Coral Academy delays Henderson opening

A charter school has pushed back until 2016 its controversial plan to open a new Henderson campus.

Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas’ proposal to teach 1,500 students in a vacant shopping center drew strong opposition from residents of a surrounding senior community, who are worried about traffic and noise.

The school originally was planned to open in the fall. A school spokeswoman said the delay was due to a still-unfinished traffic study, among other plans. School officials declined requests for interviews.

Coral Academy, which has three campuses, has said a fourth would help cut down on a waiting list of more than 4,000 students.

When word of the plan came to light earlier this year, more than 600 residents of Sun City MacDonald Ranch signed a petition to oppose it. Some said they worry hundreds of cars suddenly arriving twice a day would create bottlenecks on surrounding Green Valley and Horizon Ridge parkways.

Told of the yearlong delay, residents association President Mike Micone said he wonders whether the school is hoping residents will forget about the plan, enabling the school to be approved with less fuss next year.

That won’t happen, he said, adding: “We’re going to keep our ears and eyes open.”

Coral Academy officially proposed its new campus in December, after about a year of looking for a home. Henderson officials — including Mayor Andy Hafen, a charter school supporter — helped them search for a site.

They settled on four buildings in a never-completed shopping center that has been vacant about five years, except for a recently opened fitness center.

The city’s economic development director, Barbara Coffee, said charter schools often like such “nontraditional” locations since building a school from scratch is not only expensive but can take years.

Charter schools are public schools, meaning children do not pay to attend but must either win a lottery or wait on a list if there aren’t enough seats.

Coral Academy focuses on STEM, or science, technology, engineering and math. A Washington Post report this month named Coral’s high school the second most “challenging” in Nevada, behind The Meadows School. The rankings were based on the number of college-level tests given per student.

If the new campus opens, there would be 936 third- through sixth-graders the first school year and 1,586 in following years after adding seventh and eighth grades. Students wouldn’t be bused in, meaning parents would drive all of them, with staggered starting and dismissal times. That’s part of the reason for neighbors’ traffic concerns.

A city spokeswoman said planning staff still are waiting for the school to submit a revised site plan and traffic study.

Once those plans are in, they would still need approval from city staff, the Planning Commission and the City Council before the school could open.

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Contact Eric Hartley at ehartley@reviewjournal.com or 702-550-9229. Find him on Twitter: @ethartley.