Speaker of the Nevada Assembly Steve Yeager speaks during a press conference at the Grant Sawyer State Office Building Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023. In background from left, Nevada Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui, Nevada Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, Nevada Senator Rochelle Nguyen and Nevada State Senator Dina Neal.
Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Nevada Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager called on Clark County Schools Superintendent Jesus Jara to resign Wednesday, citing a litany of criticisms against the district boss.
“Unfortunately, community leaders, parents, teachers and students no longer trust that Dr. Jara’s leadership can get CCSD back on track,” Yeager, D-Las Vegas, said in a statement. “Proponents of privatizing education through voucher schemes have already given up on our public schools, but we must not give up and we must not accept the status quo as acceptable.
“Instead, we must fight for our students, who are the future of this great state. They deserve our best efforts. This moment in time cries out for a change in leadership to restore trust in CCSD and bring new and fresh ideas to public education in Southern Nevada. Nevadans deserve nothing less and should settle for nothing less.”
The statement lists several legislative actions this spring meant to improve education around the state and particularly in CCSD: a teacher training pipeline bill to address CCSD vacancies, the addition of appointed members to the CCSD School Board and record financial investment in all Nevada schools through general funding and by setting aside an additional $250 million for raises for teachers and support professionals across all of Nevada’s school districts.
“However, Dr. Jara has squandered this opportunity, further antagonized the public, and completely lost the trust of the public in Clark County,” the statement said.
CCSD issued its own statement saying that Jara would remain superintendent “as long as the Board of Trustees desires him to do so.”
“No bullying, pressure, harassment or coordination with the leadership of the (Clark County Education Association) will deter him from his job to educate our 300,000 students and protect taxpayer resources from those who wish to harm the District or its finances,” the statement said.
CCEA, the union representing the district’s teachers, also wants to see Jara out. This spring, it issued a vote of no confidence in Jara’s ability to effectively spend the influx of state funding.
The union has maintained a hard line against Jara for months, with negotiations for a new teacher contract turning bitter. CCSD declared an impasse in contract negotiations and is awaiting the start of what is likely to be a lengthy arbitration. The district also secured a court injunction to stop a rolling teacher strike that a Clark County district court judge determined took place over several days in September.
CCEA has denied involvement and appealed the judge’s decision to the Nevada Supreme Court, which has yet to hear the case. CCEA also has sued to repeal the state law making teacher strikes illegal.
The union did not respond to a request for comment responding to CCSD’s statement.
Jara has led CCSD since 2018. A split School Board extended his contract last year through June 2026, giving him a $75,000 raise to bring his annual salary to $395,000. The contract extension also included new clauses should Jara resign or be fired, following a 2021 attempt by the similarly split School Board to fire him for convenience, or without a specific reason, before reversing course less than a month later.
Now, should Jara be fired for convenience, he would be entitled to a payout of salary and cash equivalent of benefits until his contract end date. If he is fired for cause or resigns voluntarily, he would not get a payout. And if he is fired for cause, he would be entitled to written charges and a hearing.
The office of Gov. Joe Lombardo — who was pulled into the CCEA-CCSD feud earlier this year — had no comment on Yeager’s call.
