School Board gives final OK for $3.5B in facility projects

The Clark County School Board voted unanimously Wednesday to springiness last support for $3.5 cardinal successful installation projects for the adjacent 14 years.

The committee held a associated gathering with the enslaved oversight committee, which decided Oct. 28 connected the task recommendations.

Projects are for the 5th revision to the schoolhouse district’s 2015 superior betterment program, which allows for issuing bonds for installation projects. The programme was primitively slated to past for 10 years, but the authorities Legislature decided this twelvemonth to widen it done 2035.

Trustees said Wednesday they’re excited astir the upcoming projects and thanked territory staff.

“I privation to commend the enactment that was done connected this,” said Trustee Lisa Guzman, who’s the committee liaison to the enslaved oversight committee.

Guzman, on with a fistful of different trustees, asked however the territory is addressing concerns raised by the metropolis of Henderson that revision 5 doesn’t see a caller accepted precocious schoolhouse successful the city, which has experienced schoolhouse overcrowding.

The revision, though, does see plans for 5 caller precocious schools, including a 1,000-student “choice” field successful southeast Henderson.

During a nationalist remark period, Tara Phebus, acquisition initiatives serviceman for the City of Henderson, work a missive from Mayor Debra March into the record.

In the letter, March said revision 5 doesn’t conscionable the needs of Henderson and the metropolis can’t enactment “a projected revision that continues to disregard the request for different accepted precocious schoolhouse to enactment colonisation maturation successful westbound Henderson.”

March besides expressed concerns astir the size and determination of the prime school, noting it’s a tiny field that volition gully students from crossed the Las Vegas Valley, not a zoned surrounding geographic area.

The missive fails to code the 1,800-student vocation and method academy already approved for operation successful westbound Henderson, Chief of Facilities Jeff Wagner told the board.

The schoolhouse territory has estimated a request for 2,800 further precocious schoolhouse seats successful Henderson and feels it volition beryllium capable to conscionable that betwixt the 2 caller schools, Wagner said.

The world is the territory doesn’t person capable resources to code each needs crossed the valley, helium said.

Here are immoderate of the projects the committee approved:

— Five caller precocious schools: Two “comprehensive” precocious schools, which are accepted campuses, volition beryllium constructed successful southwest Las Vegas (near the intersection of West Cactus Avenue and South Buffalo Drive) and northwest Las Vegas (near the intersection of North Skye Canyon Park Drive and Log Cabin Way).

Two “choice” precocious schools volition beryllium built successful the westbound and southeast valley, and Robinson Middle School successful cardinal Las Vegas volition beryllium converted to a prime precocious school.

— Las Vegas Academy of the Arts: Another large task is renovating and replacing Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, which volition hap successful 8 phases implicit 10 years.

A maestro program for the field was developed successful 2018, but determination wasn’t capable wealth disposable astatine the clip to execute the project, Wagner said.

Now, the task volition let Las Vegas Academy — the oldest precocious schoolhouse successful the district, built successful 1930 — to summation its capableness to 2,200 students.

— 10 caller simple schools: The schoolhouse territory volition earmark wealth for 10 caller simple schools, with circumstantial sites yet-to-be determined. It doesn’t expect those volition request to beryllium constructed until astatine slightest 2026.

— Replacement schools: Elementary schools slated for replacement, with opening dates anyplace from 2024 to 2031, are: Bennett, Mountain View, Red Rock, Hancock, Helen Smith, Wengert, Stewart, Kelly, Tomiyasu, Cahlan, Diskin, Herron, Rowe and Bracken STEAM Academy. Original buildings lone volition besides beryllium replaced astatine Dearing and Dondero schools.

The Kelly Elementary School task calls for a 400-student field with a “community schoolhouse concept” that volition see “wraparound services for the assemblage and a imaginable concern with a assemblage partner,” according to online gathering materials.

Middle schools that volition beryllium replaced, opening from 2025 to 2034, are: Brinley, Woodbury, Garside, Von Tobel, Robison, Cashman, Bridger, Guinn, Hyde Park, Cannon, Orr, Indian Springs K-12, Gibson Leadership Academy, Mahlon Brown Academy of International Studies and Knudson Academy of Arts.

— Other projects: The territory volition physique a field astatine St. Jude’s Ranch for Children successful Boulder City that volition service astir 60 kid victims of enactment trafficking.

The territory besides plans to person Laughlin Junior/Senior High School and Bennett Elementary School successful Laughlin into kindergarten done 12th people campuses. And cafeteria additions are planned astatine Eldorado, Bonanza and Basic precocious schools.

In summation to gathering projects, the territory volition beryllium fixed flexibility to usage $525 cardinal for exertion and onshore acquisition for installation modernization instead.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener astatine jgreener@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton connected Twitter.