No decision: Future unclear for damaged Mount Charleston school

The small elementary school has been closed since August 2023 because of damage suffered when the remnants of Tropical Storm Hilary hit the area. The school would have served 10 students in the 2023-2024 school year, and while district officials have cited low enrollment, Lundy parents and Mount Charleston residents have said the number of children who live on the mountain would have pushed that enrollment number up.

The district has said repairing the storm-damaged school would cost between $5.5 million and $6.5 million, district officials said in Thursday’s meeting.

Lundy supporters, wearing green shirts, “Keep Lundy Open” pins and bearing hand-painted signs, packed the board room at the Edward A. Greer Education Center.

Tensions in the room were high as the district moved immediately to the Lundy agenda item.

District representatives presented their damage report to the trustees and a detailed presentation about the costs of repairs, insurance claims and the future of Lundy students.

The floor was then opened to public comment. Representatives faced the trustees as over 20 community members came up for comment. After the first commentator, Katie Corr, the crowd applauded her speech about growing up on the mountain and attending Lundy. Trustee President Evelyn Garcia Morales reminded attendees applause was not allowed.

Chris Giunchigliani, a former Clark County commissioner, spent six minutes speaking to, and criticizing, the district.

“Everything I need to know, I learned in kindergarten, like share everything, play fair, say you’re sorry,” Giunchigliani said. “I think some of this administration need to go back to kindergarten.”

She directly attacked Interim Superintendent Brenda Larsen- Mitchell, contending that she had the opportunity to change the district’s “toxic culture” and had chances to meet with Lundy parents on the mountain.

The room applauded her, despite the trustee’s warning.

During public comment, the power went out, to which Anna Binder, a community advocate, shouted, “We should close the board room permanently.” Another person said, “Tear the building down.” Both comments were digs at what supporters have viewed as the district’s mishandling of the Lundy situation.

Confusion, anger, abandonment

Public commentators shared personal stories of Lundy, the challenges their children have faced at Indian Springs, confusion over the numbers regarding damages, anger about what they said has been a lack of transparency from the district, and also what they said were feelings of abandonment by District B Trustee Katie Williams, who was present on the phone.

Public comment neared an hour and a half and four others delivered public comment via email, before the board responded.

District G Trustee Linda Cavazos quickly made a motion to reject the current recommendation to close, to which the crowd broke out in cheers. District D Trustee Brenda Zamora seconded the motion, but Morales still moved into discussion. The motion did not pass.

A later motion to accept the recommendation to close did not pass, either.

Trustee Adam Johnson was against the recommendation because he said he feels this decision doesn’t fall entirely on the district’s shoulders. He pointed out that other organizations have used Lundy’s property, including Mount Charleston’s volunteer fire department.

Williams, the trustee for Lundy, said the board has a duty to make the right financial decision for the district.

“It’s pretty hard to be supportive of rejecting this when the fact of the matter is that we have millions and millions of dollars to manage,” Williams said.

Reactions to no action decision

Brenda Talley, a Mount Charleston resident and Lundy supporter, considers the no action decision a victory for Mount Charleston. Because the trustees didn’t vote to close Lundy, the district has opportunities explore other options surrounding transportation and repairing the school, she said.

“It’s a victory because they LOST the vote to close — had that passed there wouldn’t be opportunity for other solutions,” Talley wrote in a text. “So yes no action gives us time. Time to find solutions they aren’t even trying to find.”

She criticized the district for what she thinks is their prioritization of money over student well-being.

“It’s all about the money. It always has been from the very get go,” Talley said. “Their first priority should be the students for their education, health and welfare.”

Chris Giunchigliani said no action allows more time for Lundy supporters to present trustees with their perspectives and provides the district more time to work with the Clark County Commission to bear some of the financial load, which the commission has showed interest in exploring.

“I’ll live with that,” she said. “I would rather they had voted to reject it, but they didn’t, and then they could have closed it and they didn’t.”

Giunchigliani is proud of the neighbors for showing up in numbers. For now, Lundy advocates can breathe, but the fight isn’t over for these community members.

“I think everyone just breathed a sigh of relief,” she said. “I don’t know why they want to destroy a community. I really don’t — that’s the part I don’t get.”

With school set to start Aug. 12, Lundy’s future remains uncertain. The board did not set a date for when the Lundy decision may be made, but the next board meeting is July 11.

You can contact Ella Thompson at ethompson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @elladeethompson on X.