Board votes keep Mount Charleston school’s status in limbo
The Clark County School District board took no action Thursday night on a proposal to permanently close the storm-damaged Mount Charleston elementary school.
This came after separate votes on rejecting and accepting closure failed and more than 20 people offered impassioned defenses for the tiny Lundy Elementary School.
Functionally, nothing changed for Mount Charleston families whose young children were reassigned to Indian Springs Elementary School for almost the entirety of the last school year after Tropical Storm Hilary damaged the campus in August 2023. Children who would have attended Lundy will still be bused to Indian Springs some 40 miles each way when school resumes in a few weeks, unless they choose to pursue another option like homeschooling or transferring schools.
Interim Superintendent Brenda
Larsen-mitchell said the school was not safe to hold classes.
“We could potentially look at where kids could go (this)
August because even if we rebuild or repair that will not be ready in
August anyway — so we could look at potential options for where kids can go in August and potentially explore other solutions, hearing the direction from the board,” she said.
District staff had recommended permanently closing Lundy after estimating it would cost $5.5 million to $6.5 million to repair and reopen the two-room schoolhouse, which had about a dozen enrolled students in the 2022-23 year.
Engineers who inspected the property after the storm detailed an 11-foot-deep crater in the parking lot that they said threatened the school’s foundation and destroyed its septic system. According to the engineers’ report, roaring floodwaters also bypassed the existing drainage and created a new ditch that would need to be built out to follow the new water patterns; undermined the concrete pad that supported large tanks that held propane used to heat the building; washed away a 3,000pound air conditioning unit; washed away a small closet-like exterior addition that
Interim Superintendent Brenda Larsenmitchell said the school was not safe to hold classes.
stored a kiln; and seeped into the main building and damaged flooring.
After paying its deductible, CCSD received a check for just over $1 million from its insurance carrier, according to insurance documents the Sun received through a public records request.
Parents and supporters, dressed all in green and wearing large buttons that said “Keep Lundy Open,” said Thursday night that Lundy, which has served Mount Charleston since the mid-1960s, was part of the fabric of the small rural community and provided a rare opportunity for pupils to get personalized attention from teachers. Many also talked about how the lengthy bus rides to Indian Springs — where Lundy pupils have always graduated to for middle and high school — were stressful for their young children, depriving them of sleep and frequently forcing them to witness older students’ inappropriate behavior over trips that last more than an hour each way.
While supporters did not get a definite answer on Lundy’s future, that means they didn’t see the school be consigned to permanent closure, either.
Both votes — to close or not to close — failed on 4-3 splits. School board member Irene Bustamante-adams voted no to both.
She said the district was between “a rock and a hard place.” She didn’t want the district to spend the millions of dollars to repair and reopen for such a small student body, but she does want to work with other stakeholders, like state and local governments, to find “a creative solution.” This could include seeking grants or selling the property, she said.
“I don’t think that making the recommendation to close the school is the answer,” she said. “That’s why I’m still struggling. Why can’t we have those conversations?”
It was unclear if or when the item would be revisited.