What happens next after Clark County trustees show Jara the door?

Clark County School District Superintendent Jesus Jara volition stay successful his occupation for 30 days arsenic a caretaker pursuing a contentious School Board gathering Thursday nighttime at which trustees terminated his contract.

The committee ended Jara’s declaration “for convenience,” connected a 4-3 vote, meaning trustees didn’t person to mention immoderate peculiar reason. Trustees Danielle Ford, Irene Cepeda, Linda Cavazos and Lisa Guzman voted to extremity the contract, portion Lola Brooks, Katie Williams and Evelyn Garcia Morales voted against the move.

School District offices were closed Friday for the Nevada Day holiday, and representatives did not respond to messages near with the district’s communications bureau seeking accusation astir adjacent steps pursuing Jara’s abrupt departure. Nor did committee President Cavazos, who survived an effort to region her from her station astatine the meeting.

The Review-Journal reached to each 7 schoolhouse committee trustees aft the astonishing late-night improvement and received responses from four. The paper besides attempted to interaction Jara directly, but didn’t person a response.

The lone caller item came from interviews with 2 trustees — Cepeda and Williams — some of whom said that Jara would enactment connected the occupation for a month.

But they could shed nary airy connected whether an acting superintendent volition beryllium appointed until a imperishable replacement tin beryllium found.

‘Definitely not convenient’

Williams, who opposed termination, said Friday she’s not definite what’s to come, but noted Jara’s departure is “definitely not convenient for the schoolhouse district.”

She indicated that the territory volition person to wage disconnected the remainder his contract, though the Review-Journal could not corroborate that connected Friday.

Cepeda, the board’s vice president, provided the plaything ballot that led to the termination of Jara’s declaration aft voting successful May to widen it until aboriginal 2023.

She did not explicate successful item the crushed she switched her vote, but noted that she was not progressive successful calling for votes connected Jara’s declaration oregon Cavazos’ presidency. She said lone that allegations were leveled by some factions of the committee and that immoderate seemed to person merit.

She said she had been trying for months to determination up with important business, specified arsenic caller ways to absorption connected pupil achievement, but that specified issues were ever being pushed down the road.

She said a deficiency of leadership, absorption and imaginativeness is simply a “big contributing origin to the outcomes we’re seeing today.”

“We’ve done a unspeakable job,” she said, adding that she fears the committee volition stay profoundly divided aft Jara’s departure.

Brooks, who voted against termination, said via substance connection Friday: “I’m not definite however the committee officers program to code the spread successful cardinal enactment positions that could effect from this.”

Guzman, who voted to extremity Jara’s contract, directed a Review-Journal enquiry Friday to Cavazos.

Jara’s employment statement was slated to tally done Jan. 15, 2023. He had been connected the occupation since 2018 and his yearly wage was $320,000.

After the vote, Jara said that since his accomplishment connected the job, his absorption has ne'er wavered “to amended the well-being and world occurrence of our students.”

He said immoderate trustees person micromanaged him and undermined his staff, but noted helium was dedicated to protecting his unit from “overreach and interference.”

‘Circumstances’ not explained

Cavazos told reporters astatine a briefing connected Wednesday a “set of circumstances” precipitated the docket point to extremity Jara’s contract, but declined to sermon specifics owed to unfastened gathering instrumentality concerns. But the “circumstances” were not aired astatine Thursday’s meeting, leaving observers successful the acheronian arsenic to what was down the termination.

Williams said the connection made by Cavazos astatine the quality league suggesting determination whitethorn person been origin to terminate Jara’s declaration could backfire.

“Now that gives him a truly bully lawsuit to sue,” she told the Review-Journal, noting that’s wealth that could person been utilized to assistance students.

Kris Engelstad of The Engelstad Foundation, which supports section acquisition projects, said successful a connection Friday that Jara’s exit and “the distractive hoopla starring up to it” is lone beginning.

“Now, idiosyncratic needs to capable his shoes and a surely prolonged and time-consuming process is successful store,” she said. “All of it volition distract from what Clark County School District (CCSD) trustees should person been collectively focusing connected successful the archetypal place: Student achievement.”

Engelstad said it volition beryllium “incredibly interesting” to spot who ends up getting the superintendent job. “If the committee chooses an insider replacement, we volition lone get much of the same: A deficiency of absorption and disregard for the children successful our community.”

Engelstad besides questioned who would privation the occupation erstwhile the committee has “such a horrendous way record.”

Testy speech implicit mask-wearing

Williams made pointed remarks toward Cavazos aft the ballot to terminate Jara’s declaration and refused to deterioration a mask, contempt a authorities disguise mandate for indoor nationalist places that remains successful effect.

Williams told Cavazos she didn’t attraction what she had to accidental and that she doesn’t enactment for her. She near the country soon thereafter.

Cavazos said she’d marque a enactment for the grounds that Williams refused to enactment connected a disguise aft being asked aggregate times.

Williams said Friday the committee president has bullied different trustees and she won’t let that to hap to her anymore.

Williams besides made a bid of posts connected Twitter, including immoderate portion the gathering was inactive underway Thursday.

In 1 post, she wrote: “You guys don’t realize. The full enforcement unit conscionable walked retired due to the fact that Jara stood up to the tyranny of Ford and Cavazos. Whatever happens adjacent won’t beryllium bully for your kids. CRT, Gender Education, Division. That’s what’s coming.”

In different post, Williams wrote: “Gloves are disconnected Linda. I was bully capable to spot the bigger representation but I can’t hold to spot you autumn connected your face.”

In another: “Things got a small heated past night, truthful I thought I’d travel and marque a connection astir it. I meant each word. This territory conscionable went from student-driven backmost to lone helping the adults successful the room. Pull your kids retired of #CCSD and amusement them who’s successful charge.”

Williams was captious of Jara during her run for School Board and told the Review-Journal past twelvemonth she wouldn’t enactment a declaration renewal. But she said Friday she changed her mind, citing the dysfunction of the committee arsenic a crushed for her alteration of heart.

Jara has been trying to enactment students archetypal for a agelong time, Williams said, noting that was existent adjacent earlier she started arsenic a trustee successful January. She besides said it was wide immoderate trustees wanted him gone.

Williams said she thinks parents request to instrumentality a long, hard look astatine the district, and she hopes 2022 volition contiguous a caller schoolhouse board. If not, she said she thinks the Legislature volition walk a measure during the 2023 to name schoolhouse committee members.

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