For seven years, Kelly McCue has taught kindergarten at C.C. Meneley Elementary School — the same school where she once walked the halls as a kindergartener herself. 

Now, she's preparing to say goodbye.

During a June 4 farewell carnival organized by the Gardnerville school's Parent-Teacher Organization, McCue joined families, students and former classmates in marking the school's final weeks before closure.

In an interview with The Nevada Independent, McCue said the moment was deeply personal.

"This place feels like a second home to me," she said. "The idea of it closing is heartbreaking."

After more than four decades serving the Gardnerville community, C.C. Meneley will close as Douglas County School District consolidates schools amid declining enrollment and financial pressure, becoming the district's first school closure in 18 years. 

Meneley's closure is part of a national trend as school districts look for ways to reduce their overhead. 

Funding concerns are especially dire for the Douglas County School District, which faced a $5.4 million budget deficit this year and was recently placed on fiscal watch, during which its finances will be closely monitored by the state. Earlier this month, the district's school board voted to initiate the consolidation of two more schools after next school year to avoid a total state takeover.

Two of Nevada's largest school districts are also looking to downsize in order to maximize their capital funding, which has been strained by rising construction costs. 

But parents say state leaders should be doing more to bolster K-12 education funding to avoid districts being forced to shutter schools to solve their budget issues. 

"I really would like to see these … elected public servants step up and get us some money for our kids," said Lizzie Kirkpatrick, a mother of two Meneley students and PTO member. 

Mergers can't solve this

The Douglas County School District has been considering closing schools since December. 

Out of the six sites that were initially considered, the closures of Meneley and Gene Scarselli Elementary School, located less than 2 miles apart, were expected to cause minimal disruption to their community. Over the past decade, enrollment at each school has fallen from fewer than 500 students to about 300. 

The entire district has experienced a 17.4 percent enrollment decline since 2016 and is down to about 4,500 students, officials say. 

Superintendent Frankie Alvarado said in a June 15 interview the district expects overall enrollment to fall by 1,000 students in the next five years. Under current funding, losing 250 students in a year can cost the district an estimated $2.5 million in annual revenue.

The Meneley and Scarselli merger will save the district just under $1 million annually. 

But it doesn't solve all the district's problems. 

School district leaders have said the state's per-pupil funding, about $14,000, isn't keeping up with inflation and districts' rising costs.

Kirkpatrick and Meneley PTO president Stephanie Christensen said lawmakers need to do more to support school districts, even if it means higher taxes.

"I know they don't want to talk about increasing taxes and that always seems to be off the table," Christensen said. 

Past legislative efforts to pass tax reforms, including a 2025 resolution by Assm. Natha Anderson (D-Reno), AJR1, as well as recommendations from a panel to look into school funding haven't gone far. Anderson said she plans to reintroduce her bill during the 2027 legislative session if she is re-elected. 

But Alvarado said any funding increases under $500 per student may not help Douglas County schools if they are offset by further enrollment declines. 

The Commission on School Funding is also looking at new ways to calculate enrollment for funding purposes and make it easier to get support during enrollment declines. 

But none of that helps Douglas County now. Alvarado said his district already meets the qualifications to be placed under receivership. Hoping to avoid a state takeover, the district is looking to consolidate two more schools, Jacks Valley Elementary School in Carson City and Piñon Hills Elementary School in Minden, which could save another $1.1 million a year. 

The schools are located more than 8 miles apart and divided by a highway, which could come with transportation challenges for some students. By closing Piñon, Alvarado said the district would lose federal Title I funds for its financially disadvantaged students. 

"We did take this consolidation off the table … unfortunately, now we can't have any wishful thinking about that," Alvarado said at a June 3 school board meeting.

Larger districts downsizing too

Urban school districts are not immune to enrollment declines. 

While pockets of the Clark County School District are growing, enrollment districtwide has dropped from 320,000 students at its peak in the 2018-19 school year to about 280,000 students. 

This school year, the district closed the only elementary school in the Goodsprings community, which has fewer than 200 residents and is located 33 miles south of the Las Vegas Strip. The school, built in 1913, only had two students during the 2025-26 school year. 

The Washoe County School District is in a similar situation. The district's enrollment has dropped from about 64,000 students to about 59,000 students over the past seven school years. Now it's smaller than the State Public Charter School Authority, which covers about 60,000 students at 80 charter school campuses across Nevada. 

The Clark County School District's new Facilities Master Plan will refocus its strategy for its 400 buildings.  

A draft of the plan proposes closing some older schools and renovating or rebuilding others as well as repurposing under-utilized spaces. These could be used to add programs such as early childhood centers and replace some campuses. 

Clark County schools' Deputy Superintendent of Business Operation Felicia Gonzales said it was an opportunity for communities to trade their existing schools for "something bigger and better." 

It's similar to work that the Washoe County School District embarked on in 2023 as part of its Facility Modernization Plan, where it builds new schools and rebuilds some older campuses as it consolidates. This work is made possible with funding from a 2017 sales tax. 

The Clark County schools plan states that by concentrating resources on fewer sites, students will have equitable access to more teachers, subjects, extracurricular activities and educational opportunities. 

"In elementary school, when they get down to a certain point of low enrollment, it becomes very difficult to have all the bells and whistles, to have music, to have other specials," Gonzales said. "But when you have a school that is full …  then you have all the personnel that's needed to to really fully service all the students." 

The district is expected present the plan to the school board in the fall. If the school board approves, the school closures won't begin until 2030.

'It's more stress'

Before the school year ended, McCue said Meneley staff and students had the opportunity to tour Scarselli and meet with their future colleagues and classmates in order to ease the transition. 

Grant Dixon, whose children had attended C.C. Meneley, said the school was right across the street from their home.

"We're going to have to take the bus now," Dixon said. "It's more stress because you have to get up earlier."

Dixon said his children felt more comfortable after learning that Meneley's principal, Blaine Spires, would move to Scarselli to lead the school after Scarselli Elementary Principal Susan McNeall's retirement. But the father remained uncertain about the transition.

Alvarado said the district will eventually decide whether to surplus Meneley or transfer the building to another public entity. 

He expects the board will make a final decision on consolidating Jacks Valley and Piñon Hills for the 2027-28 school year in January after the newly elected school board members have taken their seats. 

If something changes, it's possible the school board could pause the consolidation, but Alvarado said he's not holding out hope. 

Even as families prepare for the next school year, teachers and parents said they're focused on helping students adjust and keeping the community intact.

"We're always going to want the best for kids, regardless of what building we're in," McCue said.