School construction continues to boom

Terry Webster

Monday, July 23, 2001 | 10:53 a.m.

When the Clark County School District opened 18 new schools during the 1991-92 school year, the effort made national headlines.

This year the district will fall two short of the all-time high, with 16 new schools on tap for 2001-2002. Included are seven elementary schools, five middle schools, three high schools and one replacement for an existing school.

In Clark County, the nation's sixth largest and fastest-growing district, the school openings are mostly business as usual. For at least the next five years, the district expects to open about a dozen or more schools each year.

"The growth is really just phenomenal," Pat Herron, assistant superintendent for the facilities division, said. "There isn't anyone to even compare us to."

While most of the new schools are either at or ahead of schedule, three are facing delays relating to construction or utility issues.

One of the schools, the Russell Lee Peterson Campus of Horizon High School, 10250 W. Centennial Parkway in the northwest, had its opening date moved to mid-September. Students enrolled in the program will be moved to another Horizon school campus until the new school is finished.

With the Aug. 30 opening of school still several weeks away, school officials are hoping to avert delayed openings at two elementary schools, Fredric W. Watson, 5845 North Commerce St. in North Las Vegas, and Lucille S. Rogers, at 5535 S. Riley St. in the southwest area.

While all of the schools are needed, Rogers is located in an area of particularly high need, Dusty Dickens, director of the demographics, zoning and realty, said.

At last look, district officials said they were not sure if the school openings will be delayed. Contingency plans, including double sessions at nearby schools, were being considered as a last-resort possibilities.

School officials say they are working with contractors to ensure the schools are ready for opening day Aug. 30.

The new schools this year serve about 13,500 additional students the district is expecting to enroll. School officials project the student population will grow from the current 231,128 to about 246,289 in 2001-2002.

By tracking the construction of housing developments and population trends, the district usually is able to predict its enrollment increase within 1 percent.