School Board hit with criticism over lawsuit expenses

Terry Webster

Friday, Sept. 24, 1999 | 11:11 a.m.

Armed with stacks of documents from the school district's financial office, the executive director of the Clark County Association of School Administrators Thursday questioned the handling of nearly a half-million dollars worth of purchase orders relating to a 1996 lawsuit.

"I am concerned that there is not a procedure in place that establishes guidelines for providing representation for members of the Board of School Trustees," Allin Chandler said. "In this litigation, one board member (Lois Tarkanian) was allowed to secure the services of three different law firms at a cost of $429,755.74. The total cost for all defendants was $492,228.65."

Charging that board members and other school officials ignored policies and regulations, the CCASA filed the lawsuit in connection with a special education audit. There was a settlement agreement that included no monetary award, Chandler said.

He also admitted that most of the lawsuit was directed at Tarkanian.

According to Chandler, the CCSA's tab for the lawsuit totaled $106,000. He said it was filed only after attempts to resolve it outside the courtroom failed.

Chandler pointed to a purchase order on the evening's board agenda, along with several other paid expenses.

"I believe the purchase order before you this evening has been processed in a way to deliberately deceive the public, more specifically to deceive me, and perhaps even to deceive you," he told the board.

A $122,050 item for Jimmerson Hansen PC was labeled "service professional" instead of "legal fees," which is what it was referred to previously, he said.

In it, Chandler detailed $5,073 for travel fees for an attorney, a $2,000 bill for an expert witness that never testified and travel expenses of $2,236 for a three-hour deposition in Wisconsin.

In response, Tarkanian said she thought all of the purchase orders were submitted properly and were in order. She also said that she has stated on numerous occasions that she would pay for anything the district told her to.

Board members asked school attorneys to further look into the matter.

On another matter, the board agreed to rebuild Madison Elementary School on J Street under a program required by state legislation. The project will be funded with money from the Capital Building Improvement Program. Two other schools, Booker Elementary on Martin Luther King Boulevard and Kelly Elementary, also on J Street, were considered under the measure.