Mesquite CIAB forwards school grant proposals — including pre-K, drones and attendance incentives — to City Council

The Virgin Valley Community Education Advisory Board voted unanimously March 13 to send a package of school grant proposals from Mesquite-area schools to the Mesquite City Council for placement on the council agenda.

Board members said the package includes requests from Joseph Bullard Elementary, Virgin Valley Elementary, Hughes Middle School and Virgin Valley High School that ask the city to fund items ranging from temporary tutors and crossing‑guard assistance to classroom drone kits and an expanded pre‑K/bridge program.

Joseph Bullard Elementary Principal Chris Jenkins described after‑school programming and safety needs at his school and asked the board for flexible funding. "I have 7 buses that come to my school, and so that's a big portion coming out of Mesquite here," Jenkins said, noting 170 students initially signed up for after‑school tutoring and roughly 35 attend regularly. Jenkins also raised parking‑lot safety concerns and said the district will not allow him to place an employee as a crossing guard; he requested city funding or volunteers to cover arrival and dismissal times to reduce risks after three near‑miss incidents this year.

Virgin Valley Elementary Principal Matt Bennett outlined three prioritized requests: a short summer "bridge" pre‑K program for high‑need 4‑year‑olds, a classroom set of 12 drones with batteries to support STEAM and GATE activities, and incentives to reduce the school's chronic absenteeism rate. "Over the last two years we went from 15.4 percent to 14.8 percent and this year we're entering our fourth quarter at 18.6," Bennett said, citing the state's chronic‑absence threshold and the Nevada report card's influence on school ratings. He said incentive drawings and small rewards are aimed at improving attendance as well as classroom outcomes.

Hughes Middle School brought students to present several proposals focused on engagement and social‑emotional learning. Students Brody, Angel Contreras, Alexa and Rainy Clark advocated for an arcade room, expanded electives and Hope Squad programming as incentives to boost attendance and positive behavior. "An arcade room can serve as an incentive for students to attend school regularly," Brody said, and Rainy Clark described Hope Squad activities and a recent trip to the 3 Square Food Bank, noting student volunteers helped prepare about 1,328 boxed meals for children and 2,600 boxed meals for families.

Virgin Valley High School Principal Stephen Wait requested $21,000 to maintain the J4NG (Jobs for Nevada) program on the high‑school campus, a career‑readiness course that connects students with trade internships and workforce skills. Wait acknowledged a small internal mismatch in his proposal totals but confirmed the school could cover minor gaps.

Board discussion focused on budget timing and carryover funds available from the City of Mesquite's SEAB allocation. Several board members said they preferred the proposals be placed on the council consent agenda but acknowledged any councilor could pull the item for discussion; board members also discussed asking finance staff to pre‑check sales‑tax treatment and other administrative details before council action. One board member suggested having students present at council if the item is pulled for discussion.

Votes at a glance: The board approved the meeting's consent agenda earlier in the meeting. Later it voted to forward the grant package to the Mesquite City Council to be placed on the next council agenda (motion seconded and approved), and it also approved changing CIAB meeting frequency to every other month with special meetings as needed.

The package now moves to Mesquite City Council, which will determine whether to place the items on its consent calendar or call them up for a regular council discussion; board members said they may ask principals and students to present if councilors request further detail.