R-J claims open meeting violation

The Review-Journal filed a complaint with the Nevada attorney general on Friday to protest a closed session by the Clark County School Board as a violation of Nevada's open meeting law.

Bill Hoffman, the school board attorney, said the law allowed trustees to review a collective bargaining agreement before they voted on the 4 percent cost-of-living raises for teachers and school administrators on Thursday.

But Mark Hinueber, general counsel for the Review-Journal, challenged Hoffman's rationale since trustees immediately voted on the contract with no debate after their closed session. The contracts had already been ratified by the union, the Clark County Education Association.

"They didn't go into closed session to discuss bargaining strategy," Hinueber said. "They went in to discuss whether to approve the contract, which they should have done in public."