The Clark County School District’s new superintendent received a swift introduction to board politics Thursday when he asked trustees to approve hiring two executive-level, former colleagues from Florida.

The request drew concern mostly from three board members — Trustees Linda Young, Chris Garvey and Kevin Child — who said they supported his decision to bring new people aboard but raised questions about the process and the proposed pay. It was Jara’s first board meeting as superintendent.

A lengthy discussion ensued and, like most board meetings the past year, showcased rifts among the seven trustees. Ultimately, the board voted 4-3 to approve the contracts, with Young, Garvey and Child as the opposition. That means two people likely will be joining the school district:

• Diane Gullett will assume the role of deputy superintendent with an annual salary of $160,692. She most recently served as an area superintendent for Orange County Public Schools in Orlando.
• Jennifer Cupid-McCoy, principal of Freedom High School in Orlando, will become Jara’s chief of staff with an annual salary of $145,860.

 

Earlier this week, Jara announced his intention to bring aboard Gullett and Cupid-McCoy as part of his reorganization effort as new superintendent. The hires involved some internal shuffling: Mike Barton, the district’s chief academic officer, was named the new chief college, career and equity officer, while Joe Caruso, the current chief of staff, has become executive director of community outreach. Barton and Caruso’s moves are both lateral, so they won't receive any compensation increase.

The district’s current deputy superintendent, Kim Wooden, is retiring in November.

Several trustees expressed concern about the way the budget was handled to accommodate the new hires. Chief Financial Officer Jason Goudie told the board that the district had budgeted $76,000 to cover the cost of Gullett and Wooden’s salaries during their several months of overlap.

Young said she wasn’t aware money had been allocated for that purpose prior to the board approving the budget last month. Coming off the heels of a $68 million deficit, she took issue with not being informed ahead of time.

“What I have a problem with is the process and making me look inept,” she said. “If I don’t know what’s going on, why don’t I know what’s going on?”

Garvey and Child also said they weren’t comfortable with Gullett’s proposed salary, which is higher than what Wooden makes in that position. District officials in March told The Nevada Independent that Wooden’s current salary is $156,806. (Trustees approved a settlement earlier this year allowing Wooden to work from home after she accused Child of workplace harassment.)

“The raises — I just have a hard time seeing it right now,” Child said.

Garvey echoed that point and said she’d prefer to see employees “closest to children” be compensated better first.

Jara defended the higher salary, saying he’s restructuring the position in a way that adds more responsibilities to the deputy superintendent’s purview and makes it hyper-focused on student achievement. He also vowed to not give himself or any administrators future pay raises if lower-level employees, including teachers, don’t also receive a wage increase.

“If our employees are not going to get a raise, nobody in my team is going to get a raise,” he said, referring to the cabinet-level positions.

Cupid-McCoy’s position is cost neutral because Jara reorganized the offices of the deputy superintendent and governmental affairs department, freeing up money to cover her salary, Goudie said.

Still, the hires didn’t sit well with a couple of teachers who attended the board meeting and lamented their own stagnant salaries. Teacher Alexis Salt said she spent $623 this past school year on paper alone

“I want you guys all to understand where we are coming from,” she said. “When you get pushback from teachers, this is where it’s coming from.”

Trustees Deanna Wright and Carolyn Edwards pushed back against the assertion that the district is top heavy. In the end, Trustees Lola Brooks and Linda Cavazos also sided with Wright and Edwards — continuing a pattern of them banding together on policy issues.

Wright, who serves as board president, said she supported Jara’s desire to hire Gullett and Cupid-McCoy in his quest to improve the school district.

“I believe it’s going to have benefits to our student population tenfold beyond what we can really comprehend at this time,” she said.

Jara’s first day on the job was June 19.