Girls Empowerment Middle School (GEMS)

is permanently closed.

For inquiries, please:

• Email us at info@gemslv.org, or

• Contact the law offices of Hutchinson & Steffen at 702-385-2500. The mailing address is 10080 West Alta Drive, Suite 200, Las Vegas, Nevada 89145.

GEMS’ Board of Directors has voted unanimously to close the school as a result of financial difficulties stemming from chronically low enrollment.

April 25, 2023, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - On April 24, 2023, the Board of Directors for Girls Empowerment Middle School, or GEMS, held a meeting to decide on the viability of continuing school operations in the 2023 - 2024 school year.  The Board voted 5 - 0 in favor of closure due to the dire financial situation facing the school should operations continue.  

In the meeting, the Board reviewed the financial projections for the 2023 - 2024 school year which were previously presented to them in the Board’s April 10th meeting, heard input from the parent of one of the school’s students, and discussed the ramifications of closure and continued operations with the Board’s attorney, Jason Guinasso.  After considering all of the information and public comment, acting Board Chair Barbara Wiggins and members Rosalind Bivings, Nadine Connor, Gyna Castillo, and Jacqueline Brown all voted in favor of the motion to close the school at the end of the current school year on May 19, 2023.

Parents, including the one present at the Board meeting, have long appreciated the school for its small class sizes and the close connections students were able to form as a result.  Ironically, the limited enrollment at the school led to the financial shortfall.  As Principal Dr. Joyce Brooks and Assistant Principal Mr. Michael Taack shared in a meeting notice to families, “While it has been a point of pride that GEMS has had wonderfully small classes which allowed teachers, students, and staff to build trusting relationships and create a uniquely girl-focused, empowering educational environment, it has also been no secret that our enrollment numbers were less than what we had expected.  While we have worked tirelessly throughout the year to try novel methods of attracting and enrolling new students, none of those methods have resulted in the enrollment gains that we have needed or hoped for.  Unfortunately, this has led us into a financial crisis from which we are unlikely to recover.”

The Board members also voted 5 - 0 in favor of naming Mr. Taack as the school’s Trustee during the closure process, with Dr. Brooks as the first alternate Trustee and Mr. Guinasso as the second alternate Trustee (and legal advisor to the trustee).  The Trustee will be responsible for helping the school complete statutory requirements related to the school’s closure and assisting students and their families with identifying and transferring to new schools for the upcoming school year.  The Trustee’s appointment is subject to approval by the State Public Charter School Authority, or SPCSA.

The school has already begun the process of connecting families with school alternatives for the upcoming year, and plans are in the works for a school choice event at GEMS on May 4, 2023.  Affected families should contact the school at 702-672-6386 or at info@gemslv.org for more information.

Media Contact:

Jason Guinasso

jguinasso@hutchlegal.com

(775) 853-8746