School Board to discuss process to select interim successor for Jara

The Clark County School Board will meet Thursday to consider the appointment process for an interim superintendent to replace ousted district leader Jesus Jara.

The item was added to a previously scheduled meeting at 5 p.m. at the Greer Education Center called to consider approving trustee zone redistricting maps.

It was not immediately clear Monday whether the board will discuss only the process or could move to name someone to the job on a temporary basis.

The board voted 4-3 on Thursday to terminate Jara’s contract “for convenience,” meaning they weren’t required to cite any particular reason.

Board President Linda Cavazos, Vice President Irene Cepeda and Trustees Danielle Ford and Lisa Guzman voted to end Jara’s contract, while Trustees Lola Brooks, Katie Williams and Evelyn Garcia Morales voted against the motion.

School district officials had not responded as of early Monday evening to a Review-Journal request for additional information on next steps following Jara’s departure. The district office was closed Friday due to the Nevada Day holiday.

Cavazos also wasn’t available Friday. She indicated over the weekend that she may release a statement, but said on Monday that she believes the district would be sending out a brief statement.

Two trustees, Cepeda and Williams, told the Review-Journal on Friday that Jara would remain on the job for 30 days.

Jara has been superintendent since 2018 and his yearly annual salary is $320,000. The School Board had decided in May in a split vote to extend his contract through Jan. 15, 2023.

National search led to Jara’s selection

The board conducted a nationwide search to replace Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky after he announced his retirement in September 2017 and eventually pared the field down to four finalists, including Jara.

Amid criticism that none of them had ties to the district, the search was extended and expanded to six finalists, including three with local connections: the district’s Chief Academic Officer Mike Barton; Jesse Welsh, the associate superintendent of curriculum and professional development; and Eva White, who had retired as the district’s chief financial officer.

Jara was elected by a 4-2 vote after a failed vote to hire Barton. The latter remains with the district as the chief college, career, equity and school choice officer.

Others finalists were Don Haddad, superintendent of the St. Vrain Valley School District in Longmont, Colorado, and Shonda Huery Hardman, a coach for FranklinCovey and previously chief school support officer for the Houston Independent School District.

Jara’s termination has sparked concerns among parents on the “CCSD Parents” Facebook group, said Rebecca Garcia, an administrator for the webpage and also president of the Nevada PTA.

“The response has not necessarily been sad to see Superintendent Jara go, but there’s a lot of concern related to the trustees and their ability to successfully hire a qualified new superintendent,” she said.

She said she’s also seen a lot of criticism of the board, with some saying all the trustees need to go, too.

Garcia said her response is always, “You elected them,” adding that she encourages parents to get involved in the trustee election process.

She said Jara tried to improve education in the district, but there wasn’t a cohesive direction and policies.

‘Not necessarily unexpected’

Tensions with the board also escalated, she said, adding that the decision to terminate his contract was “not necessarily unexpected to me.”

Elaine Uhlman, the grandparent of a third-grader in the district, said Monday she didn’t agree with the decision to terminate Jara’s contract.

She said if the board didn’t want him to continue on the job, the trustees should have let him finish out his contract and then not renewed it in 2023.

She also noted that Jara was out in the community getting to know what was needed when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, then wasn’t able to interact with parents, teachers and students for approximately a year.

As for criticism of the district’s the response to the pandemic, “We all know that public school districts were not prepared to do any type of online education,” Uhlman said. “I mean, this was nationwide.”

The school district has seen five superintendents in the last 20 years and “our education is worse now,” said Uhlman, who has lived in Nevada for years, including 10 in Las Vegas.

“It doesn’t help your kids,” she said of the latest divisions, adding that she thinks it’s time for new school board trustees.

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