Rapid growth is pushing Clovis Unified to build another school

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- Rapid growth is pushing the Clovis Unified School District to build another new school.

The proposed elementary school campus will be located at Locan and Shields.

This school site is right in the path of what looks like a residential building boom in southeast Clovis. It's in the area known as Loma Vista.

It's expected to house 30,000 people, and the area is more than half built. The new school proposed at this site is designed to help meet the demand.

Boris Elementary is the newest school in the Clovis Unified District. It opened just two years ago at Clinton and Temperance. The proposed new elementary school will be one mile away at Shields and Locan, and it will look about the same. The district hopes to win environmental approvals and have it built in two years. By then they figure they will need it.

"The Clovis East area, we've seen a lot of development in that area and we are in need of a new school and we will have a couple of elementary schools that will be over 900 and if we don't build a new school in that area they will be at 1,000 kids at those schools without the school at Shields and Locan," said Kevin Peterson.

The school will be in the Loma Vista area, the southeast part of the city where is now concentrating their growth

"That's our primary growth area, and we are probably 75 per cent of our growth is happening in that area," said Bryan Aroki.

The area will hold 11,000 homes, or room for 30,000 people, it's more than half way built. The centerpiece will be a village center just north of the Clovis East High School campus. Businesses, parks and apartments will be part of the mix, all connected to the rest of the area with walking and bike trails.

"There's a lot in the pipeline and we know there's a lot more that's going to be happening. Developers, are that's our growth area they are getting out there, they are purchasing land, it's becoming pretty scarce because developers pretty much own all the land now," said Aroki.

All the growth creates a need for more schools. Several more sites are planned, including a new high school, middle school and elementary complex further east. The new school will cost about 40 million, and the district is expected to be asking voters for more funding.

"We are looking to put together a bond measure in the near future to help support the building of new schools," said Peterson.

The district has plans for three more schools in the Loma Vista area.

A public hearing on this proposed school location will be held tonight at 6:45 at Clovis School District Headquarters.