Two-story schools may ease crowding

Benjamin Grove

Monday, March 8, 1999 | 11:05 a.m.

Two-story schools may be the answer to crisis-level crowding in elementary schools, especially in northeast Las Vegas.

Clark County school officials say they are eyeing two-story designs that could fit on smaller plots of land than the one-story models they have built for years.

"We're looking for options," said Pat Herron, assistant superintendent for facilities and transportation services.

School crowding, which plagues numerous areas of the district, worsened in northeast Las Vegas when plans to build William K. Moore Elementary, near Lamb Boulevard and Colorado Avenue, fell through last year. The two men who own the land, brothers who live out of state, have asked roughly $800,000 more than what the district was willing to pay, officials have said.

Moore was to have opened in August.

Officials are negotiating for four other land parcels for elementary schools in the northeast. But several of the parcels could amount to fewer than 12 acres, the amount needed to build a one-story building for about 670 pupils.

So during the past few weeks, officials have discussed building two-story schools. District officials have avoided two-story elementary schools because they can be more costly due in part to "wasted," space, such as stairwells and elevator shafts.

Herron said eight acres is big enough for a two-story elementary school that holds about 600 students.

Officials emphasize that they don't want bigger elementary schools -- just taller ones. Officials don't want bigger schools for educational reasons. They say students have a harder time learning in large schools.

"We don't want 1,000 kids running around," School Board member Susan Brager said. "They have no identity."

School officials say that in general they would rather fight growth by building more smaller schools than fewer larger ones.

The district typically builds elementary schools for 600 to 700 pupils, although roughly 35 Clark County elementary schools have more than 800 pupils crowded into the buildings. Several have more than 1,000.

Several observers say they like the idea of two-story schools.

Jack Levin, who ran unsuccessfully for the School Board, advocated the plan in his campaign.

"The first reason I wanted to do it is safety -- two stories has got to be safer than all these portables," Levin said.

Louis Overstreet, a member of the district's bond oversight committee, said, "I don't know why this town didn't use it earlier. You've got a smaller site, that's less cost. I was pleasantly surprised to see this is being considered."