Brad Keating’s parents taught him at a young age the importance of leaving the world a better place than he found it.
“Now I have that very opportunity my parents spoke about—to be able to change the lives of generations of children and to make our education system one of the best in the United States,” Keating said.
At the fifth-largest school district in the U.S., Keating has the opportunity to directly affect the lives of 320,000 CCSD students.
“I work closely with federal, state and local representatives to make sure CCSD’s voice is always a part of the conversation,” Keating said.
Keating’s efforts during the 2019 Legislative Session resulted in the largest increase in education dollars in the state’s history, enhanced funding for school safety, raises for educators and the passage of a bill to overhaul Nevada’s 50-year-old funding formula, effectively changing the face of education in Southern Nevada for generations to come.
Keating also created Handle With Care, a partnership between school districts and law enforcement to ensure that the emotional well-being of all children is a top priority. Through the program, police officers submit a tip to be routed to the school noting a child has suffered a traumatic experience. The school implements trauma-sensitive curricula, so these children are “handled with care.”
“There are too many times where we prejudge students and have no idea what they are going through. This information helps the child’s teacher and administration know that something is going on outside of the school environment‚ so we can provide a little more care to the student,” Keating said.
As a youth, Keating was awarded the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal for community service, and he now serves on the board of directors for After-School All-Stars, an organization in which he participated as a child.