The Lyon County School Board decided to postpone a meeting on the competence and character of school Superintendent Nat Lommori over concerns about possible violations of the state's open-meeting law.
Though chief deputy District Attorney Mark Krueger at Tuesday's regularly scheduled meeting said it was legal to continue a public meeting within three days of the publicly noticed meeting, board Chairman Russell Colletta decided to err on the side of caution and adjourn the meeting until 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The wait would have been longer, but Lommori waived his right to have five days public notice on the meeting.
The board met Tuesday at Silver Stage High School in Silver Springs to discuss how Lommori has carried out his duties as superintendent and agreed to continue the meeting Thursday.
In their notice to him, the board outlined six areas of inquiry involving information to the board about employee grievances and the retaining of legal counsel, favoritism and preferential treatment, failing to place items on the agenda or create follow-up reports and failing to have his assistant carry out directives of the board.
Several administrators testified in defense of the superintendent at that meeting, who said he did summon them to come, but added they had the option not to attend.
Colletta said that because some issues pertaining to the open-meeting law had been brought up to the board, he preferred to postpone the meeting and re-notice the meeting for Wednesday.
"Because we believe in an abundance of caution, it would be best to wait and re-notice the meeting," Colletta said.
Even with the re-noticing of the meeting, Colletta said that testimony and discussion from Tuesday's meeting was still legal, since that meeting was properly noticed.
Under NRS guidelines, meetings of public boards must be noticed at least three days in advance of the meeting, with meetings regarding competence and character noticed five days in advance.
With his waiver of the five-day rule, Lommori made the three-day notice legally acceptable.
Lommori said that although he was ready to proceed, he had no objection to the postponement.
"I've had some discussions about this meeting," he said. "But I feel I'm still in charge and I have to advise people about the legality."
If you go
WHAT: Lyon County School Board meeting
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday
WHERE: Silver Stage High School Commons, 3755 West Spruce St.
CALL: (775) 463-6800