LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – After stripping new members of powers in January, the Clark County School District Board of Trustees has been ordered to restore that power.
The legal action that started more than two months ago was decided Wednesday when Judge Nadia Krall sided with the cities of Henderson and North Las Vegas in their injunction against the district.
“The court finds that this is a matter of local concern, and the writ is granted,” Krall said, citing the writ of mandamus that was filed by the plaintiffs. A writ of mandamus is a court order to a lower entity, which in this case is the CCSD Board of Trustees.
Judge Krall took a direct quote from the law that created the two seats that represent the two cities, saying, “Non-voting members… shall have the same rights and responsibilities as the voting members of the trustees.”
“The important language there is the same rights and responsibilities,” she emphasized.
Judge Krall also called out the actions of the school board after it immediately moved to strip the powers of those cities’ representatives on the board in January.
“The purpose of this statute was so the cities have a seat at the table,” she said. “What the trustees have done is taken the table and put it in a locked room. The cities are knocking at the door and the trustees are not letting them in.”
Those new board members have been commonly referred to as non-voting members, but the judge pushed back on that definition, again referencing the law that created the positions.
“It does not say that they have no voting rights whatsoever,” Krall said. “They just have no voting rights for the election of officers. So they do have voting rights.”
One of the rights ordered to be restored is the ability to introduce motions. That right was stripped in January.
“There is a very limited exclusion as to what the new members can do,” Krall emphasized.
The decision by Judge Krall does not immediately restore the powers to the new members of the board. Instead, it’s an order to the school board to do so.
The cities of Henderson and North Las Vegas issued a joint statement in response to Wednesday’s ruling:
We appreciate the court’s time and attention to this matter and are very pleased with their decision to uphold the original intent of the law. We look forward to restoring the rightful role of the city-appointed trustees, as a voice for the communities they serve to pursue a quality education for all students.
FOX5 has reached out to CCSD for comment, and has not heard back. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for June 13.
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