Editorial: Good idea bumps up against reality

Friday, Nov. 22, 2002 | 9:51 a.m.

Public schools in Clark County are large. The average primary and middle school here has about twice the number of students as the national average. Our high schools have nearly three times the number of students than the national average. The reason why it's relevant is that fewer students in a school often mean less discipline problems and better academic performance.

We couldn't agree more that schools should contain fewer students, but in Clark County that's tough to achieve. We don't have much land available here, and those parcels large enough to set a school on are expensive. One of the Legislature's interim committees, which is investigating ways to build smaller schools, was told Wednesday that 31 public schools are planned to be built in Nevada between 2005 and 2008. If a so-called "small school plan" was implemented, increasing the number of new schools to 54, it would cost the state an extra $183.7 million over that three-year span. It's money that, realistically, likely won't be available soon.

In the meantime an alternative that should be seriously considered is creating a schools-within-a-school setup. Each group within a school would have its own teachers, students and budget. It's not ideal, but it could create a setting where students don't feel so lost and where teachers know their students better. In the end, what's even more important is how the student is educated. A smaller school, for instance, won't help a great deal if a student has outdated textbooks. Although money plays a large role in academic success, it isn't the only answer, either. Parents need to be involved, students must be motivated, and teachers have to care. Brick and mortar alone can't improve our public schools.