The first steps in the rebuilding of Vaughn Middle School were approved Tuesday by Washoe County School District’s Board of Trustees. They agreed to enter into the design phase of the project which is expected to cost up to $3.5 million.
According to a staff presentation, nearly 45% of the 100 school facilities across the district are more than 50 years old — with many aging closer to 70 years old. Vaughn was completed in 1956 making it 66 years old.
The 2016 countywide sales tax increase passed by voters and known as WC1 was not just intended for construction of new schools, but also renovating and maintaining existing school facilities. Since its passage, the district has constructed seven entirely new schools and completed three expansions or replacements of existing schools.
Trustees were told that major project completion at Vaughn by 2025 was possible if the design phase was approved by the end of 2022. Any later action, according to Paul Mills, a senior executive at CannonDesign, would create a major disruption by creating either a mid-year opening date or a one-year delay on the project.
Mills added that a project at Vaughn is economically feasible using WC1 funding and would allow the district to avoid $15 million in deferred maintenance costs on the school.
By the parameters set forth by district staff, Vaughn is the least educationally adequate middle school in the district with undersized classrooms and insufficient facilities for special education, STEM, arts and physical fitness classes.
“Where you learn is almost as important as what you learn.”
There are also no flexible spaces for learning interventions and enrichment activities, and not enough space for collaboration and counseling. Parents have said they find street drop-off of students challenging.
Of Vaughn’s student body, 83% of students qualify to receive free or reduced lunch, 27% are English learners, 16.5% receive special education services, and 41 are living homeless.
Vaughn has around 700 students and is at 90% capacity. With a rebuild, the maximum capacity of students would be raised to around 1,400.
Other middle schools that were considered for rebuild include Dilworth (1961), Traner (1961), Sparks (1965), Clayton (1965), Pine (1976) and Incline (1981). While all are in need of updates, Mills and his team singled out Vaughn because it would be of greatest benefit to the district and could achieve an opening date of 2025.
Under the project plan, the school would remain open during construction with separated safety barriers. The new school would be built on the same site, and after move-in to the new facilities, the existing building would be torn down and new play fields would be installed.
Trustee Beth Smith said that improving Vaughn Middle School was a “moral imperative” for the district.
She said that on a site visit to the school, she learned that all staff members are forced to share one single-user bathroom throughout the entire campus.
“Where you learn is almost as important as what you learn,” Smith said. “The students in Vaughn Middle School and the community around it deserve an educational system that reflects the investment we have in them.”
Design contract approved to create new elementary school in Stonebrook
The board approved a $1.6 million agreement for architectural design services with H+K Architects to build a new elementary school in the Stonebrook Development Area.
Stonebrook is located in Spanish Springs near Andelin Farms.
H+K designed the original prototype elementary school on which the school is based and has been used before for Nick Poulakidas Elementary School, John C. Bohach Elementary School, Michael Inskeep Elementary School and JWood Raw Elementary School. 
Since H+K designed the prototype, the district was not able to open a design contract for competitive bidding, according to Chief Facilities Management Officer Tami Zimmerman.
Trustee Jeff Church asked what would happen if the design was put out to bid. Zimmerman said the cost would be significantly higher since new architects would have to create their own design from scratch.
The cost associated with the design services will be used for adapting the prototype to the specific site in Stonebrook.
Winners of the WCSD Annual Holiday Card contest announced
The Holiday Card Design Competition is a program of the district’s Office of Communications and Community Engagement to give school age children the opportunity to submit their holiday artwork to be used as the district’s annual holiday card.
One entry each from grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12 were selected.
Grades K-2 finalists are:
- Huffaker Elementary School’s Sabrina Cann, Grade 1
- Melton Elementary School’s Arya Lumley, Grade 2
- Stead Elementary School’s Sofia Renteria, Grade 2
Grades 3-5 finalists are:
- Gomm Elementary School’s Ayla Naima Hicks, Grade 5
- Caughlin Ranch Elementary School’s Claire Kinne, Grade 5
- Gomm Elementary School’s Lucia Macaluso, Grade 5
Grades 6-8 finalists are:
- Herz Middle School’s Leah Golish, Grade 8
- Swope Middle School’s Tudor Manea, Grade 8
- Swope Middle School’s Sophia Sowle, Grade 8
Grades 9-12 finalists are:
- Washoe Inspire Academy’s Jessica Rosales-Crisp, Grade 11
- Damonte Ranch High School’s Alex Garcia-Tapungot, Grade 11
- Incline High School’s Adelina LaForge, Grade 11
The winners for each category are:
- Arya Lumley, K-2 Winner
- Ayla Naima Hicks, 3-5 Winner
- Sophia Sowle, 6-8 Winner
- Alex Garcia-Tapungot, 9-12 Winner
In other items:
- Trustees approved the issuance of a medium-term bond up to $3.4 million to buy 12 school buses and 22 support vehicles. Five lenders bid on the bond, and the winner had the lowest interest rate bid at 3.94%.
- Yvonne Shaw Middle School was celebrated as the “Spotlight School” highlighting the success the school has achieved.
- Superintendent Susan Enfield provided the board with a Superintendent’s Report presentation outlining how she has connected with staff, parents and students since she has taken on the position earlier this year.
