Dr. Jesus F. Jara

DIRECTOR REGION 2 - NORTHWEST

Superintendent, Clark County Public Schools
Las Vegas, Nevada
Term expires 10/24

Dr. Jesús Jara Superintendent of Schools Clark County School District 

Dr. Jesús Jara has a lifelong passion for creating better opportunities for all children through education. That passion has roots in his own childhood, having moved from Venezuela to Miami. As an English Language Learner, Dr. Jara faced many obstacles and challenges as he acclimated to the United States; however, his teachers were compassionate, inclusive and set high expectations for all students. They were a critical factor in his success. 

The Board of School Trustees of the Clark County School District (CCSD) appointed Dr. Jara as superintendent effective June, 2018. Dr. Jara immediately started meeting with employees, families and community leaders to explore the needs of a 358 school district with over 320,000 students. Dr. Jara has pledged to accelerate the work at CCSD — such as growth in the graduation rate, Advanced Placement (AP) participation, and the expansion of Magnet programs — with a focus on student achievement. After a period of academic and operational review and extensive engagement with internal and external stakeholders, Dr. Jara will work with the Board of School Trustees on a revised strategic plan with more specific goals to accelerate student success. 

Dr. Jara has been serving public school students for over 20 years. He previously served as the deputy superintendent for Orange County Public Schools in Florida for six years. As deputy superintendent, he functioned as the superintendent’s designee. He oversaw five area superintendents and the division of Teaching and Learning, including all programs from early childhood to adult education. With his assistance, Orlando's achievement gap narrowed faster than 90 percent of major cities across the United States, according to Education Quality Index. 

During his two-year tenure as the former superintendent and chief operations officer in Monroe County Public Schools, the district increased participation and performance in Advanced Placement and Algebra I. As executive director of the College Board’s Florida Partnership, Dr. Jara was responsible for coordinating College Board services to provide equity and access to minority and underrepresented students across the state. Dr. Jara also served as a liaison between the College Board, the governor's office, state department, districts and schools. 

He began his career in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, where he was a bilingual biology teacher and coach, before moving to Springfield, Mass., where he served as assistant principal and principal. As principal of the High School of Science and Technology, he improved Advanced Placement course offerings and graduation rate. In 2005, the high school was a semifinalist for a College Board Inspiration Award. 

Dr. Jara has been a successful executive in the private sector as well as a school administrator and district leader in two states. He intends to become an active member of the community, serving on the board of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance. 

He received his Doctorate in Education, Educational Policy, Leadership and Administration from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.