The Pahrump Boys and Girls Club could be facing a potential 50 percent drop in enrollment once the school year begins partly due to a lack of transportation options.

Edna Hernandez, the newly-appointed director of the Pahrump branch, said during the summer months the club normally sees between 65 to 85 kids come through its doors to enjoy the programs and education the local club offers.

Once the school year starts, however, Hernandez estimates the club sees only about half that number of children. "Daily attendance during the school year is very low," Hernandez said.

Part of the problem is the difficulty parents have getting children to the club after school. Although the club is open until 6:30 p.m. during the school year, many parents are still at work when their children are free earlier in the afternoon and cannot leave to take their kids from school to the club.

Hernandez said she contacted the main Boys and Girls Club organization (the Pahrump unit is technically under the umbrella of the Henderson branch of the BGCA), but as of yet, knew only that they were aware of the issue.

The Nye County School District is unable to offer transportation to the club for several reasons, according to Cameron McRae, director of transportation.

"The statutes are pretty clear as to what we can provide bus service to and from," McRae said.

He went on to explain that Nye County School District policy allowed students to only travel to and from school from their registered address.

The only exception to that policy involves students in the juvenile probation program who are allowed to ride a bus that lets them off at the bus stop closest to the Boys and Girls Club.

But he emphasized that did not entail using a separate bus or diverting from an already-established route used to transport students home.

A second issue facing the school district, McRae said, is funding.

In order to provide transportation to the Boys and Girls Club, all six (very spread out) schools in Pahrump would have to have equal access to the transportation, which would inevitably add up to additional costs for an already-strapped district.

McRae pointed out that Pahrump is not the only place in Nye County that had transportation needs, but that communities in the northern part of the district also contribute to district transportation costs.

He did say, however, that he has received a handful of calls from parents enquiring about transportation to the Boys and Girls Club.