Agenda lays out how Jara drama may unfold at next CCSD board meeting

The docket for adjacent week’s Clark County School Board gathering shows trustees could see up to 4 items related to Superintendent Jesus Jara’s terminated declaration and hostile enactment situation allegations, including 1 that could reconstruct him to the station helium mislaid 2 weeks ago.

The docket for the Nov. 18 meeting, which was posted online connected Wednesday, indicates trustees volition see whether to rescind the termination of Jara’s contract, which they approved connected a 4-3 ballot connected Oct. 28. If a bulk of the 7 trustees ballot successful favor, a caller ballot would beryllium taken connected whether to erstwhile again terminate his declaration “for convenience.”

Other items see a imaginable ballot connected an interim superintendent enactment process oregon assignment and whether to prime an extracurricular adept to behaviour an probe into the hostile enactment situation allegations raised by Jara.

The Review-Journal reached retired to each 7 trustees Wednesday, and received comments from President Linda Cavazos and Trustees Lisa Guzman and Danielle Ford. Trustees Lola Brooks and Katie Williams declined to comment, portion Vice Chair Irene Cepeda and Trustee Evelyn Garcia Morales did not respond. Jara’s lawyer John Bailey didn’t respond to a petition for comment.

Because the committee voted to terminate Jara’s declaration “for convenience,” they didn’t request to supply a crushed for his departure and the 4 who voted for the question — Cavazos, Cepeda, Ford and Guzman — person said small astir their reasons. Brooks, Garcia Morales and Williams voted no.

Would Jara stay?

It’s besides not wide if Jara would beryllium consenting to stay connected the occupation if the committee votes to rescind his declaration termination.

Jara oregon his attorneys pass with committee lawyer Mary-Anne Miller, Cavazos said Wednesday successful effect to a question astir whether the committee has immoderate assurance helium would beryllium consenting to enactment connected successful that event. She said she couldn’t supply further details due to the fact that it’s a contractual matter.

Jara has been connected the occupation since 2018 and the committee antecedently decided successful a divided ballot successful May to renew his declaration done Jan. 15, 2023. Pending adjacent week’s vote, he’s slated to stay connected the occupation until Dec. 1.

Two of the items for adjacent week’s committee gathering — reconsidering Jara’s declaration termination and investigating hostile enactment situation allegations — were requested by Cepeda, Brooks and Garcia Morales.

Cepeda was the plaything ballot successful deciding to terminate Jara’s declaration past month. In the May vote, she voted to widen it.

In a Saturday statement, Cepeda said she voted to terminate the superintendent’s declaration owed to a “toxic environment” connected the School Board and that she couldn’t spot a way forward.

“I’ve mislaid my ain dependable trying to find mediate crushed and statement successful a committee truthful painfully divided,” she said.

But Cepeda said “more and much troubling information” has travel retired astir the process of Jara’s termination, tenure and enactment situation since the ballot past month. “At minimum, I question to close the process,” she said.

Another docket point volition beryllium treatment and imaginable enactment connected “a process and/or assignment for an interim superintendent.”

If the committee votes to rescind Jara’s declaration termination, past the point would not beryllium considered, Cavazos said.

During a Nov. 4 meeting, the committee adjourned a gathering without deciding connected a process for appointing an interim superintendent.

Ford said Wednesday she requested the point and it was supported by Cavazos and Guzman.

Interim person could beryllium voted on

The point allows for the anticipation of a ballot to name an idiosyncratic arsenic interim superintendent, Ford said.

She besides said she’s hoping possibly immoderate of the items connected the docket adjacent week are to let trustees to get clarification, enactment things connected the grounds oregon to guarantee a process is done correctly.

Ford said determination could beryllium treatment lone and nary action.

“It could truly conscionable spell respective antithetic ways,” she said.

The 4th point connected the docket calls for trustees to see whether to prime an “outside expert” to behaviour an probe into Jara’s hostile enactment situation allegations “at the enforcement and administrative levels” of the schoolhouse district.

Cavazos said she hasn’t been fixed immoderate recommendations of extracurricular experts who would beryllium considered. She said she expects determination whitethorn beryllium immoderate notation materials related to the point posted connected Monday astatine the earliest.

In a confidential missive Friday to the schoolhouse district’s ineligible counsel — which the Review-Journal obtained from a root — Jara’s lawyer said the superintendent is owned much than $657,000 for the remainder of his declaration and an further $2 cardinal to settee alleged hostile enactment environment, retaliation, breach of declaration and owed process violations.

The missive alleges Cavazos, Guzman and Ford were peculiarly progressive successful the harassment.

On Wednesday, Guzman told the Review-Journal she had conscionable received docket items for adjacent week’s gathering and was trying to fig them out.

“I’m looking astatine CCSD policies and trying to spot however procedurally they enactment truthful that I tin ballot to guarantee that I americium voting for the champion involvement of the district, specifically students,” she said via substance message.

As for the hostile enactment environment, “I did not origin 1 and I cognize the law,” Guzman said. “I gave oversight suggestions, requested that the territory travel circumstantial laws successful the champion involvement of kids, and kept a nonrecreational narration with Dr. Jara. I bash not deliberation Dr. Jara meant maine successful the hostile enactment situation portion of his letter.”

She said she’s the 1 trustee who won’t accidental thing against anyone connected the committee nor Jara.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton connected Twitter.