Out with the old, in with the new at adult school

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Friday, March 16, 2007 | 6:54 a.m.

Clark County's adult education high school is losing its home and even though officials are searching for new digs, students and staff are anxious about the dislocation.

The Clark County School District needs to move the program to make way for construction of a career and technical academy, scheduled to open in 2009.

The original plan was to demolish the school, near the intersection of Robin Street and Washington Avenue, no later than Sept. 1, but that schedule is now uncertain because the district has not found a new home for Desert Rose High School.

"It's a typical Las Vegas situation, where the old is in the way of the new," said Desert Rose Principal Sandra Ransel, who opened the school seven years ago. "We're very apprehensive."

Part of the problem is that Desert Rose is unlike the district's other adult education programs, which typically operate limited morning or evening hours and share space at other campuses. Desert Rose is open all day, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The school prides itself on its sense of community. Before and after classes, students gather in the library and multipurpose room to study for tests or share class notes. The lobby is bright and cheerful, intended to take some of the sting and apprehension out of returning to school.

Ransel said it's important that the new location preserves that atmosphere.

The location was never supposed to be permanent. In fact, district officials originally told Ransel to prepare for a move after two years, given the condition of the main building housing the school, a former Lutheran church.

Paul Gerner, associate superintendent of facilities for the School District, said finding a new location is a challenge. The school currently has about 33,000 square feet of space available. Administrators want the space to be as large as 50,000 square feet.

The site also needs 200 parking spaces for students who drive to school. Other students rely on public transportation, which makes easy access to bus routes another necessity.

If Desert Rose can't be relocated over the summer, the demolition and construction of the academy could fall behind schedule.

"I'd hate to have to go to the School Board and tell them that," Gerner said. "Every time there's a delay, it ends up increasing the construction costs."

Desert Rose has more than 1,500 students ages 17 to 19, many of whom transferred from other Clark County high schools. If the students complete their diplomas within a year of leaving their home high school, the district can count them as graduates, rather than dropouts.

It's essential that Desert Rose's programs continue without interruption, said Edward Goldman, associate superintendent of the district's education services division.

"The continuity and attachment to a school has to be there if we expect the students to show up every day," Goldman said. "If we close that door, you can't count on the fact that they'll all come back."

Desert Rose serves about 4,000 students annually and had a graduating class of 470 last year. The campus, which includes 16 portable classrooms, operates from September through July.

"Last week I signed 11 diplomas and we enrolled 90 students," Ransel said.

The student body is diverse in ages, backgrounds and educational goals. Some students need only one or two credits to earn a diploma. Others arrive with no high school experience and are working toward a General Educational Development certificate.