The Washoe County School District (WCSD) Board of Trustees in Nevada approved a 10-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) on June 23, setting up about $1.8 billion in projects across the district over the coming decade.
The plan runs from fiscal year 2027 (FY27) through FY36. The CIP comes after a monthslong development process, with officials noting that final costs and figures are still in approval stages and not yet finalized.
That process moved through a series of meetings between the Capital Funding Protection Committee (CFPC) and board members between April and June. Project scopes and funding options shifted along the way before the board gave final approval on June 23.
The plan was built to hold back more than $200 million in reserves for projects in its second decade, a cushion that helped drive some scope reduction across projects.
In the end, the CIP will draw on four revenue streams over the 10-year period. These include rollover bonds totaling $1.235 billion, property taxes of about $184.9 million, WC-1 bonds of $350 million and WC-1 sales tax of about $221.2 million.
The total planned expenditures under the CIP come to about $1.8 billion over the decade, with the majority, about $1.65 billion, going to construction projects. The rest covers smaller items such as IT device upgrades and bond program administration.
Under the construction category of the CIP, the largest piece is the district’s Facilities Modernization Plan (FMP), with $1.18 billion earmarked. The remainder goes to routine capital renewal projects across district buildings.
Of the construction projects, the largest is a full, phased reconstruction of the Wooster High School campus, coming in at $164.2 million. The scope grew during the process from a more modest modernization in the $70 million to $80 million range to a full rebuild after the CFPC required reconstruction on April 30.
The district plans to work with the Wooster community over the next school year on what the rebuild will look like before moving to phased engagement, which includes initial study, programming and conceptual design. Those phases will be followed by a full design round and two construction phases, according to the CIP.
Next on the project list is Sparks Middle School, with $107 million set aside for full reconstruction. According to the CIP, designs will remain consistent with previous school models and completion is anticipated in the 2029-2030 school year.
Two more schools round out the major reconstruction work. A new elementary school on the Traner campus carries an $82 million budget, with completion expected in the 2030-2031 school year. Libby Booth Elementary School is also slated for a full rebuild, with construction costs cited at $65 million. The plan describes the work as phased, starting with major improvements and rezoning in 2027-2028 before the reconstruction itself in 2032-2033.
The plan also includes a new administrative and central services building, budgeted at $108 million and expected sometime after the 2030-2031 school year. A site has not been settled on, though officials say the facility would not be built on the Wooster campus, pointing instead to a property on 9th Street or other commercial real estate as possibilities.
Beyond the headline projects, the CIP funds a long roster of modernization work. Among the larger efforts:
- $86.5 million – Sun Valley Elementary reconstruction
- $76.85 million – McQueen High modernization
- $76.5 million – Sparks High modernization
- $73 million – Clayton Middle School modernization
- $64 million – North Valleys High modernization
Numerous smaller elementary modernizations round out the plan.
District officials have noted that the individual projects still need their final costs and construction plans approved one by one, meaning the dollar figures and timelines in the plan could shift as each project moves forward. For now, the approved CIP sets the district’s roadmap for school construction and modernization through 2036.
Photo by Ali Ahmad DANESH from Pexels
For more of the latest from the expansive government marketplace, check Government Market News daily for new stories, insights and profiles from public sector professionals. Check out our national contracting newsletter here.
