District posts school capacity data to meet new open‑enrollment guidance; capacity review shows unused classrooms

Douglas County School District staff presented a facility capacity review required under evolving Nevada Department of Education open‑enrollment guidance and told trustees the district will post quarterly capacity figures online as required by state law.

The review combined facility maps and principal‑entered spreadsheets indicating how each room is used. "We removed gymnasiums from the numbers with the thought that a gym is not intended to have a fully rostered normal all‑day class functioning as their normal learning space," said a staff presenter, explaining the methodology. Specialists' rooms and certain 'non‑full‑time' spaces were also excluded so the capacity count reflects full‑time classroom spaces available for grade‑level assignment.

Staff said they will refine the data (several corrections were noted during the presentation) and will produce grade‑level breakdowns and projected enrollments in mid‑to‑late January to help trustees evaluate options. Trustees asked whether combining schools would be feasible based on capacity; staff said the next step is to model grade‑level consolidations and examine whether particular facilities have the space, grade composition and instructional configuration to absorb students from nearby schools.

The review is intended to inform both the district’s internal planning and the state’s decision about how open‑enrollment will be interpreted (capacity based on current teacher utilization vs. site physical capacity). Staff recommended the board wait for the more detailed grade‑level analysis before making any site consolidation decisions.