LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Clark County School District has scheduled more than 40 community listening sessions between the end of March and mid May to collect input on the district’s new facilities master plan called “Building Brighter Futures.”
The first session is in Henderson on March 30.
“For decades, CCSD was one of the fastest-growing districts in the nation, and we stretched our capacity to open new school buildings and hire enough staff to fill them. Today, the landscape has changed, and our strategy must change with it,” CCSD Superintendent Jhone Ebert said in a statement.
CCSD has about $15 billion in needed improvements for school buildings, but it only has $3.6 in available bond funds.
That led district leaders and the firm it’s working with to think differently how they want to move forward.
“It means choosing to invest deeply in fewer, higher quality spaces rather than tethering our future to aging, underutilized facilities,” said Paul Mills of CannonDesign.
CCSD, alongside CannonDesign, utilized feedback from 18 previously held community forums to develop possible options.
Rezoning schools, repurposing surplus buildings, merging programs or schools and expanding student options are all on the table of possibilities.
“We gotta do this intentionally and correctly, and it needs to be in a circumstance of we’re not just closing schools to go to a similar school that’s further away, but rather to look at a true trade up opportunity,” said Mills.
District leaders say whatever gets decided wouldn’t be implemented until at least 2030.
“I’m glad that they’re thinking ahead this far in the future, because it will affect them as they get older,” said mother Michelle Hartman.
“It makes me feel like they’re trying to take care of the kids, looking forward into the future on what they can improve on, especially for the kids and their education,” said Valeria Santiago, another mom.
She does have some reservations though, especially when it comes to potentially closing schools.
“That’s definitely a longer conversation,” she said.
