The Sioux City School Board members discussed a personnel-related topic in closed session for 70 minutes Monday evening, but took no action.
The seven school board members came back to a brief one-minute open session after the closed session, to report no action had been taken. Board President Jan George said he could discuss no aspects of what was discussed in the closed session, which had been requested by an employee.
Per Iowa law concerning public meetings, closed sessions can be held when the professional competency of a person is being discussed, so as to prevent irreparable injury to his or her reputation.
The meeting came one week after another special closed meeting, when the school board members placed Superintendent Juan Cordova on a paid leave of absence.
In October, the school board approved hiring the Lynch Dallas Law firm in Cedar Rapids as an outside investigator for a personnel matter that has not been publicly pinpointed.
In the latest meeting, the sole short public deliberation came with the decision to begin the closed session portion. The board’s attorney said the topic to be addressed fit the definition necessitating a closed session.
That measure passed on a 6-1 vote, with board member Dan Greenwell voting no. Greenwell said he wanted to finalize the issue at hand in the open, as the district has a completed report concerning a Title IX issue.
"Without knowing the specifics of the meeting, I do not believe that undertaking another closed session to discuss enhanced payola or capitulating on terms and conditions is warranted. It would be going backward for no justifiable reason," he said.
At that point, board president George stopped Greenwell from speaking, per the advice of the attorney. A few board members declined comment as they exited the building. more than an hour later
Beyond a handful of school employees and journalists, two members of the public observed the meeting.
Cordova told Siouxland Public Media News last week that he could not give information about the latest leave of absence. When it came to whether he was the subject of the independent investigation, Cordova also declined comment.
A district official added that Iowa law prohibits sharing personnel information to pinpoint reasons or the duration of the paid administrative leave.
This is the second leave of absence in four months for Cordova, who was hired in July 2025, after the retirement of former Superintendent Rod Earleywine. He had worked most recently for a school district in Missouri.
