Divided Clark County (Nev.) school board approves contract for new superintendent

A divided Clark County (Nev.) School Board has approved a three-year contract for incoming Superintendent Jesus Jara.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the board approved the contract with a 4 to 3 vote.

Jara, the deputy superintendent for Orange County (Fla.) Public Schools in Orlando, will start in Clark County on June 19.

Jara will receive $320,000 as base pay and will have similar benefits to those in departing Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky’s contract. Jara’s salary is nearly a 14 percent increase over Skorkowsky’s base salary of $280,788 this year.

Board members Linda Young, Chris Garvey and Kevin Child were opposed to the contract because of concerns over the contract’s length and cost.

Young, who supported Chief Academic Officer Mike Barton for the superintendent's job, continued to express frustration with the selection process.

“This community, and the community I represent, have been hurt and harmed by the superintendent search process,” Young says. “And there are some gaping, open wounds. And I don’t expect this hurt to go away quickly.”

But other board members urged people to move on from the past and come together.

“I think we need to move forward,” says board member Linda Cavazos. “We can’t unring the bell.”

Trustees voted earlier this month to hire Jara, 48. He was one of six candidates the trustees interviewed for the post in late April.