Tuesday the Washoe County School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to budget $123 million for capital projects.
About $81 million is budgeted for the Arrowcreek Middle School, about $39 million is budgeted for a new elementary school near Kiley Ranch, and the remaining amount is budgeted for renovations at Swope Middle School and McQueen High School.
"It's safe to say that without the passage of WC-1 in 2016, we would not be having this conversation today," Chief Facilities Management Officer for WCSD says.
The Arrowcreek Middle School will mainly relieve overcrowding from Pine Middle School, and provide much more convenient travel for students in the walking zone to the new school.
"That particular area is served by Pine Middle School," Searcy says. "We've got students on buses an hour and a half each way, every day. It also will partially relieve Depoli Middle School which is experiencing significant growth in Southeast Reno."
The Arrowcreek Middle School will also teach sixth graders, so it will help with overcrowding at Huffaker and Lenz Elementary Schools, and could relieve overcrowding at other elementary school depending on where the zoning boundaries are.
The Kiley Ranch Elementary School will be built next to Sky Ranch Middle School, which is currently under construction. Officials say north Spanish Springs, where the school will be built, is the fastest growing area in the district, and the school will help with overcrowding.
"Spanish Springs Elementary School, Sepulveda, Beasley, Hall, Taylor," Searcy says. "All of which will receive relief from the opening of this school."
The next step is the bidding process, which will begin in November. The plan in for the Board of Trustees to reward the contracts for the two schools in January.
Arrowcreek Middle School and the new elementary school at Kiley Ranch are set to open in 2020.
