School Board approves rezoning for 12 campuses

The Clark County School Board voted Monday to approve attendance zone changes for about a dozen schools in Henderson, northwest Las Vegas and Indian Springs that will take effect next school year.

Every year, the Attendance Zone Advisory Commission reviews attendance zones and recommends changes. Public input meetings were held in January.

Changes are based on factors such as student enrollment and new homes under construction. It’s an effort to alleviate school overcrowding in fast-growing areas of the valley.

School board President Evelyn Garcia Morales thanked the advisory commission, saying the work is “really difficult,” especially with overcrowding that exists in some areas, and some of the decisions are challenging.

For two zoning changes, trustees opted to side with school district staff recommendations, which were different than advisory commission proposals.

At the end of the meeting, commission member Anna Binder told trustees: “I want to cry right now.”

She said many hours of work goes into the process and meeting with communities, and she recognizes they’re never going to make everybody happy with about 300,000 students in the district.

“But my heart as I go home tonight is just in the gutter over what happened here,” she said.

The dozen campuses represent only a fraction of the Clark County School District’s more than 360 schools. However, the rezoning process can be contentious — particularly, for families who decided where to live based on which schools they want their children to attend.

The board heard only a few public comments during Monday’s meeting — a couple opposed to proposed changes and one home builder representative who was in favor.

Current ninth through 11th graders impacted by rezoning at Coronado and Arbor View high schools will be grandfathered in and allowed to stay at their campus until they graduate.

The change will affect only incoming ninth graders and newly-enrolled students.

Middle and high schoolers in Indian Springs also won’t have to change schools.

Some students will be reassigned at these schools:

— From Ellis to Wallin elementary schools in Henderson.

Students in kindergarten through fifth grades will be reassigned. There are currently 184 students living in the affected area.

In a written public comment, members of Ellis’ school organizational team asked trustees to reconsider the rezoning boundary and for a larger portion of its attendance zone to be moved to Wallin.

“The rezoning currently proposed does not change our student population and gives no relief to our staff or overcrowding situation,” the letter states. “Many teachers have expressed their intent to leave our school due to large class sizes and the overwhelming workload.”

Enrollment projections at Ellis for next school year show approximately 983 to 1,014 students, the letter states.

— From Coronado to Green Valley high schools in Henderson.

The affected area is south of Wigwam Parkway to Stephanie Street, west of Stephanie Street to Interstate 215, north of Interstate 215 to Green Valley Parkway and east of Green Valley Parkway to Wigwam Parkway.

Students in that area will be reassigned to Green Valley, which is closer to where they live and provides “a safer route to school,” according to online meeting materials.

The change will affect 277 students.

–From Arbor View to Centennial high schools in northwest Las Vegas.

Both schools are already over capacity, with 130 percent of capacity at Arbor View and 114 percent at Centennial. The change will affect 202 students.

— From Indian Springs Elementary School to Scherkenbach and Bilbray elementary schools in northwest Las Vegas.

— From Indian Springs Middle School to Escobedo Middle School in northwest Las Vegas.

Trustees approved district’s staff alternative recommendation, which says students currently enrolled in sixth and seventh grades in Indian Springs can remain at the school with transportation. Only incoming sixth graders and newly-enrolled students will be reassigned.

— From Indian Springs High School to Centennial High School in northwest Las Vegas.

Indian Springs sixth through 11th graders will be grandfathered in. The change will only impact newly-enrolled students to the area.

Three students live in the area and one currently attends Indian Springs High.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.