CCSD board leader ‘mystified’ by Jara’s demand for $2.65M settlement
Clark County School Board President Linda Cavazos said Monday that she was “mystified” that Superintendent Jesus Jara is seeking $2 million to resolve allegations of harassment and retaliation against the Board of Trustees.
“I was very surprised and I just was very caught off guard by that,” Cavazos said in reference to a demand letter that was leaked to the media.
In the letter, John Bailey, the ousted superintendent’s attorney, said that Jara is owed $657,131.39 for the remainder of his terminated contract, which was scheduled to run through Jan. 15, 2023. But the letter indicated that Jara also is seeking an additional $2 million to settle accusations of a hostile work environment, retaliation, breach of contract and violation of due process.
The confidential letter was sent by Bailey on Friday to county attorney Mary-Anne Miller, the school district’s legal counsel. It was later leaked to the media, Cavazos said, but she added that she did not believe any trustees were responsible for publicizing it. The Las Vegas Review-Journal obtained a copy from a source late Monday.
Neither Bailey nor Miller could be reached for comment.
‘Not what you should be seeing’
During the news conference, Cavazos apologized to the community for events that have unfolded since Jara was ousted by a 4-3 vote on Oct. 28.
“I think that would be the understatement of the year” to say things have been turbulent, she said. “What you have been seeing on school board meetings is not what you should be seeing.”
She also said that the board is expected to vote Nov. 18 on whether it should reconsider its decision to terminate Jara’s contract. If the vote passes — effectively a vote on whether to take a vote — she said it is likely that trustees will then consider during that same meeting whether to reinstate him.
The item, requested by Trustees Irene Cepeda, Lola Brooks and Evelyn Garcia Morales, would rescind Jara’s termination and investigate allegations that he has faced harassment and retaliation by members of the board.
If Jara were to return to the district, Cavazos said it would require self-reflection from each board member to determine how the divided body can move forward beyond allegations to focus on student achievement.
Accusations fly
The board narrowly terminated Jara’s contract “for convenience,” meaning trustees didn’t have to cite any particular reason. After his contract was ended, trustees told the Review-Journal that Jara would remain on the job for 30 days.
Bailey’s demand letter states that the vote came only hours after Jara complained of “a severe and pervasive hostile work environment resulting from the ongoing pattern and practice of the board” at a closed session with the trustees.
It said Cavazos and trustees Danielle Ford and Lisa Guzman were particularly active in the harassment of Jara.
“The three board members who were the primary perpetrators of the harassment of which Dr. Jara complained all voted to terminate his contract,” Bailey wrote in the letter.
The dramatic situation took another unexpected turn on Friday, when Trustees Irene Cepeda, Evelyn Garcia Morales and Lola Brooks sent a letter to board counsel and Cavazos requesting two new agenda items for the Nov. 18 board meeting: rescinding Jara’s termination and investigating potential harassment of Jara and his Executive Cabinet.
Cepeda, the board’s vice president, had provided the swing vote that led to the original termination of Jara’s contract.
The Review-Journal reached out to the seven board members on Sunday and received responses from Cavazos and Guzman, both of whom declined to comment.
Representatives of the school district did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Contact Shea Johnson at sjohnson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272. Follow @Shea_LVRJ on Twitter. Contact Jonah Dylan at jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan on Twitter.
