Ruling: Trustees did not violate open meeting laws in Jara contract sessions

The Nevada lawyer general’s bureau has concluded that nary violations of authorities unfastened gathering laws occurred successful the run-up to a Clark County School Board ballot successful May to widen Superintendent Jesus Jara’s contract.

Trustee Danielle Ford and UNLV instrumentality prof Sylvia Lazos each filed complaints related to aggregate closed sessions betwixt a quorum of School Board trustees and the board’s lawyer starring up to the nationalist meeting, wherever trustees voted 4-3 to extend Jara’s contract done Jan. 15, 2023, the AG’s bureau said successful a Dec. 3 opinion.

The closed sessions with then-board lawyer Mary-Anne Miller betwixt January and May were “regarding threatened litigation and colony efforts successful the declaration dispute” with Jara, according to the opinion.

At the time, the School Board and Jara were locked successful a quality implicit whether the superintendent’s contract, initially approved successful 2018, was slated to extremity implicit the summertime oregon had automatically been renewed for 2 years.

Clark County School District representatives did not supply a remark connected the sentiment Thursday.

Ford said she supports the lawyer general’s conclusion, noting that the bureau explained the concern and shared humanities accusation arsenic to wherefore the meetings technically didn’t interruption unfastened gathering laws.

She said that the uncovering doesn’t mean the process starring up to the May ballot was done by the book. The AG’s opinion, she added, conscionable means it doesn’t warrant involution based connected the scope of what the bureau oversees.

Lazos said her ailment was based solely connected what occurred during nationalist meetings, including concerns that were expressed by immoderate trustees astir being polled related to colony negotiations. That raised reddish flags, she said.

The AG’s sentiment stated that it’s unclear from the grounds presented whether “polling” of trustees did hap astatine the meetings. It provided nary details, but says it assumed that it did for purposes of its analysis.

Evidence indicates trustees expressed to Miller successful closed sessions “what benignant of colony they mightiness beryllium consenting to judge to springiness guidance to her successful colony negotiations,” arsenic opposed to tallying however members intended to vote, according to the opinion.

The AG’s bureau noted that erstwhile “a statement occurs arsenic portion of deliberation that is simply a precursor to an enactment taken during a nationalist meeting,” it doesn’t interruption unfastened gathering law.

Miller advised trustees that opinions they expressed weren’t binding and immoderate enactment connected the substance would person to hap during a nationalist meeting, according to the AG’s office.

During a May School Board meeting, aggregate trustees “voiced concerns implicit the process starring up to the (previous) gathering and requested ineligible proposal connected the record” regarding unfastened gathering law, according to the opinion.

The complaints were filed by Ford and Lazos agelong earlier the latest circular of School Board decisions astir Jara’s contract.

In precocious October, Ford initiated an docket point to see terminating Jara’s declaration “for convenience,” meaning trustees didn’t request to supply a reason. The committee voted 4-3 to approve the termination.

But successful mid-November, the committee reversed that decision and voted rescind Jara’s declaration termination.

Jara announced earlier this period he plans to stay successful his presumption aft reaching an agreement with the School Board.

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