The final plan came to the board after 18 months of study and community engagement by national facilities consultancy CannonDesign. It basically operates as a recommended timeline for physical school improvements in Washoe County over the next 15 years.
The plan recommends changes or further study of possible ones at all of the district’s schools in that period. Some schools are slated for complete campus reconstruction, like recent changes at O’Brien Middle School in North Valleys. Others may see smaller additions, like flexible learning spaces.
Some schools may even consolidate with others nearby. CannonDesign consultant Paul Mills said if the district moves forward with those closures, it will save millions of dollars in renovation and operational costs.
“There will be millions of dollars annually saved that can be reinvested in the classroom where it really ought to be. That means more money for teachers, more money for programs, more money for student supports. These are the things that make school. That’s where the magic happens,” he said. “And being able to have double-digit millions of dollars of savings at the conclusion of a 15-year cycle is something to be very excited about.”
Mills and district officials have called these possible moves “trade-up scenarios,” because students moving to larger, newer campuses would have better access to more learning options and supports. The plan calls for 13 consolidation projects over the next 15 years. Those projects would almost all occur within the McCarran Loop, especially in central Sparks and in neighborhoods around the airport.
Board president Beth Smith called Tuesday “a bright day” for WCSD.
“Our children should feel the value that they bring to this world,” she said. “And this plan shows them that they are worth investing in and that we believe in them. And that they will inherit this community.”
Any individual construction project will still have to be approved by the district’s Capital Funding Protection Committee and then by the trustees. Instead of recommending specific changes at the district’s Incline, Gerlach, and Wadsworth schools, the plan calls for the establishment of temporary planning commissions to define possible projects for those campuses.
Jose Davila IV is a corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project.
