"This is totally unthinkable" - Douglas County School Board selects John Ramirez Jr. as next superintendent

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. - In a move that shouldn't be surprising to anyone following the Douglas County School Board, four members of the board approved the hiring of John Ramirez Jr. as its next superintendent. This move was much to the displeasure of a majority of the public taking part in the meeting.

"This is a dark day for Douglas County School District," said Bob Franks Tuesday night.

During the six-hour meeting on Tuesday, much of the public and some board members expressed concern about the process of hiring a new superintendent. They asked the board majority (David Burns, Katherine Dickerson, Doug Englekirk, and Susan Jansen) to take a step back and slow down the process to get the best candidate into the top spot of the District.

"You have been entrusted with a jewel of a school district," said one member of the public, Ms. Tanner. "You need to select a superintendent who knows all levels of staff and brings skills that create a rich learning environment. The community is counting on you."

During the evening the DUI misdemeanor Ramirez received in August of 2022 was discussed. He had a blood alcohol level of .225 percent but left that arrest off of his application for superintendent.

Besides the DUI, Ramirez has been the subject of a sexual harassment allegation by a former employee, votes of no confidence from two classified and certificated employee unions in 2013, an investigation into the reported misuse of a district credit card, and censure of his teaching credential after pleading no contest to a charge of hit-and-run. The Stockton School District's financial mismanagement and dysfunction were the subject of a grand jury report under his helm.

"Our teachers and students deserve the best," said Trustee Linda Gilkerson. "Are we settling for just okay?" She was concerned when Ramirez said leaving the DUI offense off his application was an "oversight" and that his application had missing pieces when originally submitted.

Gilkerson said the public is asking them to slow the process down, and that they should be listening to their constituents.

"You are showing total disregard to what the people are asking, you want to hire someone with a black cloud over him," said Gilkerson. "He lied on his application. This is totally unthinkable."

New Trustee Yvonne Wagstaff joined Gilkerson and Trustee Carey Kangas with concerns over the rush to hire a superintendent.

"The public wants the board to take their time and make sure they are making the best choice," said Wagstaff. "We are here for the public."

A majority of speakers Tuesday asked for a more transparent superintendent search process with a firm that seeks qualified candidates and performs background checks before finalists are presented to the board.

The four board members who voted to hire Ramirez didn't have a whole lot to say except that a misdemeanor DUI shouldn't be held against him. They also defended his use of a district credit card for personal expenses.

Board President Burns said that if they don't hire Ramirez because of a DUI, then everyone with one in the District should be fired.

There were two finalists for the superintendent position who met the public on Monday and were then interviewed by the school board trustees on Tuesday.
The other candidate, Dennis Holmes, scored higher than Ramirez in the pre-interview selection criteria. Holmes scored 256 points and Ramirez 197. Out of the nine candidates who applied for the position, Holmes had the top score, and Ramirez had the third highest. The candidate with the second highest points took another position before the Douglas County interviews.

Burns and the District's legal counsel, Joey Gilbert, will now be creating a contract for Ramirez. During his last position in Stockton, Ramirez worked one year and received $285,000 plus benefits. He resigned in June 2022 and was then placed on emeritus status for almost one year, but that agreement was terminated.