Camas’ Anzalone out of the running for Nevada schools chief job

Camas School District Superintendent John Anzalone has been knocked out of the running for a schools superintendent position in Las Vegas.

Anzalone announced earlier this month that he was one of six finalists vying to be the next superintendent for the Clark County School District in Nevada.

He said he was not eager to leave Camas but was enticed by the thought of returning to the state where he and his wife, Sarah, have extended family. He said he was enticed by the idea of leading Nevada’s largest school district — where he worked as an educator, high school principal and assistant superintendent for more than 20 years before taking the Camas schools chief job in July 2022.

On Feb. 18, the Clark County, Nev., school district’s board of directors narrowed its superintendent search to four candidates, including Anzalone. On Monday and Tuesday, the four finalists met with Clark County School District officials and community members in Las Vegas for a series of public interviews and community forums.

On Tuesday, according to a news article published in the Las Vegas Sun, the Clark County School Board whittled its superintendent search down once more, but the final three contenders did not include Anzalone.

The Camas superintendent returned to Washington this week and hit the ground running, meeting Wednesday with state legislators in Olympia throughout the day to push for more public schools funding.

Today, Anzalone said he appreciated the support he’d received over the past few weeks.

“I sincerely appreciate everyone’s support and understanding. I believe it is important to embrace opportunities to ensure we never look back with regret for not having tried,” Anzalone said in an emailed statement. “Camas is a special community, and I am fully dedicated to the important work ahead.”