CCSD trustees approve Lundy storm-repair contract excluding kiln room; pass multiple rezoning measures and administrative items

The Clark County School District Board of Trustees on Feb. 27 approved a contract to repair storm damage at Lundy Elementary School while explicitly excluding the school’s kiln room, and voted to adopt several attendance‑zone changes intended to relieve overcrowded schools. Trustees also accepted a compliance‑monitoring update and advanced notices of intent for a graduation policy and regulation.

Trustees acted after extended discussion of insurance proceeds, budget sources and community concerns about a kiln room at Lundy. The board approved a motion to remove the kiln room from the storm‑damage contract before voting to award the contract for the remaining work.

The decision matters because trustees debated how insurance and capital funds will be used, how quickly Lundy can reopen, and whether a kiln room — used for firing clay projects in elementary visual‑arts standards — is necessary now. Director of Risk Management Kimberly Crumlin told trustees, “The insurance claim value was 1,500,000.0, of which the insurance company deducted the district’s $500,000 deductible. The district also had 250,000 in emergency response reimbursement … which has left approximately 750,000 from the insurance company’s payment.” Assistant superintendent for construction Brandon McLaughlin told the board the kiln equipment itself retails at about $4,200 and that the kiln room being discussed is a prefabricated enclosure, not full masonry.

Nut graf: Trustees balanced a desire to move the Lundy repairs forward with community questions about scope and cost. They removed the kiln room from the immediate contract — a move supporters said would speed repairs and lower the initial contract amount — and directed staff to continue scoping and insurance review for potential supplemental payments and future decisions.

Board action and context

- Lundy Elementary storm damage (Consent item 2.13). Trustee Javier Dominguez moved to pull the consent item for discussion; after public comment and staff presentations the board voted to approve the storm‑damage contract with the kiln room excluded. Staff said the property insurer’s initial assessment was $1.5 million; after the district deductible and emergency reimbursements the insurer’s payment netted about $750,000 into the district’s property‑damage claim fund. Brandon McLaughlin said the district had set aside roughly $1.3 million in allowances and contingencies for Lundy’s work to meet an August reopening target, and that additional insurance supplements could be issued once the carrier reviews a more itemized scope of work.

- Rezoning and attendance‑zone items (3.01–3.04). The board approved a slate of ASAC (Attendance Zone Advisory Commission) recommendations intended to reduce overcrowding: 3.01 moved small areas from Wayne Tanaka and Judith Steele elementaries to Shelley Berkeley and Don L. Snyder elementaries; 3.02 dissolved the Del H. Robeson Middle School boundary and reassigned students to Monaco, Roy Martin and Keller (cohort feeder groups preserved); 3.03 rezoned part of Del Webb Middle School to Charles A. Silvestri Middle School with grandfathering for current 6th and 7th graders during the phase‑out; and 3.04 rezoned two areas from Liberty High School to Silverado High School with grandfathering for current 9th–11th graders. Transportation staff provided operational cost estimates for the middle‑school moves (the Robeson changes added an estimated $377,705.68 in annual operational cost and netted a four‑bus change across affected routes), and transportation said some high‑school rezones could reduce bus costs once phase‑outs complete.

- Compliance monitoring and policy/regulation notices (4.01, 4.03, 4.04). The board accepted the compliance‑monitoring update (presented by compliance monitor Yolanda King), which included an explanation of school carry‑forward funds (sources, legal limits and recommended best practices). Trustees also approved notices of intent to bring back Policy 51.29 (graduation) and Regulation 51.29 (graduation procedures) for final consideration on March 27. Staff said the draft regulation incorporates state law language on tribal, religious and cultural regalia and outlines the preapproval process schools will use for decorative items, student speeches and summer graduations.

Public comment and community concerns

Public comment was extensive. Parents and community members raised separate issues including the kiln room at Lundy, the size and transparency of carry‑forward balances at some schools, library catalog access and the district’s process for reviewing or challenging books, and concerns over curriculum and student‑support policies. Several speakers asked the board to revisit Regulation 61.50 (access to library catalogs), which currently restricts remote, public visibility of school library holdings; others urged protections for students in discussions of gender and identity. Board members and staff reiterated that policy and regulation changes must conform with Nevada statutes and that some areas (for example, the district’s legal obligations around graduation regalia and academic standards) are defined by state law.

What trustees directed next

Trustees asked staff to: continue working with the insurer on a supplemental payment once a detailed scope is submitted; return with a more itemized breakout of Lundy costs (including the kiln enclosure line items) and any change orders; continue outreach and a planned survey regarding pre‑K interest in the Lundy attendance area; and provide follow‑up materials on carry‑forward monitoring and the district’s plan to align one‑time funds to nonrecurring uses. Several trustees asked staff to share transportation and schedule details with affected families as rezoning transitions proceed.

Ending

Trustees emphasized speed and transparency: they approved work on Lundy minus the kiln room to try to keep the school on track for an August reopening, and they approved a set of rezoning moves the district says will relieve overcrowded schools while preserving cohorts where possible. Staff will return with more detailed scopes, cost breakouts and any supplemental insurance payments when available.