EDITORIAL: Jara accepts second chance to lead district

Let’s hope Jesus Jara’s next stint as superintendent is more successful than his first.

Late last week, Mr. Jara announced that he would be staying on as superintendent of the Clark County School District. Over the preceding few weeks, the Board of Trustees had fired him by a 4-3 vote. Then, board Vice President Irene Cepeda changed her mind. The board subsequently rescinded Mr. Jara’s termination. Whether he wanted to return was an open question until his recent announcement.

“Over the last five weeks, we’ve seen too much adult-centered attention instead of focusing on the 305,000 students we’re here to serve,” Mr. Jara said in a statement. Those “adult-centered distractions” led to unacceptable instability. “Now is the time to move forward,” he continued.

Left unsaid is that some of those “adult-centered distractions” came from Mr. Jara himself. After his termination, his lawyer sent a letter seeking more than $2.6 million from the district. That included a demand for a $2 million settlement over a supposedly “hostile work environment, due process violations and retaliation.”

It’s not every day that someone voluntarily returns to a work environment he recently described as hostile. Was Mr. Jara sincere in these concerns? Recent developments suggest the financial demand was a hardball negotiating tactic.

The three board members who drew Mr. Jara’s ire remain on the board. One wonders what protection taxpayers have from an even larger settlement demand if — or the pessimist might say “when” — conflict erupts again. Board members need to put aside their differences and ensure taxpayers have some assurances on this front.

Mr. Jara also handed out hefty raises to his top staff days after the board’s initial decision to fire him. Even if he followed the proper protocol, it was a slap in the face to the Board of Trustees. Taxpayers will bear this expense for years to come.

The bickering and backstabbing among trustees would make an entertaining reality TV show. But it’s infuriating for anyone who cares about the 300,000 or so students attending district schools. Three trustees are up for election in 2022. Voters need to do a much better job vetting School Board candidates for their policy beliefs and temperament. Trustee races may be far down the ballot, but they’re extremely important.

Mr. Jara said two of his core priorities are student safety and unfinished learning. Those are important areas. Perhaps Mr. Jara has used the past month to reflect on how his own policies — dumbing down grading standards and a more lax classroom disciplinary approach — have affected both those areas and he changes course going forward.