VALLEJO, Calif. – The Vallejo Unified School District (VCUSD) Board of Education unanimously approved the sale of the Beverly Hills Elementary School (1450 Coronel Ave, Vallejo, CA 94591) property and the rent-free lease for portions of the Franklin Middle School (501 Starr Ave, Vallejo, CA 94590) to the Greater Vallejo Recreation District (GVRD) at last night’s board meeting.
The Beverly Hills location will be sold to Solano County for $2.8 million to develop an early childhood education and wellness center. After two years of negotiations on the 6.64-acre property and different iterations of the partnership, the county and VCUSD recently concluded that the sale was the best fit for the space.
“The VCUSD Board of Education is very appreciative of this important partnership and embraces the efforts to provide an expanded early childhood education programming and other community wrap-around services at this cherished site,” Vallejo City Unified School District Superintendent William Spalding said. “It shows what can be done when committed advocates for children collaborate, focus, and drive towards a substantive outcome and won’t give up! I am very proud of this effort and of all who contributed. Generations will benefit. A community will benefit.”
The Franklin Middle School gymnasium, portables 79 and 80, and the adjacent athletic fields will be leased rent-free starting on June 1, 2023, to GVRD. The organization will use the vacated school to host community recreational programs and make necessary improvements to the property if grant funds are received. Currently, the Vallejo Police Activities League (PAL) uses the field space to provide quality, healthy activities for the youth of Vallejo while fostering a sense of community between police officers and the young people of Vallejo. The PAL will continue to operate their programs in collaboration with GVRD.
“The Franklin Middle School location will serve Vallejo youth with a new set of eyes,” Vallejo City Unified School District Assistant Superintendent of Operations Mitch Romao said. “GVRD will have a whole new vision for the Franklin facilities. We want to thank the PAL for their partnership and service to our students.”
The Beverly Hills and Franklin locations were closed in the summer of 2020 due to declining enrollment.
For more information about the sale of Beverly Hills Elementary School and the lease of part of Franklin Middle School, please see the VCUSD Board of Education agenda. —
