Clark County School District kicked off the 2019-20 school year by celebrating the opening of two new schools (Sandra B. Abston Elementary School and Earl N. Jenkins Elementary School) and three replacement schools (E.W. Griffith Elementary School, Twin Lakes Elementary School, and J.M. Ullom Elementary School).
Schools held open houses and ribbon-cutting ceremonies, offering families and the community an opportunity to see the new schools and honor the contributions made by the schools’ namesakes. Members of the Board of School Trustees, the Superintendent of Schools, and other school district officials also were on hand to commemorate the opening of the state-of-the-art, 21st century schools.
The two new schools, both designed to accommodate 850 students, will help alleviate overcrowding:
- Sandra B. Abston Elementary School, at nearly 101,000 square feet and a total project cost of $32 million, will help relieve four nearby schools that were overcrowded (Judy and John L. Goolsby Elementary School, Keith C. and Karen W. Hayes Elementary School, Lucille S. Rogers Elementary School, and Kathy L. Batterman Elementary School).
- Earl N. Jenkins Elementary School, at approximately 100,000 square feet and a total project cost of $34 million, will help relieve three nearby schools that were overcrowded (Mervin R. Iverson Elementary School, Hal Smith Elementary School, and Cynthia W. Cunningham Elementary School).
Another new school was just opened by its namesake! Congrats, Sandra B. Abston Elementary School!
See you Monday, Abston Astros! #BacktoSchool@TrusteeFord pic.twitter.com/FPtWD5ufvb
— CCSD (@ClarkCountySch) August 9, 2019
Welcome to Jenkins ES! This new school looks amazing and will welcome students for the first time Monday. @SuptJaraCCSD @lindacavazos13 pic.twitter.com/GUxixcYkPF
— CCSD (@ClarkCountySch) August 9, 2019
The three schools which CCSD determined needed to be replaced with new facilities, include:
- E.W. Griffith Elementary School, originally built in 1962, is a replacement school designed to accommodate 720 students, and had a total project cost of $46 million.
- Twin Lakes Elementary School, originally built in 1955, is a phased replacement school designed to accommodate 720 students, and had a total project cost of $28 million.
- J.M. Ullom Elementary School, originally built in 1962, is a replacement school designed to accommodate 850 students, and had a total project cost of $41 million.
Congrats to Ullom ES on your ribbon cutting! Your new building is beautiful!!! @SuptJaraCCSD @lindacavazos13 pic.twitter.com/QAWo3w69sz
— CCSD (@ClarkCountySch) August 9, 2019
Hooray for your replacement school, @TwinLakesTigers! See you next Monday! #BacktoSchool ?@SuptJaraCCSD @linevon16 pic.twitter.com/74tRB3xT5v
— CCSD (@ClarkCountySch) August 9, 2019
In addition to the two new schools and three replacement schools, the 2019-20 school year will see substantial classroom additions on the following five campuses to help alleviate overcrowding (the number of new classrooms is in parentheses):
- John W. Bonner Elementary School (22)
- Raul P. Elizondo Elementary School (18 are scheduled to open mid-year)
- Dan Goldfarb Elementary School (18)
- Edythe and Lloyd Katz Elementary School (18)
- John F. Mendoza Elementary School (18)
Dr. Jara noted that for far too long, too many of our schools were overcrowded or aging and in need of modernization. “This is unacceptable,” Dr. Jara said. “All children deserve a high-quality education in schools that are secure, safe, and foster learning.”
Fortunately, Dr. Jara said, the 2015 Nevada Legislature authorized funding to extend CCSD’s Capital Improvement Program, allowing for 10 years of bonding authority to build new schools and renovate existing ones. “CCSD and its Board of Trustees are very grateful for this funding,” he said.
For more information about CCSD’s Capital Improvement Program, visit cip.ccsd.net.
