I’m not buying school chief’s resignation

I'm a big believer in family comes first. So, when news came that Clark County School District Superintendent Dwight Jones resigned halfway through his contract, I held open the possibility that he should be cut some slack when he cited family reasons for his early departure.

Today, however, we find out that Mr. Jones is leaving to attend to his ailing mother in Texas for only the next 60 to 90 days.

Mr. Jones' contract allows him to take a leave of absence in cases of family illness. But he said he thought it better for the district for him to quit, rather than wait for his return. He thought it left the district "hanging."

You must be kidding.

For the district to now have to find a new superintendent in the middle of a legislative session and halfway through the highly touted reforms Jones implemented, just doesn't make sense. Assuming Jones is as good as advertised, the district would be far better off for him to take the temporary leave and then return.

I'm not going to tiptoe around this because, frankly, the CCSD has suffered through three ineffective superintendents in a row, including Jones. I think something else is up. Maybe Jones knows his management isn't working and rather than take the hit for failure, he'd rather use his mother as an excuse to get out while the getting is good.

Or, perhaps something else is brewing. But I'm not buying the idea that leaving the ship without completing his obligations is better for Clark County students than a three-month absence in a four-year contract. I wish Mr. Jones' mother well. I do. But I also must say Jones sudden departure doesn't pass the smell test.