First new public school in Clark County since 2010 under construction

By Ian Whitaker

Thursday, April 14, 2016 | 6:02 p.m.

Construction is underway on the first new school in the Clark County School District since 2010.

School officials and state leaders — Gov. Brian Sandoval among them — gathered today on a patch of empty land near Lake Las Vegas to kick off the latest round of school construction. The 10-year campaign, approved by lawmakers last year, will cost taxpayers about $4.1 billion by the time it’s finished.

“We’re so grateful that Nevada’s legislators saw the need here in Clark County,” School District Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky said.

Located near the intersection of Dave Wood Circle and Galleria Drive in Henderson, the building is one of six elementary schools the district hopes to open for the start of the 2017-2018 school year.

The school will accommodate about 850 students, relieving overcrowding at nearby Sewell, Hinman, Treem and Thorpe elementary schools.

In total, about 17 new schools are on track to be built in the next five years. That’s not including more than a dozen additions to current buildings and top-to-bottom renovations of 11 existing schools.

The need for new schools in Clark County is critical. The district, whose last attempt at raising bonds for construction was defeated by voters in 2012, survived the tail end of the recession and is now facing the effects of population growth.

“We have to be able to have the [schools] for those residents,” said Sandoval.

Crowding, especially on the valley’s outer edges, is straining many schools.

Enrollment stands at 320,738 students as of this month, an all-time high. The district has seen an increase of about 9,000 students in the past three years.