I would like to commend the Saugus community for its passion and dedication to the preservation of the historic Santa Clarita Elementary School site.
Built in 1960, Santa Clarita Elementary was the second school in the Saugus Union School District. The first, Saugus Elementary, was sold to a developer in 1978, and a shopping center was later built on the site. The only piece of that school that was saved is the original school bell, which now proudly hangs at the Jan Heidt Metrolink Station in Newhall — a small but poignant reminder of what was lost.
In 2023, the Saugus Union School District closed Santa Clarita Elementary due to declining enrollment and the significant cost of retrofitting the building. District leadership has since discussed options that include revenue-generating uses or a potential sale to a developer. This time, however, the community has made its position clear: no.
Santa Clarita is made up of several distinct communities — Newhall, Canyon Country, Valencia and Saugus. The first three each have both a community center and a library.
Saugus does not. For years, residents were told there was never a “good” location to build one. Now, there is.
Santa Clarita Elementary presents a rare and meaningful opportunity: a centrally located, historic campus with deep roots in the community and the potential to become the civic heart Saugus has long been missing. Importantly, the city of Santa Clarita has already expressed interest in this site and in exploring adaptive reuse rather than demolition.
To its credit, the district made a genuine effort to engage the community. A committee composed of district representatives and local stakeholders met for more than a year to examine potential uses for the site, holding multiple outreach meetings that included parents, neighbors, business owners, preservation advocates, and staff from the city of Santa Clarita. After that work, the committee recommended that the campus be repurposed as a community center. While the board of trustees acknowledged the recommendation, no final decision has yet been made. In the meantime, the district has expressed interest in demolishing several outbuildings on the site — structures that former students and parents hope will remain intact while broader decisions are still under consideration. These buildings hold more than utility; their walls are covered with artwork and words of encouragement left behind by sixth-grade classes, tangible reminders of the generations who passed through the school.
Many years ago, I was involved in a similar situation in Newhall. An old building — once a Works Progress Administration-designed school auditorium built in the 1930s — had been gutted and was being used as a warehouse. Its architectural details were hidden, its stage stripped, its purpose forgotten.
But parents and community members saw its potential. So did several dedicated school board members and a couple of superintendents who understood the value of restoration over replacement. Together, they made the case to bring the building back to life.
Today, that building is the Newhall Family Theatre for the Performing Arts — an active, vibrant space serving children, families and the broader community. It stands as proof that preservation, patience and partnership can turn neglect into renewal.
Saugus now stands at a similar crossroads. We can repeat the mistakes of the past, or we can choose a future that honors history, serves present needs, and invests wisely in community. Santa Clarita Elementary deserves that chance.
Historically, we have lost too many sites that once defined our valley. We cannot undo those decisions. But we can stop repeating them. Let’s not lose another.
Patricia Rasmussen
Santa Clarita
