Community gives input on possible consolidations

Dozens of parents, teachers, administrators and a handful of students turned out last Wednesdays for the first of two public meetings to discuss possible school consolidations.

While the discussion was hosted by the Clark County School District, it was led by Cannon Design, which is assisting with the district’s Facility Master Plan, which was called their road map for the future.

It was stressed early on that CCSD wants community input while working on the plan. That night, attendees were encouraged to use a QR code to answer questions, which were then shown in real-time on a pair of screens in the school’s cafeteria. The results will be turned over to CCSD.

“I hope it becomes abundantly clear as we get into this, that this is a transparent process,” said Cannon’s Paul Mills, who led the discussion. “This is something that is inclusive with the community’s voice involved and it is data informed.”

Earlier in the school year, CCSD, the fifth largest school district in the nation, put out its five-year enrollment projections for all of its schools going out through to the 2030-31 school year. For the Boulder City public schools, it shows the following with current enrollment, projected number of students and the percentage of increase or decrease in five years:

■ Andrew Mitchell Elementary … 340 … 296 … 13% decrease

■ Boulder City High School: 582 … 489 … 16% decrease

■ Garrett Junior High … 380 … 291 … 23% decrease

■ Martha P. King Elementary… 359 … 261 … 27% decrease

Overall, CCSD is anticipating a 10-11% decrease in enrollment district-wide in five years.

The report also shows projected utilization percentages (number of seats filled) in five years. Mitchell comes in at 64% followed by BCHS 55%, King 45% and Garrett 41%. It was pointed out that these numbers take into account those students attending Boulder City schools though the Choice of School Assignment (COSA) program. Around 30% of BCHS’ enrollment and 15% of Garrett’s students come from Henderson or Las Vegas.

More than five years ago, CCSD brought forth a plan calling for the closure of Garrett, King and Mitchell and building a new, K-8 campus.

That proposal received plenty of pushback from the community and the plan was scrapped.

But consolidation is not off the table. Based on projected enrollments and the age of Mitchell (built in 1970), Garrett (1978) and King (1991), the district is looking at its options. Prior to the opening of King, Mitchell was a K-5 campus. Using the QR Code, a slight majority of those at last week’s meeting chose the option that would combine Mitchell and King into one campus, likely at King since it is 21 years newer.

“When we’re talking about change, we know it can be difficult,” Mills said. “That’s because schools are so personal to us and our communities. As human beings we react to an idea by saying, ‘I like that idea or I don’t like that idea.’ We want to empower you to think a little differently. If you find yourself thinking ‘no,’ ask yourself if there’s a ‘yes, if…’ there.”

During a March 4 CCSD board meeting, Deputy Superintendent Felicia Gonzales said that rapid growth the district saw more than a decade ago has leveled off. Families have moved away or have chosen educational alternatives for their children.

“We can finally stop chasing the finish line and focus on the quality of the race,” she said.

The district currently manages roughly 400 buildings. She said the truth is that the district currently has $15 billion in facility needs but only $3.6 billion in available bond funding.

CCSD has built more than 50 schools and renovated another 250 since 2017.

“We can no longer afford to spread our resources thin across under-utilized buildings simply because that’s how we’ve always done it,” Gonzales said, “To stay the course, we must manage the enrollment decline. By moving away from keeping up with the growth, we can pivot toward excellence by design.”

A second community meeting is tentatively set for 6 p.m. on May 13 at BCHS.

However, it was pointed out that there may be a conflict with that date if the BCHS boys volleyball team is playing that night in the state tournament.