Garcia critic objects to closed meeting

Clark County School Board member Shirley Barber said she will seek legal assistance to determine if some of her colleagues violated the open meeting law Friday.

The meeting involves four current School Board members and one former member. Trustees Ruth Johnson, Larry Mason, Sheila Moulton, Mary Beth Scow and former trustee Susan Brager, now a county commissioner, met at the district’s West Sahara office Friday to discuss former Superintendent Carlos Garcia’s qualifications to be the next superintendent of the San Francisco school district.

The meeting took place at the district’s administrative center, 5100 W. Sahara Ave., and involved having the School Board members and Brager answer questions about Garcia’s work performance from two San Francisco board members.

Garcia was the district’s superintendent from 2000 to 2005.

Barber said the meeting constituted a quorum and therefore would violate the state’s open meeting law.

Barber said she was excluded from the meeting because she has been an outspoken critic of Garcia.

“I do plan to seek legal assistance in obtaining a full report of the incident as a basis for determining if any statutory procedures were violated,” Barber said.

Johnson said she attended the meeting and that four current trustees were being interviewed by the San Francisco board members. But she said the meeting didn’t violate state law, because no current or future school issues were addressed in the meeting.

“The meeting was about what happened five years ago under Carlos’ leadership,” Johnson said. “It never migrated to current issues or debates of what we would be doing now.”

Johnson said she didn’t know any other officials would be at the meeting and Garcia had asked her to attend.

“I was called by Carlos on a weekend at my home, and he simply asked me if I’d be willing to meet with San Francisco board members.”

Superintendent Walt Rulffes said the meeting was orchestrated by board members of the Bay Area district and that the district’s facility was offered as a courtesy.