Washoe County School District Gossip

 I haven't done a gossip page about the old school district for a couple of years at least.  Here is some fresh meat:  A superintendent of a Washington State school district has been picked as the new superintendent of my old school district, Washoe County School District, to replace outgoing superintendent Kristen McNeill, who is retiring.  Susan Enfield has attained the rather unusual feat of staying with her current position for ten years.  Most superintendents these days last only three or four years in a district.  Since she has family not far from Reno, she will possibly stick around for awhile if she isn't forced out.

You never know with this district.

What is interesting is she will be the 13th superintendent of WCSD.  Why only the 13th?  According to this article, Washoe County became a county district in 1955, when many smaller, presumably municipal, school districts consolidated.  The first superintendent was Earl Wooster, who has a high school named after him.  The article notes the longest-serving superintendent is Marvin Picollo, who also has a school named after him.  It is a school for students with special needs.

By the way, former superintendent Traci Davis did negotiate a settlement payout with the district in lieu of going to court over her termination.  She moved back to Las Vegas.

Here is the list of WCSD superintendents beginning in 1955:

WCSD superintendents from 1955-2022

Earl Wooster 1955-1959 *

Procter R. Hug, Sr. 1959-1966 *

Marvin Picollo 1966-1980 *

Leonard Dalton 1981-1983   

Marvin Moss 1983-1990  *

Mary Nebgen 1990-1998

James L. Hager 1999-2004

Paul Dugan 2005-2009

Heath Morrison 2009-2012

Pedro Martinez 2012-2014

Traci Davis 2015-2019

Kristin McNeill 2020-2022

*--individuals who have schools named after them in Washoe County

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.



link

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.

Another link

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: 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.

Snip:

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.

Washoe County School District Gossip

It appears another superintendent is on her way out of the system.  Current superintendent--now on leave--Traci Davis has been accused of misconduct and has issues with competence.  Funny how this was never an issue years ago when they just slapped administrators on the wrist and moved them from job to job to job.

The dirt is here:

Davis was again noticed on Friday that her character, alleged misconduct and professional competence would be reviewed during a public meeting, according the statement.

The statement in full reads:

“Our legal counsel hoped that discussions with Ms. Davis’ legal counsel would lead to a quick and reasonable outcome with Ms. Davis for the benefit of the District. I wanted to be respectful of her privacy and give her a few days to decide what she wanted to do in light of the substantial evidence, which the District had been given. However, during that personal leave of absence when the District was expecting a response, she and her legal counsel failed to comply with the most basic requests for a timely response, and it became clear that the District was possibly being harmed by their actions. At no time did the Board take any action or vote, in private or otherwise, regarding her employment."

Holland said in the statement there were reasons why she didn't share details of the situation earlier this week when asked directly about it by the press.

Another $700,000-plus severance package is no doubt in the works.

What a shitstain district.

Video.  Who knows how long it will be up?

Washoe County School District Gossip

More turmoil in my old district as Superintendent Traci Davis is on administrative leave, and a number of administrators are also gone.

Of course, the real shitty administrators are still there.  What a dump.  I am glad I am gone from there though I would have preferred it have been on my own terms.

The Washoe County School District today announced that Superintendent Traci Davis has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the district for personal reasons.

What was not announced is that her colleagues, Chief Student Services Officer Byron Green and Chief of Staff David Lasic, are suddenly no longer district employees. Green and Lasic, who are married, both saw noted career advancements and pay increases after coming to Washoe County from Clark County School District.

“I can confirm that Byron Green and Davis Lasic are no longer with the school district,” said district spokesperson Megan Downs.

Apparently it is for "personal reasons."

According to the district, "Per Board policy 9082, Dr. Kristen McNeill, Deputy Superintendent, is acting Superintendent. The leave is of indefinite length. Ms. Davis and School Board President, Katy Simon Holland will remain in contact to determine next steps. Neither Ms. Davis nor the school district has further information about the reasons for the Leave of Absence."

Davis will be paid for at least part of the absence, as she has accrued paid time off for which she will be compensated. The district hasn't said how much time off she has coming to her.

The district has not commented further, except to say the absence was not requested by the district or school board; it was strictly Davis's request. The district has confirmed, though, Chief of Staff David Lasic and Chief Student Services Officer Byron Green are no longer employed by the district. No reason has been given as they are personnel matters.

Washoe County School District Gossip

Former principal Kara White, who was terminated in 2013 by the district, has lost her appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court.

It is very hard to overturn an arbitrator's award. They are supposed to be final. You have to go the civil court route to fight a school district termination.



Here is the decision. Scroll clear to the bottom of the page for the June 29 link.

Snip:

White argues that the Award was arbitrary and capricious because substantial evidence does not support Arbitrator Cohn's finding of dishonesty. 7 We disagree.
"The arbitrary-and-capricious standard does not permit a reviewing court to vacate an arbitrator's award based on a misinterpretation of the law." Clark Cty. Educ. Ass'n, 122 Nev. at 343-44, 131 P.3d at 9 (emphasis added). Instead, a court's review of the arbitrary and capricious standard is "limited to whether the arbitrator's findings are
supported by substantial evidence in the record." Id. at 344, 131 P.3d at 9-10.

First, we conclude that Arbitrator Cohn's primary justification for affirming White's discharge was her dishonesty in regard to the misuse of SAFs. Arbitrator Cohn defines "dishonesty" in a footnote, which states that "[am n qu]ntruthful' finding requires preponderant proof of a willful misstatement or omission of material fact." Arbitrator Cohn then
examined the records of the arbitration proceedings and concluded that, based on considerable documentary evidence and testimonies, White's alleged lack of understanding in regard to the use of SAFs and her inability to recall the Manual was implausible such that her responses to the District during her investigatory meeting were dishonest.
We further conclude that there is substantial evidence to support Arbitrator Cohn's findings of dishonesty. First, training on SAFs was provided during White's first year as a principal for Lemmon Valley, in which she was advised that principals were accountable for all school funds and accounts under their supervision. Moreover, the training
emphasized that SAFs could not be used to purchase gift cards for employees. Second, following the 2009 random audit of Lemmon Valley, White was specifically told to reference the Manual. White also responded in writing that she would no longer engage in the improper use of school funds, including the use of SAFs to purchase gift cards for employees.
Third, a copy of the Manual was available at Lemmon Valley, and was provided on the school website. Finally, training materials for SAFs were emailed to White in 2011, which again referenced the Manual. As such, the record shows that the District ensured that principals were well informed of the policies and restrictions relating to the use of SAFs, and
that White was personally educated on the matter. Accordingly, we hold that the Award is neither arbitrary nor capricious.

CONCLUSION

We hold that Arbitrator Cohn did not exceed his authority in affirming the District's termination of White. We further hold that Arbitrator Cohn did not manifestly disregard the law and that his decision was not arbitrary or capricious. As such, we reverse the district court's order granting White's motion to vacate the Award.

My understanding is she also had trouble with faculty, even being named as a defendant in a lawsuit at one point. Regardless, misuse of funds is a big no-no in public employment, including and especially school districts.

Washoe County School District Gossip

Here is an article about the fired principal whose case is now in front of the Nevada Supreme Court.

A person quoted in the article should have been fired herself.

Principals should not be allowed to organize. That is why they are practically impossible to remove.

Several former and current district administrators testified that other principals had made similar missteps and weren’t terminated. They were trained and allowed to improve. When contacted by the Gazette-Journal, all but one of these testifiers declined to comment. Many of them still have contact with or work for the school district.

Of course the entire story is NOT being told.

This principal is said to have a history of railroading teachers she didn't like and she got into trouble for it.

Washoe County School District Gossip

Why am I not surprised the Board of Trustees got in trouble again with the state attorney general?

Details:

Even though the state found the school board at fault for breaking the Open Meeting Law, the attorney general’s office will “forgo prosecution” if the school board agrees to a settlement, according to an offer made to the school board.

The school board unanimously accepted the state’s offer on Tuesday without debate.

In the settlement, the school board acknowledged that all seven of its members violated the Open Meeting Law by participating in the March 24 vote, even though two of them opposed the vote. Board members Nick Smith and Veronica Frenkel voted against Davis’ hire, requesting more time for consideration and public notice.

And so it goes...

Washoe County School District In Hot Water--Again

I haven't written much anymore about the old district now that I am working again, albeit not in exactly what I want, so I have gradually decreased comments on it, but sometimes it is like a train wreck. I just can't look away and ignore it.

Apparently, there is a law in the state where parents who believe their children have been bullied at their schools can petition the state to get involved if the school districts do not do enough to stop or prevent bullying.

This is kind of embarrassing to WCSD, to say the least.



This should be noted:

The State just finished its investigation of this case and made these findings:
1) The bullying claims made by Malibu and her family were true.
2) The Washoe County School District did not conclude its investigation within a 10-day parameter.
3) A Washoe County School District investigator started investigating the complaint.
4) That District investigator determined the bullying claims were substantiated.
5) That initial investigator was pulled off the case, and the investigation was put under the control of another District employee.
6) That change in investigators resulted in an about face. The new investigator determined the claims were not substantiated. No explanation was provided. The state said that subsequent investigation did not include sufficient evidence showing why the determination that bullying had occurred was later reversed.
7) Multiple individuals confirmed the allegations of bullying made by the Robertsons.
8) A second student quit the cheerleading team with an allegation of bullying/harassment from the same coach.
9) Because the district took longer than the 10-day parameter that is legislated, the state said it cannot admonish or suggest disciplinary action for the cheer squad coach.

No Way Would I Work For That Shithole Again

Forget it.

Washoe County School District Gossip

As expected, Traci Davis was appointed "permanent" superintendent of the embattled Washoe County School District today.

However, the vote wasn't unanimous. The vote was 5-2. The two Board members voting against the appointment thought the process should be open to other applicants.

I do think, however, had the Board done that, Davis would have taken a powder, and I would not have blamed her. She was already treated like crap twice before by that Board.

Washoe County School District Gossip

As early as Friday, interim superintendent Traci Davis could be named as "permanent" superintendent by the Board of Trustees.

They don't even have to interview her, either, for the job. And, believe it or not, it is entirely legal:

Davis' hire on Friday would be legal since the issue is on the agenda, but the Nevada Parent Teacher Association, Northern Nevada chamber of commerce and Grein question its prudence.

Davis has not been interviewed for the superintendent position or any other in Washoe County School District.

She came from Las Vegas' school system in 2012 when Martinez hired her as his deputy superintendent. When Martinez resigned in October, the school board unanimously promoted Davis to stand-in superintendent. It didn't interview Davis or any other candidates before making the decision.

She appears to be a competent, well-liked administrator, so she probably won't last all that long in the job if she is appointed.

Washoe County School District Gossip

Lots of nice platitudes here, but nothing will ever change with that school district.

The problem is a superintendent has very little power doing much of anything at all. It's the bureaucratic apparatus that is completely corrupt and dysfunctional and has been for many years. In all my years of working in different companies and agencies (at least 30 different employers), I never worked for any outfit that was as bad as WCSD. The worst departments are HR and the legal department, who flout the law to protect administrators. Sure, the former head of HR was demoted, not fired like he should have been, and the chief lawyer has also been demoted, but the rot is still there. Anybody who is not a member of the inner circle of nepotisms and administrators is vulnerable to being targeted and removed. That's because instead of being wise stewards of taxpayer money, they use the legal system as a first resort to taunt employees victimized by district administrators into suing and settling for a pittance or starving them into taking a severance package for a pittance by putting them on unpaid leave. It is almost impossible to get a lawyer to take a teacher or classified person's case down there. One without legal recourse is ruined financially for life. All some some entitled idiot can have a job with WCSD when that idiot should have been fired.

She is still there. I haven't as yet found out what her new gig is or whether she is going to sit on her ass as president of the principals association and ride it out until she retires.

In any case, it's all at my expense.

Meanwhile, while she is having the time of her life, I have to do everything in my power not to default on my student loans. I have used up all of my deferments and forebearances.

Washoe County School District Gossip

In order to follow the Open Meeting Law or something, the Board of Trustees is asking for public input on selecting a permanent superintendent despite the fact the Board has already made up its collective mind.

They don't dare not appoint interim superintendent Traci Davis; she has already been slapped in the face twice by that Board.

I love this:

Community members will soon be asked which traits they want in a new superintendent to run Washoe County public schools, but they won't be questioned about the elephant in the room:

Should the Washoe County School Board open the superintendent position to applicants or simply hire someone they have in mind?

"There's a part of me interested in seeing the community's perspective" on a superintendent search, said board member Veronica Frenkel, who joined other board members Tuesday in unanimously approving a community survey that omits the overarching question.

The topic is controversial because a contingent of board members — namely Howard Rosenberg and Lisa Ruggerio — has led the charge in recent months to permanently appoint interim Superintendent Traci Davis without considering other applicants or advertising the position for hire.

Of course it's all a formality.

Washoe County School District Gossip

I wonder what make-work position the dipshit who illegally fired me seven years ago got.

I wonder if it is the Title I "job" paying over 120K a year or one of those school "performance" gigs that I saw posted recently. Obviously it is something to get her permanent job security because she is so goddamned inept.

Who knows? It might even be another principal job that she got.

She keeps bouncing around from job to job to job.

This is will be the FIFTH position in seven years that she has had.

I suspect that her current job is going to the AP, hence the very short timeframe to apply for it. The job opening closes today.

The dipshit will probably have the new "job" for a couple of years, and then she will be able to retire with a fat pension.

All at my expense, of course.
_____

Here is an updated report of the demotion and reassignment of the district's lead counsel.

Speaking of which, I didn't see this editorial from a few days ago.

Washoe County School District Gossip

Since the Board decided on outside counsel for their meetings instead of district counsel given how disastrous that "advice" was over the Pedro Martinez debacle, WCSD chief counsel Randy Drake has been demoted to a position paying 40-percent less. His new job, a new job for the district, involves grants.

The second-in-command will be interim general counsel. I hope he is passed over for the permanent job, for he is a bigger slime than Drake.

A snippet from the report:

The School Board will vote on a settlement agreement Tuesday that would end Randy Drake's eight-year tenure as chief general counsel and move him out of the legal department.

In the settlement, Drake has agreed to relinquish his status as head attorney with $139,500 in base salary and be reassigned to a position of lower rank paying $83,515.

...

Drake's contract as lead attorney allows the board to terminate him if the district pays severance equal to at least one year's salary and benefits. That would amount to at least $150,000.

Drake, however, won't receive any payout for agreeing to resign as general counsel and cut short his corresponding contract by more than a year, Mayer said on Thursday.

"He's not receiving any financial settlement at all," said Mayer, calling it a settlement only in name. "It really isn't a resignation but reassignment."

Stay tuned for more nonsense from that shithole of a district.

Since things are very, very, very slowly improving for me, I was hoping not to write anything more about that place.

However, it's like a goddamned train wreck. You want to look away, but you can't.

Washoe County School District Gossip

A whole slew of openings for internal transfers are from my old school of Sparks Middle School, including the person who took my job after I left there in 2007. She had that job for seven years.

I wonder if the reason for all of the turnover is because the new principal there isn't all that good.

Or it may be this school is turning into some kind of STEM "academy" or whatever bullshit the reformers are trying to do.

There were a bunch of openings last year, I suspect as fallout from the shooting back in October of 2013.

There might also be a bunch of retirements. There were a lot of longtime teachers who were there and perhaps wanted to get the hell out of there when they could since the district is such a shitstain.

There are also principal openings at Double Diamond, Donner Springs, and Vaughn Middle School.

As for SMS:

Two science teachers
One ELL teacher
One Spanish teacher (this might be a newly created position)
One math teacher
One Sped CLS (my old job)
One half-time sped (this might be new position)
One full-time position
One AVID position (new position)
Technology/Robotics
STEM implementation specialist

The Gang That Can't Shoot Straight--WCSD, Who Else?

The Board has decided it needs to hire the outside law firm of Maupin, Cox & LeGoy to bail themselves out in the potential Open Meeting Law violations in hiring interim superintendent Traci Davis without public notice. The Board had to withdraw the offer when they realized they committed an "oops."

They need to fire those shysters they have employed at the district that gave them such shitty advice to begin with.

The general counsel department is one of the biggest problems with that district because they do not follow the law. They use the legal system as a first resort to taunt people victimized by the district to dare to sue them and later settle with it for a pittance.

Lots of school districts abuse the legal system thanks to them being non-profits and not having to worry about going to be bankrupt because of lawsuits.

I wished I had known all of this years ago. It would have saved me a ton of grief.

Washoe County School District Gossip or Whatever

A reader tipped me off regarding a (former) principal who got into trouble a couple of years back and the issue had been reported by some of the local media. Apparently, she has been fighting back, but, since these matters are always secret, it's really difficult to get any real information.

This is what I found from the Washoe County Second Judicial Court site:

Case Information
Case Description: CV15-00572 - KARA WHITE ET AL V WASHOE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Filing Date: 30-Mar-2015
Case Type: CA - APPEAL FROM LOWER COURT
Status: NEF - Proof of Electronic Service
Case Cross Reference
Cross Reference Number(s)
Case Parties
Party Type Name
JUDG - Judge FREEMAN, SCOTT N.
ATTY - Attorney Guinasso, Esq., Jason D.
RESP - Respondent WASHOE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT,
ATTY - Attorney Reich, Esq., Christopher B.
PETR - Petitioner WHITE, KARA
PETR - Petitioner WASHOE COUNTY PRINCIPALS' ASSOCIATION,
Event Information
Hearing/Event Details
Docket Entry Information
Docket Description Date Filed Addl. Text
1. PAYRC - **Payment Receipted 30-Mar-2015 A Payment of $260.00 was made on receipt DCDC494438.
2. 2490 - Motion ... 30-Mar-2015 MOTION TO VACATE ARBITRATION AWARD - Transaction 4883706 - Approved By: CSULEZIC : 03-30-2015:15:58:09
3. 2490 - Motion ... 30-Mar-2015 MOTION TO VACATE ARBITRATION AWARD - Transaction 4883694 - Approved By: CSULEZIC : 03-30-2015:15:54:28
4. 2490 - Motion ... 30-Mar-2015 MOTION TO VACATE ARBITRITION AWARD - Transaction 4883617 - Approved By: CSULEZIC : 03-30-2015:15:48:36
5. $1425 - $Complaint - Civil 30-Mar-2015 CODE UTILIZED FOR FILING FEES ONLY - IMAGE MOVED TO VACATE ARBITRATION AWARD - CS
6. NEF - Proof of Electronic Service 30-Mar-2015 Transaction 4884093 - Approved By: NOREVIEW : 03-30-2015:15:59:28
7. NEF - Proof of Electronic Service 30-Mar-2015 Transaction 4884064 - Approved By: NOREVIEW : 03-30-2015:15:55:58
8. NEF - Proof of Electronic Service 30-Mar-2015 Transaction 4884022 - Approved By: NOREVIEW : 03-30-2015:15:50:06
9. 2490 - Motion ... 30-Mar-2015 MOTION TO VACATE ARBITRATION AWARD - Transaction 4883187 - Approved By: CSULEZIC : 03-30-2015:14:13:58

I don't think there is any way, unless you are an attorney or something, to be able to access the actual documents here.