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New CCSD trustees sworn in, look to work together

CCSD outside
Posted at 5:26 PM, Jan 04, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-05 08:21:07-05

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A few fresh faces are joining the Clark County School District Board of Trustees.

Three brand new members are part of a major transition for the school board.

One of the new trustees is Lisa Guzman, representing District A. She previously served as the executive director for the Education Support Employees Association, a union representing support staff at CCSD. She says she wants to listen to teachers, support staff, and other stakeholders to make the best decisions.

“Their working conditions are the student’s learning conditions and I am truly there to make sure that the students get the education that they deserve,” she said.

Guzman says one of her goals is to map a safe way to get kids back into classrooms and improve communication across the board.

“I really think communication in the district has caused us to have real issues,” she said.

RELATED STORY: FULL INTERVIEWS WITH ALL THREE NEW TRUSTEES

District B Trustee Katie Williams takes office after campaigning to bring a conservative perspective to the school board. She plans on being data-driven to make her decisions.

“Having that kind of common sense like ‘What are the numbers showing me?’ ‘What do these prices look like?’ ‘Where are our stats?’ I think that will help out a lot,” she said.

RELATED STORY: Teachers union says new school board trustee has conflict of interest

Williams wants to have more parents become engaged with their children’s education and give administrators some independence.

“I have always been looking at school autonomy. I think principals deserve that if they’re doing their jobs well,” she said.

For District C Trustee Evelyn Morales, an area of focus for her would be education advancement and college attainment.

“My knowledge and skills and experience serving first-generation students and supporting young people and families to pursue their educational dreams is something that I will bring with me,” she said.

She says her own district has a number of schools seen as under-performing and wants to change that.

“I want to learn why that’s the case and what we have to do to improve it. Our students deserve a high-quality education,” she said.

Their first public board meeting will be on Jan. 14.