Clark County School District Superintendent Jesus Jara waits for the start of a school board meeting at the CCSD Greer Education Center Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. The board voted, 4-3, to extend Jaras contract by 3.5 years with a $75,000 raise per year.
Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Proposed changes to the Clark County School Board’s policies dealing with the Board’s contract with the superintendent have been given initial approval and are headed to a final vote.
The changes will bring the newest version of Superintendent Jesus Jara’s employment agreement into alignment with Board policies.
The most significant changes would remove specific timing elements of regular benchmarks – such as having the superintendent’s annual performance review in January and approving annual goals by February – that tie into the superintendent’s contract to make them “in alignment with the Superintendent’s contract and/or between the end of the school year and beginning of the following school year.”
Governance policies on meeting planning and Board and superintendent evaluation methodology and criteria are, and would remain, written for any superintendent; they don’t specifically name Jara.
School Board attorney Nicole Malich, who guided the Board’s president Irene Cepeda and member Lola Brooks on updating the policies , said at a meeting Wednesday that the proposedchanges were needed so that policy would match what’s written in Jara’s next contract.
A split School Board voted in October to extend Jara’s contract by three and a half years and give him a $75,000 raise, about a week after giving him a “highly effective” rating along similarly divided lines.
Jara’s new contract goes into effect Jan. 16. One of its terms is that the School Board conduct its annual evaluation of Jara by Oct. 1.
“With the passing of the contract (came) the acknowledgement that we would have to update some of the governance policies to get in line with the contract,” Malich said.
Brooks said the proposed amendments provided flexibility not specific to Jara’s contract.
“The language is very purposeful in making sure the Board is not stuck in a perpetual loop where we are revisiting this policy over and over again because a new superintendent comes on,” she said. “These dates are really hard to line up. The reason they’re left broad is so that it’s not tied to a contract.”
Board member Danielle Ford, a Jara critic who has also clashed with Brooks, hewed closer to the idea that the proposed changes were specifically to conform to Jara’s terms.
“The superintendent brought his contract and then we’re writing based on his contract and (state law),” Ford said. “So all we’re doing is fixing typos, and the superintendent is the one who’s writing all of these policies.”
Wednesday’s vote was the first of two needed to make the policy changes. The final vote is scheduled for Jan. 12, after the Board swears in two new members.
The vote to advance the changes was 5-1, with Board Member Linda Cavazos voting no and Ford not voting. She said she wanted to abstain because the second vote would be made with a different Board lineup that she wouldn’t be a part of after losing reelection in November, but Malich said she couldn’t abstain because she had no conflict of interest. She left the room instead.
Desert Dogs partner with CCSD schools
The new Las Vegas Desert Dogs professional lacrosse team is donating lacrosse equipment to several CCSD schools and helping introduce the sport to the physical education curriculum.
Desert Dogs representatives on Wednesday visited Ruby Duncan Elementary in North Las Vegas with sticks, balls and playbooks and gave a lesson to a fifth-grade P.E. class. Duncan is one of 10 schools with which the team is partnering.
The Desert Dogs, the 15th club in the National Lacrosse League, also connected with CCSD’s Indian Education Opportunities program during a free clinic earlier this month for Native American youths, recognizing lacrosse’s roots as an Indigenous sport.
The Desert Dogs will have their franchise home debut on Friday at Michelob Ultra Arena against Fort Worth, Texas’ Panther City Lacrosse Club.
Hires, promotion at Communities in Schools
Communities in Schools of Nevada has new staff.
The state office of the nationwide dropout prevention program has promoted Alexis Benavidez from senior director of operations to chief administrative officer. She will coordinate and supervise all internal administrative and human relations operations.
Additionally, the organization has hired Nathanial Waugh as manager of government affairs and Tori DellaRocca as director of communications and marketing. Waugh comes from Nevada Homeless Alliance, where he was the manager of policy advocacy and training. DellaRocca has worked in marketing for Renown Health and Step2, a Reno-based nonprofit that treats women with substance use disorders.
Communities in Schools of Nevada serves 91 schools around the state, including 65 in Southern Nevada.
Scholarship opportunities
The Las Vegas-based Public Education Foundation is now accepting applications for its $100,000 Frias Legacy Scholarship.
Eligible high school seniors from Clark, Esmeralda, Lincoln and Nye counties who have overcome challenges to attend college can apply for the $25,000-a-year scholarship. The foundation will select five winners. Application deadline is Jan. 31, 2023.
Students must have a grade-point average between 2.0 and 3.2 and demonstrate financial need. Go to thepef.org/scholarships to learn more and to apply.
Winter break day camp
Clark County Parks and Recreation is again opening its facilities for children’s day camps during winter break.
The program runs from 7 a.m.-6 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays Dec. 19-Dec. 30 (closed Dec. 26), at several county community centers. Camp costs $21 per day per child and is for kids between 6 and 12 years old.
Day camps are available at the Desert Breeze, Helen Meyer, Hollywood, Paradise, Pearson, Robert E. “Bob” Price, and Walnut community and recreation centers. Camps are popular and may fill quickly. Registration is first-come, first-served, and payment in full is required to hold spots. Meals may be provided.
Call (702) 455-8200 or check www.clarkcountynv.gov/parks for more information.
