Thirteen of his aides received six-figure raises, and a teacher at Eldorado High School sued Jara personally after a student tried to kill her. Jara did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
CCSD’s many troubles come as public schools across the country face an increasingly uncertain future. Back in office, President Donald Trump has called for shuttering the U.S. Department of Education. (On March 19, he issued an executive order to do just that.) His so-called Department of Government Efficiency is also axing federal education officials.
”Abolishing the DOE isn’t [about] helping children but rather hurting them,” said Alexander Marks, a spokesperson for the Nevada State Education Association. “The point’s clear: They’re stripping funding for students and taking away their hope for a quality education.”
Around 17% of the Nevada state budget goes to education, with millions each year coming from the U.S. the Department of Education, according to Marks. If the Trump administration further cuts or even eliminates it, Marks fears it will have “a domino effect,” making the state poorer and less safe.
“Businesses rely on an educated workforce,” Marks said. “A weaker education system equals a weaker workforce.”
In March, after almost a year with no official superintendent, Clark County School District trustees selected Jhone Ebert, a Nevada state education official, for the role. Speaking after the vote, Ebert promised to work with state legislators on school funding and increase community involvement in Clark County schools.
Ebert brings decades of experience into the role, including as a math teacher. Most recently, she’s served as superintendent of public instruction for the Nevada Department of Education. Still, with Ebert just days into the role, it remains to be seen if and how she can improve outcomes at CCSD. Neither Ebert nor the school district responded to interview requests from Courthouse News.
One person who did respond, though, was John Anzalone. The current superintendent at Camas School District in Washington state, Anzalone ran against Ebert for the Clark County role.
In a phone interview, Anzalone laid out a wide-ranging vision for improving Clark County schools, from boosting school safety and transparency to “bring[ing] hope and belonging to every school.” But he zeroed in in particular on school funding, stressing that federal dollars were important for Nevada education.
Around 1% of Clark County public schoolkids depend on federal funds, he noted, “which is a good amount of kids served. I worry those funds will take longer to get to our kids and state.”
With the 2025 spring semester in full gear at Clark County public schools, time will tell if their fortunes start improving. Like school districts across the country, much will depend on circumstances at the national level, including whether there are further cuts to the Department of Education.
Sobanski, parent to three Clark County schoolkids, is trying to stay optimistic. Since moving from Michigan in 2022, he noted cheerily, he’s been pleased with CCSD’s increased focus on career preparation.
“The biggest difference that I noticed is that CCSD seems more career-prep focused,” said Sobanski. “I like the options at the high school to be more specific for careers and internship opportunities.”