By Rachel Brandes
Moapa Valley Progress
Published September 3, 2008
Moapa Valley High School Principal Grant Hanevold celebrated the end of the first week of school by spreading some good news. On Friday, Hanevold announced to the MVHS faculty and staff that they would have an infusion of cash to work with in the school’s budget.
In May, MVHS became one of 14 Empowerment Schools in the Clark County School District. Due to budget cuts, however, the newest round of Empowerment Schools were granted the Empowerment status without the additional funding which had been available to the earlier rounds of selections.
Towards the end of the week, however, the Clark County School District announced that it had been granted $13.5 million from the Lincy Foundation, a philanthropic organization founded by MGM Mirage majority shareholder Kirk Kerkorian. This grant was to fund the district’s empowerment program.
What does this mean for MVHS? It means that MVHS will receive an additional $600 per student per year for the next three years. With 610 students that gives MVHS $366,000 more per year in its budget for the next three years.
In addition, the Bellagio has also chosen to take MVHS under its wing and provide corporate sponsorship to the new empowerment school. The Bellagio has guaranteed MVHS an additional $50,000 per year for the next three years.
The Bellagio chose MVHS after hearing about the school’s Agricultural Farm which is maintained by students, Hanevold said. According to Hanevold, the Bellagio has also expressed interest in working with the school’s culinary program and possibly using food grown right here in Moapa Valley in its five star restaurants.
All of these new funds are guaranteed to MVHS for the next three years. Budget cuts can not affect the money. The only way MVHS would see a decrease in funds would be if student numbers drop. In that case the amount would be adjusted accordingly.
“My original budget plan had us capped at $200,000 per year,” stated Hanevold. But that too had even needed to be cut. “This is four times the budget we had a week ago,” he stated. “It is almost unthinkable.”
Hanevold pointed out that his staff is extremely excited about the possibilities this has opened up for them. “The staff now has access to funds and are bound only by their imaginations” he said.
Hanevold recognizes that with this money comes a good deal of responsibility and accountability. He explained that the school’s empowerment teams would be meeting immediately to work on plans. “We are going to need to show significant gains,” he said. “It will need to be a group effort by administration, teachers, and parents.”
This grant and corporate sponsorship brings $1.2 million into Moapa Valley over the next three years. “Applying for Empowerment status was the best thing I could have done” stated Hanevold.
