Clark County School Trustee Chris Garvey yanked controversial agenda items regarding employment contracts from Thursday’s board meeting, hours after the situation inflamed tensions inside and outside the school district.

The first of Garvey’s three related agenda items included language that seemingly directed Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky to terminate contracts for a handful of upper-level administrators but allow them to continue working as at-will employees with their current salaries and benefits.

The proposal drew condemnation Thursday afternoon from those involved in the state-mandated reorganization effort and led to Skorkowsky issuing a memo to concerned employees saying he was unaware of her intent.

Garvey announced she was pulling the agenda items at the beginning of the meeting and sought to clarify her rationale.

“My intent for these were not any kind of threat to terminate people’s employment,” Garvey said, adding that she was more interested in examining the procedures behind those contracts. “When looking at our policy, there are some big gaps that are occurring that don’t allow for the proper oversight.”

The trustee’s explanation didn’t assuage Skorkowsky, who publicly scolded Garvey for not being transparent about her intent. The superintendent said employees feared for their jobs after seeing the agenda items, and he didn’t have the necessary information to share with them.

“I didn’t know it was my responsibility to reach out directly when it was your items and your intent to go forward,” Skorkowsky said. “I will — trust me — call from here on out.”

Skorkowsky also implied that Garvey might be targeting Rick Neal, the district’s former chief of staff whom he promoted to chief operating officer in December. Neal, a retired Air Force colonel, makes $135,864 working for the school district.

Garvey rejected the notion that she was targeting anyone and reiterated her desire to have a discussion about contract procedures, given the board’s oversight of the district budget. She also lashed out at Skorkowsky for the communication breakdown.

“I just find it totally disrespectful that you didn’t have the decency to call me yourself,” she said.

Her frustration wasn’t just aimed at Skorkowsky, though. On Thursday afternoon, two key people involved in the reorganization process released statements criticizing Garvey and Trustee Kevin Child, who have been seen as instigators trying to thwart the reorganization.

The tensions surfaced days after the Legislature passed Assembly Bill 469, which codifies the reorganization regulations and attempts to quash the school trustees’ lawsuit against it. The dramatic overhaul transfers more budgeting and decision-making power to individual schools.

Glenn Christenson, who chairs the Community Implementation Council, which is shepherding the school district through the reorganization, said he was “shocked” by the agenda items.

“Two trustees are apparently trying to further block the reorganization — and fire all the executive staff in the process,” Christenson wrote in his statement. “This action is destructive and distracting.”

The consultant hired by lawmakers to assist in the day-to-day efforts of the reorganization effort chimed in as well. Tom Skancke, CEO of the TSC² Group, released a strongly worded statement admonishing what he described as a “thinly-veiled attempt at a power grab” by the trustees.

“For the sake of the District, these two trustees should resign or be removed,” he wrote. “I will be exposing the details of their agenda and where they are getting their information. The community is not going to stand by quietly with this type of behavior any longer.”

Garvey said she found Christenson and Skancke’s comments “a little disingenuous” because they never contacted her for more information.

“To act like that is not professional,” Child said after the meeting, referring to their criticism. He said trustees have a right to voice concerns about the reorganization. “We welcome change, but bottom line is we have questions. Why can’t we have questions?”

The controversy brought Bank of Nevada CEO John Guedry to the board meeting, where he chastised trustees for meddling in the “weeds of the operations” and sending confusing signals to district employees. He urged the board members to seek professional development training to better understand their roles as trustees.

“If this continues to pop up on agendas, you’re going to see more and more of us here voicing our concerns a lot louder,” he said.

Feature photo caption: The Clark County School District administrative offices on Monday, Jan 16, 2017. Photo by Sam Morris.