MINUTES OF THE meeting

of the

ASSEMBLY Committee on Education

 

Seventy-First Session

February 14, 2001

 

 

The Committee on Educationwas called to order at 3:58 p.m., on Wednesday, February 14, 2001.  Chairman Wendell Williams presided in Room 3143 of the Legislative Building, Carson City, Nevada.  Exhibit A is the Agenda.  Exhibit B is the Guest List.  All exhibits are available and on file at the Research Library of the Legislative Counsel Bureau.

 

 

COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:

 

Mr.                     Wendell Williams, Chairman

Ms.                     Bonnie Parnell, Vice Chairman

Ms.                     Sharron Angle

Mrs.                     Barbara Cegavske

Mrs.                     Vonne Chowning

Mr.                     Tom Collins

Mr.                     Don Gustavson

Mr.                     Mark Manendo

Ms.                     Debbie Smith

Ms.                     Kathy Von Tobel

 

COMMITTEE MEMBERS EXCUSED

 

Mrs.                     Marcia de Braga

Mrs.                     Ellen Koivisto

 

GUEST LEGISLATORS PRESENT:

 

None

 

STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT:

 

Susan Scholley, Committee Policy Analyst

Linda Corbett, Committee Manager

Mary Drake, Committee Secretary

 

OTHERS PRESENT:

 

Dr. Patrick Herron, Assistant Superintendent for Facilities, Clark County School District

William E. Snyder, AIA, Tate-Snyder-Kimsey Architects

 

 

After roll call, Chairman Williams noted committee members were provided a copy of 2001 Data Book For Nevada K-12 Education prepared by the staff of the Research and Fiscal Divisions of the Legislative Counsel Bureau (copy on file with the Research Division).  Chairman Williams then introduced Dr. Patrick Herron, Assistant Superintendent for Facilities with the Clark County School District.  Dr. Herron would make the presentation on the pilot school replacement program.

 

Dr. Herron introduced Bill Snyder with Tate-Snyder-Kimsey Architects, one of the architects for the Madison Elementary School replacement project.  Dr. Herron noted that after its completion, Madison Elementary School would be renamed the Wendell P. Williams Elementary School.  

 

Dr. Herron began his presentation by explaining the Madison Elementary School replacement project was a result of A.B. 368 from the Seventieth Session which required school districts to submit an annual audit of renovation and/or reconstruction activities and develop a policy to renovate or reconstruct certain school facilities. The Clark County School District (CCSD) planned to present a performance audit to the Clark County Board of School Trustees (CCBST) on February 15.   He pointed out committee members were provided a copy of the presentation materials (Exhibits C and D).   He added since the meeting was being videoconferenced to Las Vegas, Dr. Walt Rulffes, Assistant Superintendent and Chief Financial Officer for the Clark County School District, might participate. 

 

Dr. Herron reviewed the requirements of A.B. 368 from the Seventieth Session.   The first requirement was for the adoption by school districts of a policy for determining whether older buildings should be renovated or replaced.  On July 22, 1999, the Clark County Board of School Trustees amended an existing school replacement policy, Clark County School District Policy 7112, and adopted Regulation 7112.  That regulation outlined procedures for determining if a school should be replaced.  School facilities 40 years or older were ranked into three categories:

 

·        Where renovation costs would exceed 60 percent of the cost to replace a school;

·        Where renovation costs were between 40 percent to 60 percent of replacement costs;

·        Where renovation costs were less than 40 percent of replacement cost.

 

Mr. Collins asked Dr. Herron if Lois Craig Elementary School in North Las Vegas had its name changed.  Dr. Herron said the name had not changed.  Mr. Collins indicated the school has had structural deficiencies for the past three years, and he did not see it on the replacement program list.  Dr. Herron commented he would find out for Mr. Collins.

 

Dr. Herron continued with his presentation and explained the second requirement of A.B. 368 from the Seventieth Session.  That requirement called for the Clark County School District to establish a pilot program to evaluate schools 40 years and older.  The result was the “Clark County School District School Facility Replacement Survey” (Exhibit E).

 

Dr. Herron disclosed the study turned up 11 schools where data indicated the facilities needed to be replaced.  Dr. Herron explained that replacement might not always be a viable solution.  He noted as an example Good Springs Elementary School, which had a total of 24 students.  The option for CCSD was to transport those students to the nearest full-sized school, where a wider range of programs was available, or rebuild the school and continue to serve 24 students.  Mount Charleston Elementary, with less than 24 students and declining enrollment, and Blue Diamond Elementary School were also examples of that issue.  Dr. Herron said the issue CCSD needed to study was:  what was in the best interest of the students -- replace the school or transport the students to other schools.

 

Mrs. Von Tobel commented that as the representative of the district that included Good Springs Elementary School, Blue Diamond Elementary School, Mt. Charleston Elementary School, and Virgin Valley Elementary School, she would state unequivocally that eliminating schools and bussing children should not be an option.  She stated as an example how difficult it was for the students in Sandy Valley to be bussed to a high school in Las Vegas.  That was approximately a two-hour trip both ways, which was why the Key Stone Charter School was opened.  She strongly recommended bussing not be used.   If a school with an enrollment of 24 students needed to be replaced, portable buildings could be considered.  There was a tradition of schools in the area, and the children should not be taken out of their community.

 

Dr. Herron acknowledged the comment and said the CCSD had not yet sought public input in those communities.  He recognized the choice should be with the communities, or at least the communities should have a lion’s share of the decisions.  If a decision was made to replace the schools at those locations, the CCSD could look at options such as working with the local municipalities to create school/recreation center/library facilities.

 

Mrs. Von Tobel stressed that the parents in those communities would strongly object to having their children bussed to Las Vegas.  She asked Dr. Herron that Clark County School District not even consider bussing as an option.

 

Mrs. Smith indicated she felt seeking input from parents in those communities and providing options, with opportunities to discuss those options, was a positive approach.

 

Mr. Collins commented that bussing in District 20 was probably not an option since there seemed to be a shortage of school busses for the area.

 

Dr. Herron further explained that the Las Vegas Academy of Fine Arts was another example of a building designated for replacement that CCSD would not consider replacing due to its historical significance.  The other schools on the list were also being evaluated by CCSD.  He cited Mountain Elementary School as another example of a school designated for replacement but, because of good maintenance practices, it still had many years left.  As a result, Mountain Elementary was designated at the bottom of the replacement list.

 

Dr. Herron noted there were three schools the CCSD would replace.  One was the Wendell P. Williams Elementary School (formerly Madison Elementary School), the Virgin Valley Elementary School, and the Sunrise Acres Elementary School.  Sunrise Acres would be built on land acquired through a land swap with the city of Las Vegas

 

He added that where renovation costs were between 40 percent and 60 percent of replacement costs, a more in-depth study would need to be performed.  Where renovation costs were less than 40 percent of replacement costs, the buildings would be monitored but not put on a replacement cycle.

 

Dr. Herron continued his presentation noting that an additional requirement of the legislation was for the reconstruction of one existing elementary school from a list of three.  After looking at the three schools, Madison Elementary School was selected because of its degree of disrepair.  A further requirement of A.B. 368 from the Seventieth Session was the reconstruction project be completed on or before July 1, 2001.  Dr. Herron informed the committee that date could have been met by utilizing an existing elementary school as the replacement school for Madison Elementary School.   However, another part of A.B. 368 from the Seventieth Session required a pilot school reconstruction project. Madison Elementary School was identified as the campus for the new replacement school.

 

Dr. Herron noted the steering committee formed to work with the reconstruction pilot program felt that since the school was being constructed for a known population of students within the community, student needs would be identified and incorporated into the building design.  The steering committee decided to explore school districts in other communities outside of Nevada who had successfully designed that type of pilot project and use those ideas for the Madison Elementary School project.  The planning groups selected to tour the various schools chose a school in Phoenix, Arizona as the model for the Madison Elementary School reconstruction project.

 

Dr. Herron ended his part of the presentation by explaining to the committee the   school replacement program was centered on the money issue.  He added the Clark County School District had set aside $135 million for additional replacement schools.  He cautioned the committee that the CCSD needed to be careful not to approve additional projects not taken to the voters, only to discover not enough money remained to complete the building program.

 

Ms. Parnell thanked Dr. Herron for his presentation and his “passion” for the program.  She stated there were two ideas she had actively promoted.  One was to open school libraries in the evenings or possibly designate a weekly “family night” at the libraries.  Access to libraries for many of the families in those neighborhoods would be a new experience.   She also noted family literacy programs as another area to explore.

 

Mrs. Smith asked Dr. Herron why they chose Phoenix, Arizona as the area to explore for pilot programs.

 

Dr. Herron said they decided to look at areas in the southwest where there were a wide variety of schools, particularly schools that successfully served children from poor neighborhoods.   They were also interested in two-story structures, since Madison Elementary School was the first two-story school in Clark County.  The advantage was two-story buildings allowed for a reduction in the building footprint, allowing more development on a smaller site.

 

Mrs. Smith said the reconstruction of the school was the perfect opportunity to develop innovative ways for parental involvement.  The transient rate in the community was not high; the socio-economic status was the issue.

 

Mrs. Cegavske asked to update the new members on the Madison Elementary School reconstruction project.   She explained that last session Chairman Williams expressed serious concerns about decaying school buildings, not only in the south but also in the whole state.  Mrs. Cegavske became part of a committee that evaluated that issue and helped develop A.B. 368 from the Seventieth Session.  She wanted to commend both Chairman Williams and Assemblywoman Giunchigliani for their efforts.   She asked Chairman Williams if school buildings in the north were also evaluated.

 

Chairman Williams explained the goal was to establish one pilot school project, learn from that project, and then expand it statewide, particularly in the rural areas.

 

Mr. Bill Snyder from Tate-Snyder-Kimsey Architects then displayed the architectural renderings for the Wendell P. Williams Elementary School (formerly Madison Elementary School).  Mr. Snyder explained his goal was to use the design and construction process of the school reconstruction as a way to mentor the students at Madison Elementary School.  He held over a dozen meetings with the students to get their input into the design process.  He noted one of the logistic problems with replacement school projects was building a new school on site while keeping the existing school operating.  The two-story structure at Madison made that easier.

 

Mr. Snyder said he wanted to share with the committee some of the innovative features of the school that met the needs expressed by one of the students who described school as “a place where kids can have a good time while they are learning.”  Some of those features included:

 

• A sense of entry and a sense of arrival;
• A park setting adjacent to the street where parents can wait to pick up their children;
• A courtyard with an amphitheater and sundial;
• Security measures such as a check in area within the administration area for the general public, and placement of the kindergarten and Title I program students near the administration area for additional security;
• A contained tortoise area;
• A resource center opened in the evening for the community;
• A separate multipurpose room and cafeteria that could be used by the community without accessing the school campus;
• A map of the world inlaid in the tile floor of the lobby.

 

Mrs. Cegavske noted her turtles multiplied every year and she wanted the school to be the recipient of some of her first turtles in the fall.  She also asked that the “Turtle Lady” be part of the design of the turtle habitat because there were strict regulations to follow raising turtles.

 

Mr. Manendo asked about the square footage of the school.  Mr. Snyder said the square footage was approximately 74,000 square feet, with an additional 10,000 square feet for the multipurpose room.

 

Chairman Williams said his original choice for a replacement school was Booker Elementary School, but he was very pleased with the results of the Madison Elementary School project.

 

Dr. Herron said Booker Elementary was the next replacement school on the list.

 

Mr. Gustavson asked how many students was the facility designed for, and how many classrooms did it have.

 

Mr. Snyder said there were 24 classrooms with a student enrollment of 451 students.

 

Dr. Herron mentioned in regard to the class size reduction issue, all classrooms would be a minimum of 850 square feet. That allowed for more flexibility to accommodate classroom size needs.  The design also removed the cafeteria from the multipurpose room, which provided children with an enclosed area for physical education for the entire day.

 

Mrs. Chowning remarked adults needed to expect excellence from their children.   A project such as Madison Elementary would spark the level of interest in the children that could help create future architects or artists.

 

Chairman Williams asked if space was created for the art donations.

 

Mr. Snyder indicated space was available in the lobby area.

 

Mr. Manendo asked if Chairman Williams had a picture taken with the Governor when A.B. 368 from the Seventieth Session was signed last session.  He felt that would be appropriate for the entrance of the building.  Chairman Williams said he had not, but that was a good idea.

 

Chairman Williams thanked Dr. Herron and Mr. Snyder for their presentations.  He said the intent of the project was to think “outside the box” in terms of school reconstruction projects, and in those terms the project was a great success.

 

Dr. Herron said he would leave a videotape of his Phoenix, Arizona trip for committee members to view.

 

There being no other business before the committee, Chairman Williams adjourned the meeting at 5:05 p.m.

 

 

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:

 

 

 

Mary Drake

Committee Secretary

 

 

APPROVED BY:

 

 

 

                       

Assemblyman Wendell Williams, Chairman

 

 

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