The word bandied about in relation to the Clark County School District leadership tug-of-war is dysfunction. But reaching this point wasn’t an overnight phenomenon, just as there is no overnight fix.

For the third legislative session in a row, Sen. Ben Kieckhefer (R-Reno) has sponsored a bill that would substantially rejigger the makeup of the state’s two largest school boards. The proposed legislation, SB111, would replace the governing bodies of the Clark and Washoe county school districts with a hybrid board made up of both elected and appointed trustees.

On Monday evening, the new trustees and one returning board member took their oaths of office. The group projected an air of unity and a fresh start.

How does the Clark County School Board of Trustees view Superintendent Jesus Jara’s performance this year? Somewhere between “minimally effective” and “effective.”

Staff telecommuting and remote learning will continue the rest of this semester in the Clark County School District, per a message Monday evening from Superintendent Jesus Jara.

Acknowledging rising COVID-19 cases statewide and locally, the Clark County School Board on Thursday night postponed a vote on the 205-page plan. The delayed decision capped off a contentious few days as educators, parents and employee unions reacted to the prospect of moving the district’s roughly 310,000 students to a hybrid model in early January.

Several down-ballot races this year should arguably receive more than the cursory passing glance: Four seats are up for grabs on the Clark County School Board of Trustees, and with only one incumbent running, the seven-member governmental body will gain at least three new faces come January.

Trustees fired off question after question Monday night as they sought more answers about the Clark County School District’s proposed reopening plan ahead of a vote later this week.

When the Clark County School District surveyed students, parents and staff about their desires for the upcoming academic year, respondents overwhelmingly favored a full-time return to school.