LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – How long will the Superintendent of the Clark County School District remain in his position?
Could it be days? Weeks? Months or even longer? Will he be paid anything to leave?
Dr. Jesus Jara submitted a conditional letter of resignation to the district asking for a buyout, but last week the Board of Trustees voted not to pay it. Monday, we learned he will not be giving his annual State of the Schools address in person and instead submitted a copy to the Trustees.
Stephanie Valdez, a mom of CCSD students and a part-time sub for the district posted her concerns on social media and spoke with FOX5.
“The lack of accountability and transparency is really affecting my confidence in the district,” Valdez shared. “I’ve got a first grader through eighth grader right now. I am going to be in this district for a while and I care about what goes on in it,” Valdez stated.
On Monday, Dr. Jara sent the Trustees a letter. It said in part, “Winston Churchill said it best, ‘A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty,’ and I did!”
Dr. Jara explained he was unable to give the address in person last month because he was with family during his mother’s last days. The speech included achievements at CCSD and thanked teachers for their hard work.
Last month, Jara announced he would resign if the Trustees paid him a buyout: one year’s salary and benefits; salary alone would amount to about $400,000.
Last Wednesday at a public meeting, we learned the Trustees approached him asking him to step aside after public pressure from state leaders. “For all that Superintendent Jara has cost the school district and the community for the past five and a half years, CCSD should not pay him any more money,” Valdez asserted.
The Board of Trustees did vote not to pay the buyout, instead approving a conditional termination of Dr. Jara’s contract and asking their attorney to negotiate with him.
“I really hope it doesn’t get dragged out. I think the community deserves a timeline,” Valdez contended.
Monday, FOX5 reached out to CCSD to ask when Dr. Jara will meet with the Board of Trustees’ attorney to negotiate some type of agreement. The district did not get back to us.
Dr. Jara will remain superintendent until a deal is reached. Dr. Jara’s contract is slated to continue through June 2026.
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