Rene Cantu

Rene Cantu was a member of the Nevada State Board of Education, representing District 4. He assumed office on January 1, 2021. He left office on January 1, 2025.

Cantu ran for re-election to the Nevada State Board of Education to represent District 3. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Cantu completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Rene Cantu was born in Laredo, Texas. Cantu earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts from the University of Texas at Austin in 1986 and a master's degree in fine arts and a Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Texas at Austin. His career experience includes working as a nonprofit executive director. He has worked for Jobs for Nevada’s Graduates Inc. and the Latin Chamber Of Commerce Community Foundation. He has also served as the vice president of multicultural affairs with Nevada State College.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Political career

Nevada State Board of Education (2021-2025)

Cantu was elected to the board in November 2020 and assumed office in January 2021.

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Nevada State Board of Education District 3

Danielle Ford defeated incumbent Rene Cantu in the general election for Nevada State Board of Education District 3 on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Danielle Ford (Nonpartisan)	51.6	145,973
	Rene Cantu (Nonpartisan)	48.4	137,031

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 283,004
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Nevada State Board of Education District 3

Danielle Ford and incumbent Rene Cantu defeated Jasmine Kurys in the primary for Nevada State Board of Education District 3 on June 11, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Danielle Ford (Nonpartisan)	45.7	31,903
✔	Rene Cantu (Nonpartisan)	42.2	29,434
	Jasmine Kurys (Nonpartisan)	12.2	8,492

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 69,829
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign finance

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Cantu in this election.

2020

General election

General election for Nevada State Board of Education District 4

Rene Cantu defeated incumbent Mark Newburn in the general election for Nevada State Board of Education District 4 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Rene Cantu (Nonpartisan)	52.1	130,508
	Mark Newburn (Nonpartisan)	47.9	120,224

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 250,732
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Nevada State Board of Education District 4

Rene Cantu and incumbent Mark Newburn defeated Vincent Richardson in the primary for Nevada State Board of Education District 4 on June 9, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Rene Cantu (Nonpartisan)	35.8	36,060
✔	Mark Newburn (Nonpartisan)	35.3	35,553
	Vincent Richardson (Nonpartisan)	28.8	29,034

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 100,647
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Rene Cantu completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cantu's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Hi, my name is Rene Cantu, and I am running to represent the students and families of District 3 on the Nevada State Board of Education. Working to make our schools work better for parents and students is why I am running to remain on the board. As a member of the State Board of Education, we have made progress towards ensuring that schools work best for students. One of our key accomplishments has been to bring the Clark County School District to closer compliance with the school reorganization passed into law in 2017. It is my intent to insure that CCSD comes into full compliance with the reorganization where the power of the purse is given to the individual schools where educators and families know what their kids need most. I have been the Executive Director of JAG Nevada since 2014, where we have helped 20,000 students become work-ready graduates. I ask for your vote in the upcoming June primary. Thank you.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

The reorganization of the Clark County School District: CCSD has not fully complied with AB469 passed in 2017, which was supposed to place greater decision-making control to the local schools. Parents and teachers at the local school know what is best for their children and their individual schools. CCSD must be brought into full compliance with the Reorganization law.
Attracting More Teachers to the Profession: This includes advocating for the creation of grow-our-own programs where more youths are attracted to teach in their own communities.
Investment with Accountability: I believe greater investments must be made in Nevada's K-12 education system, but with that must come greater accountability to Nevada families and the community.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Our students are struggling today more than ever. Absenteeim is higher than it has ever been, and most students feel that what they learn in school is irrelevant and boring. We need to completely reform our education system to teach practical ,suable skills, to put students first, and to truly help students prepare for the challenges and opportunities of adulthood in today’s uncertain world. We need to take a good hard look at our education system in Nevada, and make significant changes that are focused not on serving special interests, but on helping our students graduate ready for college, trade school or career. We need to work with the governor, legislature and the Nevada Department of Education to accomplish this.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The State Board of Education has the unique role of creating regulations as a means of solving problems and addressing important issues that need to be addressed.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Two of my favorite books are Salman Rushdie's the Satanic Verses and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. I identify with both writers deeply in their analysis of problems and observations on the human condition. They also warn us of risks we face when our freedom of thought and expression or control of our own lives is threatened by the so-called state.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would very much like it if my time on this earth yielded a net positive in helping others.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I have vague recollections of watching the nightly news reports about the Vietnam War. I clearly remember the war being reduced to grim numbers. I was about five years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was as a busboy. I had the job at the age of 15 for six months.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. I love this book and have read it several times. I find the incredible writing coupled with its bleak and unflinching portrait of the settlement of the west to resonate deeply as a portrayal of America's history.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used to Do) by Hank Williams.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Clark County Education Association, Nevada Veteran's Association, Veterans in Politics, Armed Forces Chamber, Nevada Democratic Veterans and Military Families

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

As one of moderate temperament, I strongly believe financial transparency and government accountability. As a nonprofit professional, financial transparency helps to create trust and credibility in your funders and in the people you are responsible for serving. It is my hope that our Governor and Legislature increase the state's investments in K-12 education. But wit that investment, educators must be accountable for improved results that are within their control.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2020

Rene Cantu completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cantu's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is René Cantú and I am running for State Board of Education, District 4. I have lived in Nevada for 20 years, and have been on the K-12, college and nonprofit/community sides. My experience has helped me to understand the education system, good and bad. Specifically, I am very knowledgeable about where the public education system works, and where it fails our students and our families. I am running because I want to be a part of the solution to our educational challenges.

I served on the Clark County School District Board of Trustees for District E.

For the last ten years, I have worked for private educational nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit like Jobs for Nevada's Graduates (JAG) for whom I work are critical in bringing vital wraparound services and highly effective best practices to the public education system. Organizations like have the flexibility to try new approaches that are vital to transforming our system.

I have worked across Congressional District 4 from Hawthorne to Panaca, and from Round Mountain to North Las Vegas. My work is focused on One Nevada, All Nevada, All the Time.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Accountability
Innovation
Results

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about giving all Nevada students the opportunity to succeed whether they live in rural communities or big cities. I am also passionate about connecting K-12 graduates to industries that will help them find a job with a livable wage and that offer room for advancement.

As an expression of this passion, my work in setting up the Jobs for Nevada's Graduates (J4NG) programs in District 4 communities including Ely, Panaca, Yerington, Hawthorne, North Las Vegas, Tonopah, Round Mountain, Pahrump, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas.

In Nevada, J4NG provides over 3,600 of Nevada's most vulnerable students the inspiration, support and mentorship to help them succeed. These students reside in 14 of Nevada's counties, and represent the deepest penetration into rural communities of any nonprofit in Nevada. This penetration is critical, especially now, because Nevada's most vulnerable youth do not reside in one location and need assistance where they live.

Rightly so, nonprofits and schools have focused on meeting immediate basic needs like food, cash assistance and technological access for students. J4NG is too. Over the last six weeks since the crisis exploded, J4NG has logged 25,000 hours of contact with its students. Because students need more than one-time triage assistance, J4NG has provided an average of 8 hours of contact per student in this time. J4NG Specialists continue to do well checks with students, and have answered hundreds of calls for assistan

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel - book

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, integrity, diligence, character, compassion and the commitment to hold government accountsable to people.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Oversight and policy pertaining to statewide K-12 education, teacher effectiveness oversight and testing assessment. All need further reform and accountability.

What legacy would you like to leave?

That my community, especially our youth are better for my having been here. I have been especially focused on youth that our education system has failed because they are poor, live in rural places or are non-conformist. Our schools need to be better at serving all students, and that is what I would like to make the most impact on as a professional and as a human being.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was in my grandfather's meat market at 10 years of age. The first job I had as a teen was as a fry cook at Church's Fried Chicken. I earned $3.35 and hour. I took this job when my community had a 25% unemployment rate. I learned that if you really want to work, you can find work. I also learned that I wanted to pursue higher education so that I could do work that I loved and that paid better. After that summer, I returned to my Alma Mater, the University of Texas to complete my studies.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood: I have read this book multiple times. It shows the strength of human character - even among ordinary people - in the face of repression, tyranny and violence. It is a story of how awful we can treat each other as humans, especially along the lines of race or gender. But it is also about the undying spark to be our own person in spite of the greatest difficulties.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The Nevada State Board of Education is primarily a policy board. I believe that my job would focus on ensuring that the State implements the K-12 funding formula in a way that will cut waste, maximize results, help students and families and help Nevada develop the educated and trained workforce we need to move our great state forward. This role involves ensuring quality education for all Nevada students. In addition, improving the ways we reward and hold teachers accountable needs to be informed by the needs and outcomes we desire as a state.

What will you do to build a better relationship with parents in the district? What plans do you have to be inclusive of parental involvement?

I know District 4. I have set up successful dropout prevention/ career readiness programs across our district and state. I personally have traveled to Tonopah, Pahrump, Round Mountain, Yerington, Dyer/Goldfied, Ely, Panaca, Pioche, Caliente, North Las Vegas, Indian Springs and many others. I have visited and spent time in these communities to bring JAG programs to their communities. I have done so, because I believe that we must help all our students, whether they live in rural, urban or frontier communities. I will continue to interact with and spend time in District 4, and work for the betterment of the education system in our communities. I have come to know students, parents, teachers, superintendents, clergy and business leaders in these communities. I will continue to do soto build the best relationship possible with parents. I am also bilingual and can speak/read/write in English and Spanish. Finally, I have focused on bringing a high level of support to North Las Vegas because they were hardest hit by the recession and have now been decimated by COVID-19.

Do you believe it is important to intentionally recruit with the aim of diversifying the district’s faculty, staff, and administration? If so, what would be your policy to achieve this?

v

What issues get in the way of quality education? How would you address these obstacles?

Placing students and families first is often completely disregarded and ignored by education professionals. Special interests influence our education system (testing companies, teachers' unions), and as a result, the money that goes into education is not spent to its highest outcome. Our schools always struggle with adequate funding. Rather than schools always asking for more, funding should be closely tied to performance. To me results are more important than length of time of service. When it comes to teachers, I believe that we should pay them more, but that this pay should be based on results. Results can be measured by using a growth model to show how much a child has grown. A stewards of public dollars, school systems must act as stewards of these dollars and make the most with their use.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Rene Cantu campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Nevada State Board of Education District 3	Lost general	$25,453	$0
Grand total			$25,453	$0
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

External links

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Candidate

Nevada State Board of Education District 3

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 2, 2020
↑ Rene Cantu 2020 campaign website, "Resume," accessed May 8, 2020
↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 13, 2024

Political offices
Preceded by Mark Newburn	Nevada State Board of Education District 4 2021-2025	Succeeded by Tim Hughes
Preceded by -	Clark County School District Board of Trustees District E 2012-2012	Succeeded by -

[bio-1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 2, 2020

[bio2-2] Rene Cantu 2020 campaign website, "Resume," accessed May 8, 2020

[3] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 13, 2024

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[2]

[3]

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Rene Cantu

Contents

Biography

Political career

Nevada State Board of Education (2021-2025)

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Nevada State Board of Education District 3

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Nevada State Board of Education District 3

Campaign finance

Endorsements

2020

General election

General election for Nevada State Board of Education District 4

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Nevada State Board of Education District 4

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

2020

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

Trending

Public Policy

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