LAUSD has proposed and is moving forward with adding an elementary school to the Sutter Middle School campus. The elementary school plans to serve 650 students in 26 classrooms on 3.5 acres in the northeast corner of Sutter Middle School. The school would be South of Valerio Street and West of Lubao. This part of the middle school was previously used as a parking lot, gardening area, maintenance & operations area, and paved recreational area. LAUSD plans to start construction Spring of 2008 for occupancy in Fall of 2010.
The WNC came out with a position against the school construction project in June 2006 with a letter to the LAUSD Board and again in March 2007 with a letter to Councilman Zine and in June 2007 with a letter to the LAUSD Board. WNC concerns include
- Insufficient traffic mitigation
- Exposing elementary students to middle school gang members and tagging
- Loss of playground area for the middle school
- Interruption of middle school classes due to construction noise
- Abundance of seats at existing Winnetka elementary schools
Soils testing uncovered the existence of contaminants, including arsenic, lead, chlordane, and dieldren. Removal of these contaminants is to be completed in January 2008.
You may access LAUSD information about this school at their site, including timelines, budget and project documentation.