Former CCSD educator introduced as Nevada’s next lieutenant governor

Gov. Steve Sisolak introduced Lisa Cano Burkhead as his appointee to the vacant lieutenant governor’s post in an announcement in Las Vegas Thursday morning

“I recognize that for some folks the process to appoint a replacement has taken too long. That’s on me,” the governor said at a press conference. “I want to say here and now this process took exactly as long as it needed to take to get the right person, and we have the right person.”

The governor said he had sought “someone with experience in all sides of our education system and someone who had new, innovative ideas.”

“We looked outside of the box to bring the community into government,” Sisolak said. “Lisa’s experience as an educator and as a principal makes her the right person to lead that conversation and lead that work in Nevada as we recover and ensure that all Nevadans, especially our students, have the opportunities that they deserve.”

Cano Burkhead was a teacher and principal in the Clark County schools for 25 years before retiring this year. She succeeds Kate Marshall, who stepped down in September to join President Joe Biden’s administration in the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

Speaking by turns in English and Spanish, Cano Burkhead acknowledged “certainly a lot of work ahead of me” in the wake of the pandemic and its impact on the state economy and school systems.

“I am dedicated to working endlessly to make our economy stronger and get our schools and families back on track,” she said, adding later: “We know that education is an investment we make in our children’s lives that is paying dividends. So in this new role, I plan to be a voice for educators, students and parents — those that we must prioritize if we want to move Nevada forward.”

Sisolak added that his appointee, who spent the last 11 years as a school principal, had “proven that she could turn around schools. Her practices for innovation have demonstrated that they work and I’m confident that we can use what she has done (as a principal) and move it statewide.”

Cano Burkhead added: “While I realize where we are sitting, I think it really is important to recognize the hard work of our educators who have been in the trenches during the pandemic, who are day in and day out helping our students.”

“Certainly there’s a lot of work to be done,” she continued, adding that the governor “has prioritized education. And he has made sure that our teachers get raises and that they have the funding that they need in order to pay for the classroom supplies that typically would come out of their pockets.”

Asked how she would work with the Latino and Hispanic communities, Cano Burkhead, a first generation Latina, called herself a “community builder” who had “been able to really in the most difficult situations pull our community together and to fight through challenges.

“We know that there are many challenges in our state, especially in light of the pandemic,” she said. “And so, first and foremost, I have to learn my job. I haven’t started yet, guys. I know it’s right around the corner, but I want to really immerse myself in understanding what that role is and really be a representative.”

The post of lieutenant governor has no direct role in education policy or administration. Asked how Cano Burkhead might work the state board of education and the state’s 17 school districts, Sisolak said it would involve “a joint effort” coordinated through his office.

In an interview with the Review-Journal ahead of the official announcement, Cano Burkhead said she hoped to serve as an advocate for education in her new role and called the appointment “the greatest honor of my life.” She plans to run for the seat in 2022.

Contact Bill Dentzer at bdentzer@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Dentzernews on Twitter.