Dr. Jesus Jara

Dr. Jesus 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.