Washoe County School District Gossip

Although I haven't worked at this shithole for over a decade, I still have a somewhat morbid fascination with it.  I now understand just how corrupt the outfit was and how the district never follows the law when it comes to employee relations.

The Traci Davis case will likely be settled out of court; however, according to this article, a trial date has been set for 2020.

In her suit, Davis is seeking additional money for damage to her reputation and violation of her due process rights, and she alleges the district broke Open Meeting Law when they considered her character by providing secret documents only made available to board members.

The district is disputing those claims in a 17-page motion filed in October to dismiss, including that the "attorney-client privileged, and attorney work product documents would be excluded under the law."

Speaking of Davis's possible job in Las Vegas:

Traci Davis could be the new leader of West Prep Academy.Davis is the former superintendent of the Washoe County School District.

Clark County School District says she is the recommended candidate for principal at West Prep Academy near Owens Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard.

The district says she was recruited through a selection process involving educators and parents that included a reference check.

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I don't think Davis did anything wrong as WCSD superintendent. The community there was and is quite racist, not cutting her any kind of slack whatsoever, plus I think there is more than a little sexism involved. She made less money than predecessors Pedro Martinez and Heath Morrison made, but the public didn't get so outraged over them.

Washoe County School District Gossip: Will Traci Davis Survive as Superintendent?

This morning is the shitshow the school district is displaying, as required by the Open Meeting Law, to determine whether or not Superintendent Traci Davis keeps her job as she defends herself against likely trumped-up allegations.



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It sounds like trumped-up charges even if teachers have a legitimate beef about bullying.  However, that bullying has gone on for years and years, long before Davis was ever onboard.

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Edit:  She was terminated today after a long, long, long meeting including input from the public, which was divided.  I strongly suspect somebody was after her job.  I could read between the lines by some of the teachers who were adamant somebody else not get the job and that the recruiting should be open and not given to the next in line.

WCSD Gossip: Is It About Racism or Something Else?

Embattled WCSD superintendent Traci Davis was shocked and "flabbergasted" with the district shutting down operations today because Davis and her attorney are perceived as threats as Davis plans to return to work today.

It might be strictly office politics here on the part of acting superintendent Kristen McNeill, who obviously wants the big cheese job so she can be tossed out by the dysfunctional Board of Trustees three or four years hence and get HER million-dollar severance package.

In an interview with the Reno Gazette Journal Wednesday evening, Davis said, "this is a defamation of my character," after seeing the statement from the district.

“I was flabbergasted. This is a clear indication of racial issues in the school district," she said.

Davis continued: "This story is similar to the Central Park Five, and I am now the Washoe County School District One."

Naturally, the district denies it and accuses Davis of jockeying for position for a major settlement.  The district's insurance carrier is going to be coughing up a seven-figure settlement when this is all done, and Davis will never have to work again.

ETA:  By the way, Davis didn't show up.  McNeill has egg on her face.  This is like Al Capone's vault.

WCSD Gossip: You Can't Make This Shit Up

It appears the WCSD Board of Trustees, as is their manner, fucked up bigly with Traci Davis, so the district office personnel have made the determination the offices will be closed tomorrow when she returns to work.

The Washoe County School District sent an urgent statement to employees Wednesday evening saying it will close down its buildings on Thursday because Superintendent Traci Davis plans to return to work.

"The concern is that Ms. Davis and her attorney intend to create a disruptive confrontation at the expense of our District and Central Administration Staff. Such tactics are abhorrent, and I am, therefore, doing all in my power as Acting Superintendent to protect you all and the interests of our District," McNeill said.

It is called covering your ass, I guess. I can't believe the district is even stupider than when I was last there eleven years ago.

WCSD Gossip: Where Are the "Leaks" Coming From?

The controversy surrounding Superintendent Traci Davis gets even murkier, with WCSD now accusing her attorney, William Peterson, of "leaking" information involving other individuals who have sued the district.

In a release sent Tuesday, the district said it had received information that Peterson and his firm represented three other district employees in workplace investigations and used that information to benefit Davis.

Peterson, who was hired by Davis last week, denied that claim in an interview Tuesday with the Reno Gazette Journal.

He said he has represented many people in workplace investigations against the district. In 2014, Peterson represented Superintendent Pedro Martinez when he was ousted from the district's top post.

The district said in the statement that they and a former client believe that Peterson's law firm, Snell and Wilmer, used that person's information to benefit Davis. The district did not name the former client or say whether he or she was still employed.

"In fact, this ex-client's supposition is that this firm leaked critical information about the investigation and the case about Traci Davis," the district wrote in a release. "There should have been no sharing of confidential information by the firm of Snell & Wilmer, as it appears has occurred. "

If the district is using trumped-up shit against Davis in order to force her out, the district is in deep, deep shit.

WCSD Gossip: Witch Hunts

Traci Davis

In yet another chapter in the long-running saga of Washoe County School District, embattled superintendent Traci Davis has struck back against her accusers, calling the attacks a witch hunt.

She is clearly jockeying for a position to get a huge severance package and a glowing letter of recommendation.  I predict she will receive a severance package similar to previous superintendent Pedro Martinez.

In her interview with the RGJ Monday, Davis said she spoke with Holland during the week of the district's graduation ceremonies. She said Holland wanted to meet to talk about the district's strategic plan.

They met in the principal's office after the Incline High School graduation on June 13. Holland and school board trustee Angie Taylor were at the meeting, Davis said.

Taylor did not immediately return a request for comment Monday night.

Davis said when she got to the meeting, Holland informed her that a meeting would be scheduled to talk about her character, alleged misconduct and professional competency.

Holland told the superintendent she was on a 12-day paid leave and within that time had to submit a proposal to leave the district, according to Davis.

Stay tuned for fireworks on July 1, three days before Independence Day.

More Washoe County School District Gossip

The hits just keep coming in about embattled superintendent Traci Davis.  According to this article, the list of accusations against her include violating confidentiality regarding a lawsuit against WCSD.  This is certainly a firing offense not even top-level administrators can withstand.  Think back to the Kara White case of a few years ago where she was accused of misappropriating small amounts of money AFTER she had already been reprimanded previously for similar misconduct.  She was fired, and she tried to fight the termination, but she lost before the Nevada Supreme Court.

The district has so much wrong with it.  It has been dysfunctional for DECADES thanks to still operating under the "good ol' boy" network.

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And while much of the letter redacts the names of those involved, she is accused of mishandling information and possibly aiding in wrongdoing with her Chief of Staff David Lasic and the Chief of Student Services Byron Green.

Last week, the district said both were no longer employees. Other documents show that Green and Lasic may have been feeding fired employee Jenny Ricci Hunt information and helping her in a lawsuit against the district.

The documents include text messages that show a close relationship with Hunt, who was principal of Hunsberger Elementary in south Reno before being promoted to a top post overseeing special education programs in 2015. She was fired from that job on Oct. 23, 2017. She is currently listed as the head of charter school Mariposa Academy in Reno.

Davis will likely get the axe. Another lifer of the district, or at least a long-term employee of the district, Dr. Kristen McNeill, who is deputy superintendent, is the "acting superintendent" while the district contemplates what to do with Davis.

I suspect a resignation and a huge settlement ala Pedro Martinez's $700k package is in the works.