LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The clock is ticking for Clark County School District Trustee Katie Williams to respond to a letter from District Attorney Steven Wolfson.
The letter Wolfson sent to Williams is dated Sept. 4 and asks Williams to vacate her seat since she is no longer a resident of the State of Nevada.
Williams has until Sept. 9 to respond to the DA's letter.
“That district will be left without a voice but in all practicality, they have been left without a voice for some time," said John Vellardita, Executive Director at CCEA.
"If you do not live in the community, then you are not a part of the community, so you have no say in what happens in our community," said parent Kiyana, who did not want to go on camera.
Kiyana said her son goes to Legacy High School in North Las Vegas and raised concerns after learning the trustee who was elected to serve her community is no longer living in the state.
"I consider myself a rule follower and you have to follow the rule," said Kiyana. "If your job dictates that you have to live in a certain state, then you need to live in that state.
But not all residents feel the same way.
"She's not harming anybody, just let her work," said Jerry Chase.
Kattie Williams was elected to the Clark County School Board in 2020 to represent District B, which includes roughly 40,000 students across North Las Vegas, northwestern Las Vegas, Mt. Charleston and Indian Springs.
The Executive Director of the Clark County Education Association, John Vellardita, said Trustees get to decide how CCSD's $3.2 billion dollar budget is spent, student outcome, and are responsible for the hiring and firing of the superintendent.
Click here to learn more about trustees responsibilities.
"They have to ultimately be answerable to their constituents," Vellardita said.
If Williams gives up her seat or is removed, Vellardita said that could shake up the search for the next CCSD superintendent and their start date.
"It could be a big wrench in the works, if you will, because they are supposed to be looking at for candidates in October with a deadline of having somebody hired by November and she's been given by September 9 by the DA's office to either vacate her office, you know, or they will take steps to remove her. If there is a vacancy whether it be by removal or she resigns, that kicks off a process where the board of trustees, the current member of board of trustees would have to open it up for the community for applications," Vellardita said.
According to CCSD governing policies, the vacant position will be advertised in the local newspapers, at least once a week for two weeks, and applications from those interested in serving on the Board will be solicited.
Each candidate will be interviewed by a majority of the Board at a public meeting scheduled in accordance with the open meeting laws. Board members could vote on the replacement the same day they interview candidates.
Any candidate may withdraw his or her application for the vacancy at any time.
To learn more about how trustees fill a vacancy in the board, click here.
Channel 13 asked Vellardita if the votes Williams cast during the period when she was allegedly no longer considered a resident could be nullified.
"Does the law allow and change all that? Our understanding is that the law doesn't allow that, but that doesn't prevent the current board of trustees to look at those votes. Most of these votes that have been taken have been 4-3 votes with Williams casting the 4th vote," said Vellardita. "Nothing prevents the board of trustees to do the right thing in our opinion and be responsible to their constituents and community and look at some of these key votes and asked for them to be reconsidered."
Vellardita said if trustees want to reconsider Williams votes, they would have to place it on a CCSD school board meeting agenda to make the decision.
CCEA also called for any trustee who knew about Williams' change in residency to resign immediately, and that any vote 4-3 where Williams was the fourth vote should be vacated for the time Williams no longer lived in Nevada.
Additionally, the union called for an end to the policy that bars trustees from speaking directly to the media and community members, saying the policy "has been used to prevent transparency and accountability."
