Process should be public

The search firm McPherson & Jacobsen Thursday presented to the Clark County School Board three proposed finalists for the job of departing Superintendent Walt Rulffes.

Two of the finalists -- Colorado Education Commissioner Dwight D. Jones and James Browder, superintendent on Florida's Lee County School District -- bring some impressive experience to the table.

Not enough was immediately known about Michael Hinojosa, who supervises the troubled Dallas Independent School District, to discern how he would compare to the other two.

Mr. Browder introduced "pay for performance" for his teachers in Lee County. The Naples Daily News reports he is also being courted for a senior-level position by the Edison State College's charter school system.

Mr. Jones worked as a vice president for the Edison Schools charter network for 11 years. He then served as superintendent of the Fountain-Fort Carson School District, where "he earned statewide recognition for narrowing and eliminating achievement gaps," according to the Colorado Department of Education.

The Denver Post reports Mr. Jones angered local teachers unions by supporting the linkage of teacher evaluations to student achievement there, a step required of states hoping to receive federal "Race to the Top" funding.

Nevada has only partially removed legal restrictions -- imposed by the Legislature at the behest of the teacher unions -- against using that available data to distinguish more effective from less effective teachers.

The job awaiting the district's next superintendent is a substantial one. While the district has some fine elementary and middle schools, the "common assessment" tests imposed by departing Superintendent Rulffes reveal substantial and nearly system-wide deficits in basic math and science education.

Tracing those problems back to their roots, eliminating grade inflation and "social promotion" that can mislead parents into thinking students are doing well when they're not -- these are no small tasks.

The successful candidate must be confident enough to motivate teachers and bring innovation, competition and change, without losing sight of academic basics. Taxpayers and parents look forward to watching open and public interviews with all three finalists -- at least -- as the board seeks the candidate who can do that job.