It was confirmed last week California Montessori Project's Capitol Campus will move from the Marshall School to Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in the College Glen neighborhood. Since August, CMP leased the Marshall School building from the Sacramento City Unified School District, which also oversees its charter. Next Thursday and Friday, the school will be closed for the move and will resume at the new campus on Nov. 16. SCUSD superintendent Jonathan Raymond met with CMP board members, s... jmendick Susie Shields 2009-11-05T22:40:33Z 2009-11-05T22:40:33Z

Using Old Marshall for adult ed was appropriate. The same rules don't apply for adult ed. The district wanted so badly to take the pressure off of St. HOPE because they were severely underutilizing their current facility and the public was up in arms about that so the district abruptly moved the adult ed to the St. HOPE campus. It was the previous district staff's goal to protect St. HOPE at all costs. Some of those people who did so are gone...

Susie Shields 2009-11-05T22:40:33Z William Burg 2009-11-05T21:55:14Z 2009-11-05T21:55:14Z

The State Historic Building Code allows a lot of exemptions for historic buildings, including ADA compliance and earthquake safety requirements. Perhaps there is a way to make use of the Historic Building Code to change the status of the building or find an exception that would allow Marshall School to be used in its traditional role?

William Burg 2009-11-05T21:55:14Z Susie Shields 2009-11-05T21:35:45Z 2009-11-05T21:35:45Z

Mr. Burg, I agree location is why many people chose CMP. There is a risk when you choose a charter school because they are not attendance area schools. It is unfortunate that the district moved them but it was appropriate because CMP filed a prop 39 request for facilities with the district. When you do such a thing, you're requesting to be treated equally with regular district students. Regular district students cannot attend school in a building that is not Field Act compliant. It's the prop 39 request that has them in the position they're in. The problem is, the person who was supposed to know how prop 39 works, didn't do his job and a lot of people have to suffer the consequences. That person, I believe, has been let go by the district. I believe Mr. Raymond is trying to fix a very broken district by adhering to the rules that the previous administrations seemed to ignore. I agree with you about the central city. I have spoken at board meetings about the growth expected in downtown and I was told by one of the facilities guys that they were expecting the growth to be the young people with no kids and the empty-nesters, just like you said. If a city wants to be liveable, it needs to provide for families. It's crazy that the central city and midtown don't have good schools. Mr. Kooyman, I agree that Old Marshall is probably sturdier than newer structures. I remember they had a heck of a time trying to knock down the original brick Sacramento High School in order to build a new, "safer" structure. That newer, "safer" structure was literally falling apart and has been gutted to the tune of $24 M. I wish they would have let those buildings stand. They don't build 'em like they used to. I don't blame you for distrusting this district. It has been so bad for so long. There is a brand new school board that represents their own districts (this is new) and a brand new superintendent. I am hoping that things will finally start getting straightened out. These newcomers have a colossal mess to clean up due to the incompetence of the previous boards and superintendents.

Susie Shields 2009-11-05T21:35:45Z Dale Kooyman 2009-11-05T21:11:27Z 2009-11-05T21:11:27Z

Isn't it amazing--maybe odd--how SCUSD staff were suddenly struck with a blast of knowledge after the Montessori student body moved from the Pioneer location in Midtown into Marshall School? As I understand it, students did not have to move but if FUTURE enrollment increased, then they would be out of space. But they moved now because the local beautiful historic Marshall School was offered. When preparing the lease and after a two-year study, our highly educated SCUSD staff had no idea apparently that they were leasing a building to Montessori that did not meet the Field Act or ADA compliant. BUT within a couple of weeks there was a flash of brilliance to someone that in the name of safety, students had to move out IMMEDIATELY. Hadn't been an earthquake in Sacramento before or after the Field Act, other than some vibrations that felt like an 18 wheeler semi-truck rumbling by resulting from the Oroville and Loma Prieta quakes. BUT suddenly students were in imminent danger of the building falling in on them if they didn't get out at once! But not to worry, parents, SCUSD just happened to have another campus available. Well, not close but in the suburbs several miles away. And one in which neighbors around it had been trying get a middle school on that campus to fill that demand. But SCUSD didn't want a middle school there. So, more than generous staff would force that school upon the parents to keep children safe--it complies with the Field Act. How coincidental! Or was it? Might it have been planned all along to get Thomas Jefferson occupied? OR was it sheer staff incompentnency, for which SCUSD has a very good track record. I have been told that Supt Raymond is from one of the Carolinas, so knows nothing about local history including the steel beamed construction of Marshall School with quality wood and craftsmanship that will never be again and how such construction holds up during earthquakes. The Field Act was passed as a one-size-fits-all protection for California schools. So many other newer buildings were built with those protections in mind, and all slept soundly content that new construction would withstand the quakes. Then came the Sylmar earthquake! It woke up everyone! The new Olive View Hospital structures which had opened just a month prior to the earthquake collapsed BUT the original old quality construction hospital remained standing with much less damage and no patients were killed. They were lucky enough to have not yet been transferred. Unfortunately, that cannot be said for for some of the persons who died in the new structure . Your California earthquake history lesson for today Superintendent Raymond with a some district incompetency and/or inner politics thrown in.

Dale Kooyman 2009-11-05T21:11:27Z William Burg 2009-11-05T18:15:00Z 2009-11-05T18:15:00Z

I'm sure that College Greens is a wonderful neighborhood, but it seems like the point of CMP's location in the Marshall School is because it is the home neighborhood for many of the kids who attend, and their families. Kids can walk to school. I wonder if the school district got a better offer for the land where the Marshall School building sits? They received such an offer for the old Jefferson School site a few years ago (on 16th & N) and they are looking for ways to monetize their properties and plug the holes in their budgets. There are some who consider the central city altogether unlivable for kids and families, and may even have a vested economic interest in maintaining that agenda--the 'target market' for Midtown/Downtown is empty-nesters or young couples who haven't had kids yet. The traditional model is that those young couples meet in Midtown, move to the suburbs to raise their kids, then move back--if you're between 30 and 50 years old, apparently there is no place for you here. But it sounds like a generation with different ideas about cities has been trying to change that image--and they just met another big obstacle, in the form of a "no entry" sign hung in front of their school.

William Burg 2009-11-05T18:15:00Z Susie Shields 2009-11-05T04:54:08Z 2009-11-05T04:54:08Z

I know the CMP families are so upset. I would be too. If it's any comfort, the facility is wonderful. I grew up in College Greens which is the neighborhood Thomas Jefferson is located in. Glenbrook is a neighboring community so that's how they get the College Glen name in the above article. I went to TJ in the 70's. It has a huge field and big trees and new playground equipment. It's nestled in a quiet, safe neighborhood. It's not located downtown, but it's not too far. I hope the families will be ok with this move. Good luck to all of you!

Susie Shields 2009-11-05T04:54:08Z