EDITORIAL: CCSD’s star ratings show a district in decline

EDITORIAL: CCSD’s star ratings show a district in decline Las Vegas Review-Journal September 19, 2026 - 9:01 pm If the Clark County School District were as skilled at educating students as it is at producing poor results, the picture would be different. On Tuesday, the Nevada Department of Education released student achievement data from the most recent school year. The district’s outcomes were deeply discouraging. Only 43 percent of third‑grade students in the district scored proficient in reading, a slight dip from the previous year’s 43.6 percent proficiency rate. Both figures fall below the 46.7 percent proficiency level that Nevada third‑graders achieved before the pandemic. Eighth‑grade mathematics proficiency rose modestly, climbing from 24.5 percent in the 2024‑25 school year to 25.4 percent in the latest year. Nevertheless, these results remain under the 29.8 percent proficiency mark that eighth‑graders reached in the 2018‑19 school year. This pattern reflects systemic underperformance. It is no surprise that families are leaving the district, yet the district’s public statements suggest otherwise. “73 percent of CCSD schools support or amended NSPF ratings,” the district’s press release noted, referring to the Nevada School Performance Framework that determines star ratings. While many adults understand what this means, roughly 27 percent of district schools saw their star ratings decline—95 out of 353 qualifying schools. Only 49 schools improved their standing. Last year the district reported 73 one‑star schools; this year the count rose to 90. The decline was not limited to struggling campuses; the number of five‑star schools fell from 48 to 32. A closer look reveals further cause for concern. At Orr Middle School, a one‑star institution, just 16.4 percent of students are proficient in reading and 6.8 percent are proficient in math. Even five‑star schools display troubling gaps. Green Valley High School’s reading proficiency sits below 70 percent, and fewer than 25 percent of its students are proficient in math. East Career and Technical Academy, a five‑star magnet program, posted 59 percent proficiency in English and 22.2 percent in math last year—far short of the 80‑ to 90‑percent levels one might expect. These findings should prompt serious reflection within the district. Superintendent Jhone Ebert, who began her term in spring 2025, oversees these results, indicating that progress seen under former superintendent Jesus Jara has stalled. Ebert and the Board of Trustees have options. A top priority must be ensuring school safety through consistent, enforceable standards. The district should respond fairly to individual student actions rather than fixating on speculative demographic disparities that might arise from such responses. Additionally, the district ought to reverse the diluted grading standards implemented under Mr. Jara and a prior school committee. Jesse Welsh, deputy superintendent of teaching and learning, said teachers need to help students engage in “productive struggle,” a task that would be easier if educators could adjust grades for late homework or missing assignments. Ebert should also grant parents greater authority to retain their children a grade, even if she believes this could advantage wealthier families in athletics. John Vellardita, enforcement manager of the Clark County Education Association, owes the public explanations. Nevada’s collective bargaining statutes give the union outsized influence over how district funds are allocated. In 2023, the state increased per‑pupil funding by more than 25 percent—a move the union labeled “historic” and claimed was unprecedented in the state’s history. Despite objections from Mr. Jara, the union directed that influx of money toward substantial teacher salary increases. Now the district confronts a budget shortfall directly linked to those union‑demanded raises, while student achievement remains low. Unsurprisingly, Vellardita has shifted his stance. “You person not fixed a batch of money, and that’s wherefore we person the aforesaid results,” he told KNPR recently. If the district and the union genuinely wish to improve student achievement, they must learn from past errors rather than repeat them.