CCSD trustee continues to face backlash after complaint from DA

For some residents of her district, particularly those affected by the continued closure of a storm-damaged Mount Charleston elementary school, concerns about Clark County School Board Trustee Katie Williams are not new.

In a letter to Williams dated Wednesday, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said his office “shall commence a proceeding to declare the office vacant.” This is “due to you ceasing to be an actual resident of the State of Nevada and ceasing to be an actual resident of District B of the Clark County School District,” the letter states.

Williams, on her Instagram and Facebook accounts on Thursday afternoon, posted several stories, one that featured the words “My statement to the world” above an image that read “As for her, She is not giving up. She is sticking with Jesus Christ till the very end!”

Other stories posted Williams Thursday featured black screens with text that read “I live a life so in the public and no one knows anything about,” “This is my strength” and “But I haven’t left you.”

Within the boundaries of Williams’ district is Lundy Elementary School, which has been closed since August 2023 due to damage from Tropical Storm Hilary. The future of the school has become a flashpoint for the Clark County School District in recent months as residents fight for the district to reopen it amid a district recommendation to close it permanently.

All the while, mountain residents have described feeling abandoned by the trustee they say should be representing them.

Chris Giunchigliani, a former Clark County commissioner who has a house on the mountain, told the Review-Journal on Thursday that many residents have told her Williams didn’t go to Mount Charleston to hear residents’ views on the closed school, nor had she visited Lundy.

“That’s neglect. They’re a rural school, but they’re part of the family and they should be treated as such,” she said.

In public comment at a June 27 meeting regarding the future of the school, some community members described feeling abandoned by their trustee.

“I have a hard time having any support for keeping this school open,” Williams, who attended the meeting remotely, said in one comment, according to meeting minutes.

“Our job is to manage a budget and to be representatives of the community. Now with that being said, we are not just representatives for one small piece of it. We are representatives for the entire Clark County system,” she said in another comment.

Williams did not respond to phone calls or text messages from the Review-Journal on Wednesday or Thursday.

District Attorney Steve Wolfson did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the Review-Journal.

Trustee Linda Cavazos told the Review-Journal after Wednesday’s work session that she heard complaints about Williams’ representation of her constituents — specifically, they said she hasn’t been representing them or responding to them, Cavazos said — dating back to before Lundy became an issue.

“I have constituents who have constantly asked me, way before the Lundy issue, that said ‘we’re not being represented. We don’t have anybody that’s answering our emails,’” Cavazos said.

“We need to have someone representing us that lives in the district, and has the initiatives close to their heart,” Katie Corr, who attended Lundy Elementary School, told the Review-Journal Thursday morning.

Giunchigliani wants to know the date that it was determined Williams no longer lived in her district. She also wants to know what motions Williams made and to look into the votes she took during that time.

Giunchigliani also shared concerns that the Clark County Education Association, the teacher’s union, made at Wednesday’s meeting about whether or not any other trustees knew if Williams hasn’t been living in her district.

“Who knew until now and was covering for her?” she asked.

Cavazos had emailed President Evelyn Garcia Morales in recent months expressing concern, and was unable to get an answer, she said.

“We tried, many of us, to follow protocol to find out what’s going on. And we couldn’t get any kind of an answer,” Cavazos said. “I think everyone should be held responsible.”

Of the sporadic board meetings Williams attended in person, Cavazos said she was driving a rental car to at least two of them.

In addition to the votes cast and who else knew, Cavazos was concerned about the $9,000 taxpayer-funded salary Williams makes per year as a trustee. Cavazos said that she expects there to legal ramifications in the future.

“I support this being investigated because it’s important to know whether we had support from our trustee,” Sarah Hickman, a Lundy parent, said in reference to the discussions about the future of the elementary school.

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com.