HENDERSON (KTNV) — The City of Henderson is now accepting notices of intent from committees interested in forming public charter schools within city limits.
This is the city's next step in its journeyto authorizing its own charter schools. The city was first granted permissionto become a public charter school sponsor in 2024, thanks to a new state law that empowers municipalities to take an active role in expanding educational options.
WATCH | Empowered by new law, southern Nevada municipalities looking to open city-sponsored charter schools
You may be wondering — why does the city want to authorize its own charter schools, and how would these differ from existing charter schools that are authorized and sponsored by the state (the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority)?
I spoke with Tara Phebus, the City of Henderson's division head of education initiatives, who said the city wanted to become an authorizer so it can bring new schools to the area that fill unmet needs and address issues that are specific to that community.
"I think one of the things we've experienced over time is overcrowding in some of our schools. We've got schools, we've got high schools, that are 125-130% capacity, so being able to open schools in those areas that may serve a similar population could relieve some of that and add those options for families. And then too, looking at programs that align with some of the workforce needs we have in the community," Phebus said.
As one example, she mentioned STEM-focused schools. While some of those do already exist there, she noted that a lot of them have waitlists, so there is a need for more.
In 2024, Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero told me, in total, she expects the city of Henderson to be able to sponsor up to four new public charter schools.
WATCH | I spoke one-on-one with the mayor of Henderson to learn more about what that process will look like:
There is a limit to how many students these new schools can serve, as mandated by Assembly Bill 400— the sweeping education bill signed into law by Gov. Joe Lombardo, which empowers local municipalities to sponsor their own public charter schools. It also puts a cap on how many students those new schools can accommodate.
The law states that a municipality "may not sponsor a new charter school or allow an existing charter school sponsored by the city or county to increase enrollment or operate an additional campus of an existing charter school sponsored by the city or county if the total number of pupils enrolled in charter schools sponsored by the city or county is 7 percent or more of the number of pupils enrolled in public schools in the city or county other than charter schools that are not sponsored by the city or county."
If you're interested in forming a charter school in the City of Henderson, the deadline to submit a notice of intent is Jan 30. You should submit through the city's online submission form.
Official applications will be accepted between April 15 - 30.
The City of North Las Vegas also received approval from the state last year to become a public charter school sponsor.
