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Updated Nov. 19, 7:29 a.m.–
In a 4-0 vote Tuesday night, San Juan Unified School District board members made the controversial decision to move students from Sylvan Middle School over to the adjacent Citrus Heights Elementary campus in 2016, rejecting an alternative proposal to rebuild the aging school for an estimated cost of $44 million…
Updated Nov. 12, 4:12 p.m.–
Latest numbers released around 4 p.m. today showed McKibbin’s lead gaining by several hundred more votes, with a total of 839 votes ahead — beating Miller by a slim margin of less than 1 percent of the votes cast in the race…
Superintendent Kent Kern Tuesday night will recommend San Juan Unified School District board members approve a controversial proposal to shift Citrus Heights Elementary students to Carriage Drive Elementary, and move Sylvan Middle School students over to an $18.2 million modernized Citrus Heights Elementary campus, saying it’s a cost-efficient way to handle problems with Sylvan’s deteriorating building and declining enrollment.
Rejecting a popular proposal from vocal parents who advocate rebuilding the 76-year-old Sylvan school, Kern’s closure-and-consolidation recommendation would cost $10-20 million less than the $44 million estimated to rebuild the school — or the $30.8 million now estimated to “fix” it, according to recommendation documents included in the Board’s October 28 agenda packet.
Kern’s closure recommendation also highlights declining enrollment figures which show Citrus Heights schools are only utilizing 63 percent of their enrollment capacity, indicating while 2016-17 projected K-8 enrollment is 5,085 students, there’s unused capacity for over 3,000 more pupils.
Upset parents have vowed to show up in numbers at Tuesday’s meeting…
A Wednesday-night community forum to discuss the future of Sylvan Middle School drew a room full of concerned parents and residents, wanting to make their voice heard regarding proposals to move or rebuild the school.
The meeting was the latest step taken by the San Juan Unified School District to find a solution to address the 76-year-old school’s aging facilities. Following an overall “D-” grade from a DLR Group facility assessment commissioned by the San Juan Unified School District in 2013, consideration of closing the school was discussed, and a community brainstorming meeting was held on April 23, with five ideas being currently floated as potential solutions.
Ideas include fixing Sylvan Middle School, rebuilding it, moving it to new facilities at Mesa Verde High School, or moving it to the campus of either Carriage Drive Elementary or Citrus Heights Elementary. A detailed description of each idea can be viewed at the District’s website.
Cost estimates for the five proposed solutions run as high as $44 million to rebuild the school, while a move to either of the elementary schools would run about $17 million, according to District officials.
A community forum to discuss options for addressing aging facilities at Sylvan Middle School in Citrus Heights will be hosted by the San Juan Unified School District at 6:30 p.m Wednesday.
In light of a potential closure of Sylvan Middle School, those interested in the future of school facilities in Citrus Heights are being invited by the San Juan Unified School District to a community discussion tonight.
Consideration of a proposal to close the school came after a recent facilities assessment report gave the school an overall grade of “D-,” despite several million dollars in upgrades having been allocated to the school from bond measures in the past decade.
Citing issues with the exterior, interior, electrical, and ADA compliance, DLR Group’s assessment estimated that a modernization project of the school would run $18.4 million, while a complete replacement of the 57,600 square foot facility would run about $6 million more.
Kent Kern was selected as the next Superintendent on Tuesday night by the governing board of the San Juan Unified School District, after former Superintendent Glynn Thompson resigned amidst allegations of misconduct last year. “As a proud San Juan Unified alum, this District has always been a family to me,[Read More…]
Community input on selecting a replacement for the top administrative position is being sought by San Juan Unified Board of Education, following the removal of Superintendent Glynn Thompson. Deadline to submit input is March 3. The Board has specified that input is not limited to students and parents, and invites[Read More…]
