Skyline Ranch residents are waiting on the Sulphur Springs Union School District to announce an update about the planned elementary school site in their neighborhood – but the district and the developer are still negotiating the terms of the property transfer for the school site.
Thomas Smith, who moved to Skyline Ranch earlier this year, said one of the motives for moving his family to the community was how Tri Pointe Homes advertised that an elementary school site was part of the plan.
“If you walk around the neighborhood and some of the neighborhood trails, it will show you a map of the neighborhood and on all those maps it’ll show a section where the school is supposed to be,” said Smith. “It’ll show it as a proposed elementary school. And so that definitely was a factor for us when we made the decision to move here.”
Smith said that he recently was talking to his neighbors about the school site and they were expressing how frustrated they were.
“Just a few months ago, we were at a party and talking to one of our friends that live here and they made the comment, ‘Where’s the elementary school we were promised?’” said Smith.
Smith tried to contact the district to find out when the school would be built. District officials told him they were in negotiations to acquire the land from Tri Pointe but other than that, residents have not been updated on the status.
The main concern for Smith and his family is that the elementary school won’t be built in time to enroll their children.
“We’re concerned our kids are going to age out and not even attend the school if they delay it,” said Smith.
The district first discussed the new school site in May 2020, according to a previous Signal report in February.
In March 2023, district Superintendent Catherine Kawaguchi recommended the board of trustees to select a finalist for architectural and engineering services for the elementary school’s design. The board approved the selection of Flewelling and Moody as the architect.
According to the agreement between the district and developer, the process for the elementary school site preparation and construction was to begin after the blueprints for the land were drawn out, including the elementary school site and certificates of occupancy for at least 301 residential units. After these conditions are met, the developer was to transfer the site in a “construction-ready condition” within 24 months or sooner if agreed by the parties.
For almost two years, the elementary school has been a closed session item for the school district board regarding conference with Tri Pointe on “conditions, price and terms of payment.”
“The property negotiations for Skyline Ranch are an ongoing item and discussed by the board in closed session. Once negotiations are complete, information will be released,” said SSUSD board President Ken Chase in an email statement.
Thomas Grable, division president for Tri Pointe Homes Orange County-Los Angeles, did not return multiple emails and calls seeking comment about the site’s status.
