PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID OVERTON, NV PERMIT NO. 11 Your Hometown Newspaper Since 1987 Wednesday, September 2, 2020 www.mvprogress.com CCSD Superintendent tours MV schools VVCEAB engages Jara over rural By VERNON ROBISON school flexibility The Progress By VERNON ROBISON The four Moapa Valley schools received a surprise visit last week The Progress from a distinguished guest. On Friday, Aug. 28, Clark Frustrations ran high among County School District (CCSD) Virgin Valley parents and ed- Superintendent Jesus Jara trav- ucation advocates during a elled from Las Vegas to pay a vis- special meeting of the Virgin it to each of the four local schools Valley Community Education and see how things were going in Advisory Board (VVCEAB) held some of the only classrooms in on Wednesday afternoon Aug. 26 the entire district where in-person at Mesquite City Hall. live instruction is going on. In attendance at the meeting “He was just really eager to see to answer questions were Clark kids in a classroom,” said MVHS County School District (CCSD) Assistant Principal Ron Lustig of Superintendent Jesus Jara and Jara’s visit to MVHS. “He said School Board Trustee Danielle that he just couldn’t wait to come Ford. and see the kids in school.” VVCEAB members grilled Jara made the rounds of Jara for nearly an hour with ques- the community. In addition to tions and comments. Most of the MVHS, Jara also stopped in at question sought for the reason Grant Bowler Elementary, the why plans to bring students back MVHS Agricultural Farm, Mack to local schools, made last month Lyon Middle School and Ute Per- by principals and their School Or- CCSD Superintendent Jesus Jara checks in with students in classes at Moapa Valley High School during a ganizational Teams (SOTs), had SeeVisit on page 7A tour of the four Moapa Valley schools on Friday last week. been swept aside and denied by CCSD central administration. Students of all four Virgin Val- ley schools were required to re- MVHS seniors observe Sunrise Breakfast tradition turn to school last week on an all online distance learning model. By NICK YAMASHITA Complex as early as 4:30 am on The Progress Wednesday to set things up and Rural schools unique start cooking breakfast for the VVCEAB chairman Jodi Health restrictions didn’t stop kids in the Class of 2021. Thornley summed up the griev- members of the MVHS Class of Seniors began arriving at the ances by stating that rural schools 2021 from attending the tradi- ballfields at about 5:30 am to eat could not be treated like those in tional Senior Sunrise Breakfast breakfast. Food for the break- the city. Rather rural school ad- on Wednesday, Aug. 26. But it fast was provided by the Moapa ministrators require more flexi- couldn’t be held on the school Valley Rotary Club. But it was bility to enact plans that are best campus or be coordinated by cooked up by community volun- suited for unique rural needs, she school staff due to Clark County teers and parents who helped co- said. School District COVID-19 man- ordinate the event. “Things are very different here dates. Seniors were grateful for the than in urban areas,” said Thorn- But local parents and com- opportunity to see and spend time ley. “Our parents and communi- munity volunteers stepped up with friends. Parents also provid- ties are very involved in educa- and filled the void for the annu- ed cornhole toss games and fris- tion. We know our needs and we al get-together that traditional- bees for the seniors which were NICK YAMASHITA/ The Progress know where we are lacking. You ly opens the school year for the MVHS seniors l to r Kyla Bradshaw, Maddy Frederick and Bailee An- spread out on the lawn so they and the other central administra- senior class. These volunteers drew do a frisbee toss activity during the Senior Sunrise Breakfast held tors are operating far away from met up at the Logandale Sports on Wednesday last week. See Breakfast on page 7A here. You can’t possibly keep track of all our unique needs. We want to help you with that. But you have to give us flexibility to VVWD lifts moratorium with promises from developers do that.” Thornley said that the prin- By VERNON ROBISON rium on the Aug. 18 agenda. Now that the SDC should be set at “It was an illegal vote,” cipals had developed plans that a week later, he admitted that this $6,629.78 per the average single claimed Dillon Jensen, Con- would have met all health guide- The Progress may have been a mistake. family residence built. The cur- struction Manager at Nevada lines and still brought local kids The Virgin Valley Water Dis- “As an elected official, some- rent SDC is only at $2,730. Residential Construction during a back into the schools. trict (VVWD) Board of Direc- times you make a mistake,” VVWD Board Chairman Ne- public comment at Wednesday’s “They worked hard and long tors, in a meeting last week, lifted Bowler said. “Hopefully we can phi Julien explained that the need meeting. “I don’t think you have on those plans in good faith, be- a temporary moratorium on new stand up and admit it when it hap- for a significant increase to the a right to impose a moratorium lieving that they would be ap- development in the community. It pens. I’m afraid that it was a knee SDC was without question. Be- with that short of notice. Your proved,” Thornley said. “Then at was a measure that the board had jerk reaction last time we met.” cause of unforeseen problems, job as a government entity is to the last minute their plans were instituted only the week before. But Bowler reviewed that the the district is behind in its water provide us with water and you flat-out denied.” With a verbal promise from district is still facing a shortfall production goals, Julien said. have failed over the past week. Jara agreed that rural schools representatives of major develop- of $25 million in capital infra- The district’s #34 well, which We have a right to do business need to be treated differently. But ers at a meeting held Wed. Aug. structure expenses over the next was expected to be complete and and you can’t just take that away he insisted in this case that he 26, the board voted to remove the decade. in production by now, turned out without doing it legally.” was limited by what the Board of temporary stay and allow limited “My thoughts on the meeting to be a failure. Other wells in the A written statement by Pulte Trustees had approved. development to continue again in last time certainly was not to shut queue for drilling have been de- Homes So. Nevada Vice Presi- Virgin Valley. all development down,” Bowler layed because new sites for them dent Quincy Edwards pointed out Interpreting the Trustees The board had hastily imposed said. “But in order to (pay for) had to be located, he said.. that the development sector is de- He claimed the Board had giv- the moratorium just the previous the growth, we need to raise the “We are in a situation that if pendent upon consistent, reliable en only three options: the first week at an Aug. 18 meeting. It SDCs.” we continue to accept payment of service as well as predictable and being face to face instruction as put a temporary hold on the is- Bowler said that he viewed SDCs at a rate that doesn’t cover reasonable increases in costs. usual, if it was possible given so- suance of any water applications the agenda item as merely a nec- the growth that new development “A community where utilities cial distancing requirements; the involving the district’s Service essary step in a process that had is causing, sometime early next impose a 143 percent increase second, the district’s narrow hy- Development Charge (SDC). been ongoing for several months year we will have a shortage in with only a six month warning, brid model; and third, all distance The SDC is a one-time fee on before that. the system,” Julien said. followed by threats of a morato- online learning. new development. It is meant “If our biggest well were to rium, is not a stable, reasonable “I can’t allow any schools to to fund system improvements The shortfall go down tomorrow, we would market where smart investors will do differently than what the board needed to meet the demands of In the board’s July meeting, an have to implement emergency choose to spend their money,” has approved, ” Jara said. growth. These can include the engineering study was presented measures,” Julien added. “So we Edwards stated. Jara also claimed that he was construction of new wells, water showing the capital needs of the need to build wells and the infra- Mesquite realtor Karen Field- limited to these three options be- treatment plants, storage tanks, district expected over the next structure to service them. That ing said that she had found the cause that was all that had been transmission pipelines and more. decade. The study, conducted by will cost money. The SDC will news of the moratorium discour- submitted to the Nevada State The SDC is paid by the devel- engineering firm Bowen Collins have to go up to accommodate aging. Board of Education for approval. oper in the final stages just before & Associates, found a $25 mil- that growth.