Nevada to lead nation in high school graduates

Lisa Snedeker

Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2000 | 9:30 a.m.

Nevada will lead the nation in the increase of high school graduates over the next decade, U.S. Education Secretary Richard Riley told a group of state and local educators here Monday.

Riley said there is a 66 percent increase in high school graduates projected for Nevada by 2010, compared with the national average of 10 percent. Nevada by far outpaces the next two fastest-growing states, 40 percent for Arizona and 27 percent in Florida.

"Teachers and parents in Las Vegas know what I'm talking about," Riley said in his 15-minute speech to about 800 educators at a high school in Henderson.

"Las Vegas and Clark County seem to be one big construction site when it comes to schools and attracting new teachers."

Projected enrollment increases will require the Las Vegas Valley to build new schools for an additional 150,000 students by 2010.

Nevada is expected to see a 12 percent overall increase in public school enrollment over the next decade.

Riley's visit came on the heels of the newly released Education Department report, "Growing Pains: The Challenge of Overcrowded Schools is Here to Stay."

"It's not coming back down," said Riley, referring to the report that shows steady enrollment increases. "We will never go back to a time free of growing pains. The challenge is here to stay."

In the past 10 years, enrollment in the Clark County School District doubled from about 100,000 students to more than 200,000, making it the eighth largest school district in the country, and third in terms of total growth behind the New York City and Los Angeles Unified school districts.

Riley calls the enormous enrollment growth a positive.

This fall 53 million students are expected to enroll in grades kindergarten through 12 across the country - 18,300 youngsters will enter the first grade in Clark County, a record number of students enrolled in any grade.

Public school enrollment increases over the next decade are expected to be concentrated in the West and the South, Riley said.

Full-time college enrollment is projected to rise by 19 percent.

Riley is supporting pending legislation in Congress that would create nearly $25 billion in school modernization bonds that would be interest free for school districts. Riley said the legislation would allow school districts to use the money they would have spent on interest for improving technology and professional development for teachers, among other things.

"It would help local school districts that are struggling," he said.

Kathleen Frosini, director of the school-to-work program for Clark County schools, said she supports the idea of federal government aiding local education needs.

"It lets us decide where to spend the money," she said. "As a parent, that's important."

She added that it is about time the federal government chipped in to pay for the public schools growth, instead of laying all the burden on the local taxpayers.