State panel told small schools are better

Wednesday, Oct. 27, 1999 | 11:46 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Smaller schools should be built in Nevada because they turn out better students than the large structures like some high schools in Clark County, a state commission was told Tuesday.

Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, told the state Planning Commission for the New Construction, Design, Maintenance and Repair of School Facilities, "We're going the wrong way," in building larger schools.

"Look at Las Vegas -- Durango and Cheyenne are large high schools, and they cost $30 million to $35 million," Schneider said. "That runs a lot more per square foot. You can put up smaller buildings for a lot less per square foot."

But Clark County Commissioner Myrna Williams said there was another side to the issue. "You have to take into account the acquisition of land. There isn't much of that," she said.

The only place a move to smaller schools might work, Williams said, is new areas where there is vacant land. "Otherwise the cost is enormous" to acquire the land for schools in developed areas.

The commission, headed by Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, invited experts to testify on the subject. Giunchigliani, a schoolteacher, said she was once assigned to Swainston Middle School, which is one of the biggest in the nation and had a high violence rate. She said just moving students from one class to another resulted in problems because of the size.

She said permits should not be issued to developers until they provide for land for schools, libraries and parks.

Williams replied that has been done in new areas. But the cost of property for schools in developed areas is high.

Schneider, a developer, said he was on a committee a few years ago to look at breaking up the Clark County School District, one of the largest in the nation. The evidence, he said showed there would not be any benefit to students to split the district.

But what came out of that study, he said was "Small schools turn out better students." That coupled with class size reduction work.

For instance, he said, some high schools have 3,600 students. Because of the large numbers many of the clubs and activities fill up quickly, leaving interesetd students out.

In such a school 150 students may try out for cheerleader, but only eight to 10 would be chosen. Only 11 can play on a basketball team, he said, noting that some students would opt to not even try out because of the competition. "A lot of kids don't want to handle rejection."

Charter schools offer one answer, Schneider said. "But that's not a panacea," he said.

The commission adopted a work plan for the coming year to review the efforts of school districts to finance construction, maintenance and repair. It will meet Jan. 11 in Las Vegas to look at Nye, Lincoln and Clark counties' school districts.

The 1999 Legislature authorized the state to issue up to $16 million in bonds to help districts in financial trouble to either repair deteriorating schools or build new ones.

Mary Peterson, state superintendent of public instruction, told the commission that applications have been received so far from Lincoln County for a new high school and from White Pine County for schools in Lund, Pleasant Valley and a middle school in the Ely area.

She said the decisions will be made by state Budget Director Perry Comeaux and the state Board of Examiners.