Clovis Unified School District breaks ground on Terry P. Bradley Educational Center

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- Tuesday morning, Clovis Unified School District officially broke ground on the Terry P. Bradley Educational Center.

Heavy machinery operators were hard at work as the shovels and red carpet were rolled out to break ground on the fourth educational center in the Clovis Unified School District.

The field of dirt on Leonard Avenue, just north of McKinley, will become home for Clovis South High School and an intermediate school that hasn't been named yet.

Current Superintendent Corrine Folmer says it has been a decade since the last educational center opened.

"It will serve as a standard of innovation, prioritizing students, staff and the community and model the high standards the Clovis schools strive to uphold," Folmer said.

The educational center will be named after Terry P. Bradley, who served the district for 34 years in several business and financial roles before serving as superintendent from 2002-2009.

"Dr. Bradley, I want to express what an honor and joy it is to get to celebrate you, your years of dedication to our district and the values you helped instill in those who work for Clovis Unified," Folmer said.

The school will have a few new features like its administration, nursing, library in one building that will serve both schools.

It will also have the district's first sunken football field and gymnasium.

Boundaries within the district will be redrawn. Public meetings and discussions on those will begin in January.

Bradley himself spoke fondly of the many years he spent within the district. He says there are several things he hopes to continue as the educational center opens and as the district moves forward.

"Every school district has great people, but they don't have tradition. They don't have culture, and they don't have stability. So, Dr. Folmer, members of the school board, I hope you always remember how important those three things are," Bradley said.

The high school and intermediate school are set to have a phased opening in fall of 2025.

For news updates, follow Jessica Harrington on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.