Santa Clarita Elementary School staff will have a chance to find a new home in the Saugus Union School District, but only after the district knows where the school’s students will be going, according to Jennifer Stevenson, the district’s assistant superintendent of human resources.
The district board voted last week to approve a resolution to close the school once the current school year ends in June. According to a Nov. 1 letter sent to parents via ParentSquare, the deadline for Santa Clarita Elementary students to request a transfer to another district school is Jan. 15 at 4 p.m.
Parents were instructed to provide a first and second choice of schools in their requests. Those who do not meet the deadline are subject to the district’s regular intra-district criteria, meaning a parent’s request may not be granted should the requested school already be filled up.
Once students have been relocated, the process for moving staff to new schools can begin, Stevenson said. That may not occur until March, she added, as analysis reports will have to be done to determine which schools need more staff.
According to district officials, the cost to retrofit Santa Clarita Elementary up to 1976 earthquake standards, as outlined in Assembly Bill 300, would be approximately $25 million. That, along with declining enrollment, was why the Saugus district governing board voted to approve a resolution to close the school.
Currently the oldest school in the district, Santa Clarita Elementary opened in 1960, according to the state Department of Education.
A 7/11 committee — so named because it will have seven to 11 members — is set to be formed that will decide what the district ultimately does with the property once the school is officially closed.
The form for requesting a transfer was attached to the letter sent to parents. That form can be emailed to Elizabeth Krueger, part of the district’s student support services staff and “concierge” for Santa Clarita Elementary families, at [email protected]. The form can also be dropped off at the district office located at 24930 Avenue Stanford.
