Editorial: Growing schools are our responsibility

Monday, Aug. 25, 2003 | 10:21 a.m.

When motorists this week see all the students with their backpacks and bicycles heading back to school, they should first think about safety and slowing down through school zones.

After that, they might want to take note of the sheer numbers of students and think about what that means for the Las Vegas Valley. For the near future, it means continued vitality as the students graduate from high school and many decide that Southern Nevada is a good place to live and raise their own families. For the immediate future it means we all must maintain a strong commitment to education. Enrollment in the Clark County School District has increased 76 percent over the past 10 years. When the last of 88 new schools approved by a 1998 bond issue is finished in 2008, we will still be at least 48 campuses shy of the need. Voters will likely see a new bond issue by 2006 seeking to close that gap. We have about 270,000 students in our district now. Projections show we'll have 406,000 by 2012.

Educating this many students is a huge job but also is a source of pride. Supporting school bond issues and ensuring proper funding for schools through the Legislature must remain a top priority for all of us. With our help, those children we see on the sidewalks today will soon be joining us in support of the next generation of students.