School board may appoint Dwyer as superintendent

If you go

What: Engage & Envision: An evening with Acting Superintendent Jeannie Dwyer

When: Monday, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Where: Douglas High School Media Center

What: Douglas County School Board Meeting

When: Tuesday, 4 p.m.

Where: George Whittell High School

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A discussion to appoint interim Douglas County Superintendent Jeannie Dwyer to the district’s top position is one of several topics during Tuesday’s school board meeting at George Whittell High School.

Dwyer was offered the position during the March 12 meeting, but the motion voided due to it being presented out of context to the agenda.

During a special meeting March 21, Trustee Doug Englekirk made a motion to continue the process of interviewing 13 candidates who have already applied for the position and, if the board disapproved of the applicants, then a national search firm would be considered.

In addition to Englekirk’s motion, Trustee Yvonne Wagstaff amended it to provide Dwyer the opportunity to apply and be interviewed as superintendent before the other candidates, which was seconded by Trustee Carey Kangas and approved 4-3, with Trustees Susan Jansen, David Burns, and Katherine Dickerson opposed.

At Tuesday’s board meeting, trustees will discuss and take possible action in appointing Dwyer to the permanent position of superintendent or presenting 13 new applicants and returning applicant Dennis Holmes.

The board will present the screening tool and an explanation of its purpose and scoring system, then discuss and take possible action on how the board will share its ratings and provide justification for its scores, along with how each candidate will advance through the stages of the hiring process.

An opportunity to engage with Dwyer before Tuesday’s meeting is being held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday at the Douglas High School Media Center. The meeting is open to the public.

SETTLEMENT TO BE APPROVED

The board is expected to approve the records lawsuit settlement Tuesday.

On March 27, a lawsuit went before Douglas County District Court Judge Thomas Gregory, accusing Jansen, Burns, Englekirk, and Dickerson of violating the Nevada Open Meeting Law after it was suspected that the four were deliberating on board matters through private communications during and outside of board meetings.

The lawsuit was filed in August by former School Board Trustee Robb Lehmann, former Douglas High School Principal Marty Swisher, former HR Director Joe Girdner, and parent Dean Miller.

According to the lawsuit, a public records request revealed written communication between trustees through emails and texts from personal accounts, discussing board matters, including the selection of the board president and vice president, the firing of former Superintendent Keith Lewis, the firing of Maupin, Cox & LeGoy and the hiring of Joey Gilbert Law Firm, and suspicion that the newly-elected trustees were subject to outside political influence.

As part of the settlement, a search will be performed by Douglas County School District IT Director Michael Roth, the school district will be responsible for paying attorney costs for the petitioners, trustees are required to perform another thorough search from a mutually agreed third party, and the district will provide additional training to the trustees regarding Nevada’s open records policies.

Trustees will discuss and vote on whether to accept, reject or amend the settlement agreement.

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE ON THE BOARD

Nearly a year after Douglas High School student Maddy Kennedy presented the idea of a student representative to the school board, a policy for inclusion will be presented Tuesday.

Kennedy brought the idea forward during the May 16 board meeting, explaining her vision of a student seat at the board table as a non-voting participant to provide opinion, feedback and to foster a sense that the students of the district have a voice.

During the Feb. 13 board meeting, the idea was agendized and discussed. Wagstaff made a motion to gather more information and continue the discussion and take possible action and to direct the superintendent to work with legal counsel in forming a policy to include a student representative on the board, which was seconded by Kangas. It was approved unanimously.

According to the agenda, a policy has been put together outlining the selection process, term, and responsibilities of a student representative on the board. The board will discuss and take possible action on the policy.