Planned grade school to be smaller

Shrinking size to please Henderson city officials

A proposed elementary school in Henderson will probably shrink in size to serve 130 fewer students to please city officials.

In return, Henderson would provide up to $140,00 worth of in-kind services for the Clark County School District under a deal negotiated with the city.

The proposed site is near Chapata Drive and Casady Hollow Avenue in southeastern Henderson. The school, near the 215 Beltway and Paseo Verde Parkway, would replace part of Reunion Trails Park.

The district originally planned to build a school for 850 students to help alleviate overcrowding at Twitchell, Vanderburg, Kesterson and Newton elementaries. The city and residents in the area argued for a smaller school of about 700.

Latest plans show the school will serve about 720 students — a 15 percent reduction. That means the district will have to redesign the plans for the school, which is slated to open for the 2019-20 academic year.

That’s where the city’s in-kind services come in.

“The city of Henderson has been working collaboratively with the Clark County School District on a compromise that will protect the quality of life for residents by modifying the size of the school to be built on the Chapata site so that it’s the right fit for the neighborhood,” City Manager Richard Derrick said in a statement.

The city would provide up to $140,000 worth of services, although Derrick noted the agreement is not finalized and must be approved by the mayor and city council.

Although the school — albeit at a smaller size — will help overcrowding in the area, Rick Baldwin, the district’s director of demographics, zoning and geographic information systems, said the area is still growing.

“It’s just a huge area of growth,” he said.

The district is also looking at land at the intersection of Valle Verde and Horizon Ridge for a future school, which would also provide relief in the area.

Contact Meghin Delaney at 702-383-0281 or mdelaney@ reviewjournal.com. Follow @ Meghindelaney on Twitter.

Bizuayehu Tesfaye Las Vegas Review-journal @bizutesfaye Children play flag football on a field behind Reunion Trails Park in Henderson. A proposed elementary school would be on part of the park’s land.