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Tag: closure

  • Board decides final fate of Sylvan Middle School

    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.

    Prior story, updated Nov. 18, 11:15 a.m.–
    San Juan Unified School District board members are set to take final action Tuesday night on the superintendent’s controversial recommendation to move students from an aging Sylvan Middle School campus over to a modernized Citrus Heights Elementary facility, and move existing elementary students over to a consolidated K-5 school at Carriage Drive Elementary.

    The proposal has drawn fire from parents who advocate rebuilding Sylvan school, with about a dozen people speaking out against the superintendent’s recommendation at an October board meeting. They have also brought the matter up during public comment at several city council meetings, emphasizing Sylvan’s history in the community and citing concerns about displacing students — particularly those with special needs.

    Highlighting declining enrollment and an estimated rebuild cost of over $44 million, Superintendent Kent Kern has rejected the rebuild proposal in favor of his modernization-and-consolidation plan — a plan estimated to cost less than half the amount to rebuild the school, according to recommendation documents included in the Board’s October 28 agenda packet.

    The proposed $18.3 million modernization at Citrus Heights Elementary would provide for additional facilities, including four new science labs, a music room and restrooms. It would also include interior and exterior modernization, expansion of parking and drop-off areas, and several other facility updates, according to Board documents.

    Board members have not revealed how they would ultimately vote, but recently re-elected board member Greg Paulo expressed some skepticism as to the accuracy of the numbers — citing past experience with San Juan High School renovation estimates, according to the October 28 meeting’s draft minutes. His colleague Saul Hernandez commented that the school would not be closing, but rather moving “200 yards” over to the Citrus Heights Elementary campus.

    If approved, consolidation of the two elementary schools would begin with the 2015-16 school year, and Sylvan students would move over to the nearby modernized Citrus Heights Elementary beginning with the 2016-17 school year, according to the recommendation on the November 18 meeting agenda. Existing Sylvan school facilities would either be demolished or used for other District programs and services.

    Discussion about a possible closure of Sylvan began after the school received a “D-” grade from a District-wide DLR Group facility assessment.  The report also found around “$1.5 billion in ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ projects” across the District, in addition to $400 million in ongoing projects.

    Editor’s note: for more background on the Sylvan controversy, see prior story here: Sup’t to recommend District close, move Sylvan school

  • CRIME UPDATE: red-light runner fled scene of 4-car crash at Sunrise/Greenback

    Citrus Heights police said this morning that a four-car accident Thursday night was caused by a female suspect who fled the scene after running a red light and ramming another vehicle in the intersection of Greenback Lane and Sunrise Boulevard.

    “Initial reports are that the driver of [a] Cadillac ran a red light and broadsided another vehicle,” said Citrus Heights Police Department Sergeant Bryan Fritsch, who indicated the suspect was driving at a “high rate of speed” on Greenback Lane and fled the scene on foot afterwards. He said the suspect had been identified as a woman in her thirties, but added, “the status of her arrest is unknown at this time.”

    The collision occurred just after 8 p.m. Thursday, partially blocking traffic at the intersection as about a dozen officers responded to the scene and diverted Sunrise Boulevard traffic to Greenback Lane.

    The driver of the broadsided Hyundai was taken to a local hospital with unknown injuries, while drivers of the two other vehicles involved were uninjured, according to police.

    All details have not been released yet, as police say the investigation is still underway. The incident is likely to have been caught on the intersection’s red light cameras, which take video of activity occurring after a light turns red.

  • TUES NIGHT: Sup’t to recommend school board close, move Sylvan

    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.

    schools_sylvanmiddleschoolRejecting 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, as they did at a September 25 forum last month, pushing for a “state-of-the-art” rebuilt Sylvan, or at least a one-year delay on a final decision to allow more time to consider funding options and other alternatives. They have also brought the matter up during public comment at several recent city council meetings, emphasizing their desire for closeby “neighborhood schools” and citing concerns about displacing students — particularly those with special needs.

    According to Kern’s recommendation documents,  staff “considered and investigated” potentially delaying a decision, but rejected the idea “after speaking with members of city council as well as the city planning department, and considering the other impacts.”

    Vice Mayor Sue Frost wrote in a recent newsletter that “schools are not under the purview of the city council,” but said she wrote a letter to the SJUSD Board regarding the matter.

    “In my letter to the School Board, I have supported the parents in their effort to save Sylvan Middle School if at all possible, and if not, I have request[ed] that the Board please make the transition as easy on students and parents as possible,” the vice mayor said in her October 27 newsletter. She also said several council members will be present at Tuesday’s Board meeting.

    Although the Board will hear the matter Tuesday night, a final vote is expected at its November 18 meeting.

    —
    View the full recommendation documents in the October 28 board agenda packet here:
    http://bit.ly/Oct28Agenda

    San Juan Unified School District
    Board of Education meeting
    October 28, 2014
    6:30 p.m.
    3738 Walnut Avenue
    Carmichael, CA

  • Wednesday: Sylvan Middle School Community Forum

    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.

    Save our schools, Sylvan Middle School
    A sign posted near Sylvan Middle School invites residents to the community forum on Wednesday night.

    Following an overall “D-” grade from a DLR Group assessment commissioned by the District in 2013, consideration of closing the 76-year-old 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.

    The District says its interest is “to select the most affordable option that meets current priorities and needs,” and considers community input to be “vital” in the selection process.

    Cost estimates for the five proposed solutions range from $5 million to $40 million, with the cheapest option being to move Sylvan to Carriage Drive Elementary’s campus and the most expensive being to rebuild the school, according to District estimates.

    As long as enrollment is maintained, the District says it does not anticipate any teachers losing jobs under any of the proposed solutions, although a statement on the District’s website indicates a possibility for reduction in administrative and support staffing if a school site were closed.

    Questions or feedback regarding Sylvan Middle School facility options can asked at Wednesday’s meeting, or be submitted to the District via an online submission form.

    A school board decision is expected in November, with first possible changes taking place as early as Fall 2015.

    —

    Community Forum
    6:30 p.m., September 24
    Sylvan Middle School – MP room
    7137 Auburn Blvd
    Citrus Heights, CA 95610

    On the Net:

    District’s web page with info on Sylvan options: http://www.sanjuan.edu/Page/23600

  • Auburn Blvd Night Paving to Close Lanes

    Lane Closed on Auburn Boulevard in Citrus HeightsIf you travel on Auburn Boulevard between 7:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., you may want to consider using another route this week, in light of night paving work that will limit traffic to one lane in each direction.

    The paving work is part of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Revitalization Project, and will affect traffic on Auburn Boulevard from Sylvan Corners to Sycamore Drive.
    A press release sent out by the City of Citrus Heights said the night paving work is scheduled to take place between the night of Tuesday, June 10, to the morning of Friday, June 13. The release also said that patience is appreciated from those affected by the work.
    Questions or concerns about the project can be directed to the City’s General Services Department at (916) 727-4770.

  • Community Discussion on Future of Sylvan School

    schoolIn light of a potential closure of Sylvan Middle School, parents and residents are being invited by the San Juan Unified School District to a community discussion on Wednesday.

    Consideration of the 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.

    An email sent out by the District encourages families from all Citrus Heights schools to come and share ideas about possible school facility options.

    The meeting will be at at Sylvan Middle School tonight, April 23, at 6:30 p.m. The school is located at 7137 Auburn Blvd., in Citrus Heights