VICTOR JOECKS: Sisolak attacks Jara to distract from his own ‘poor’ decision

Gov. Steve Sisolak has long had a reputation as a bully. Now he’s attacking Clark County School District Superintendent Jesus Jara for something Sisolak included in his special session proclamation.

When a Nevada governor calls a special session, he has the power to set the agenda. If he doesn’t mention it, legislators don’t get to consider it. That’s why it was concerning when Sisolak listed making changes to the school district reorganization as a special session topic. Thanks to the reorganization, individual schools have some control over their budgets, including the ability to save money from year to year.

Before the special session, the school district had sought the power to redirect that money into its overall budget. That was a terrible idea for two reasons. Practically, you shouldn’t punish people for being responsible financial stewards. Politically, the reorganization enjoys broad bipartisan support.

Jara and the district appeared to realize this before the start of the special session. Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson acknowledged that Jara called him shortly before Sisolak issued his proclamation and asked to remove the item in question. Frierson said he sent the request to the governor, but Sisolak included gutting the reorganization as a potential topic anyway.

That could have been the end of it. Just because Sisolak listed something as a topic doesn’t obligate the Legislature to address it. Instead, Frierson held a Saturday hearing on the bill. Clark County Education Association Executive Director John Vellardita presented in favor of an amended version of the proposal.

Once it became obvious that this bill was deeply unpopular, the blame game started. Frierson said the bill “was exclusively the request” of the district. At a Monday virtual town hall, Jara said, “It was not CCSD’s bill.” That is true, although it convenient ignores the district’s prior support for the proposal.

Sisolak went further. He implied Jara should leave or be fired for saying this idea came from State Superintendent Jhone Ebert’s office. As of this writing, it’s unclear who first brought up the idea, although the district has long fought giving schools more financial control.

“I’m incredibly disappointed that once again Superintendent Jara has tried to mislead the communities he represents and blame others in order to avoid the repercussion of his poor decisions,” Sisolak said in a statement.

I’ve criticized Jara’s decisions as much as anyone, but Sisolak’s statement is all about misdirection. If this idea was a “poor” decision, then Sisolak shouldn’t have included it in his proclamation. Frierson also bears responsibility. He brought the bill forward despite Jara, its one-time proponent, changing his position.

Realizing that you’ve made a policy error and working to correct it is worthy of applause, not condemnation. It’s not misleading to tell people that you’ve changed your mind, either.

This appears to be a chance for Sisolak to settle an old score. Last year, Jara told the public that Sisolak didn’t include enough money in his initial budget to pay for the 3 percent raises he promised teachers. Sisolak hadn’t, despite his passive-aggressive denials. Eventually, the Legislature came up with the money. Don’t be surprised if there’s a push by Sisolak or his allies to install Ebert in Jara’s spot.

Sisolak made a mistake. Instead of owning it, he’s trying to pin the blame on Jara.

Victor Joecks’ column appears in the Opinion section each Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Listen to him discuss his columns each Monday at 3 p.m. with Kevin Wall on AM 670 KMZQ Right Talk. Contact him at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on Twitter.