Fresno Unified School District's Farber Educational Campus less than a year away from opening

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- In the Fresno Unified School District, work is well underway on the new Farber Educational Campus in Southeast Fresno.

With less than a year before students will arrive, school administrators are excited about what's to come.

Construction crews are busy building the campus at Ventura and 10th Street in Southeast Fresno.

The school has people like Pete Pulos excited for the future.

"I have to pinch myself that this is real," Pulos said.

Pulos is the principal of Cambridge High School, a continuation school in the Fresno Unified School District.

Cambridge High, J.E. Young - the independent study program, and eLearn - the online learning course - will all be housed at this new location.

The campus was built where the old juvenile hall once stood and was torn down in 2019.

"Tearing down the 'Hall of Shame' where dreams went to die, we're going to build dreams here," Pulos said.

Pulos says the $65 million campus dedicated to alternative education is an investment in students who are often overlooked.

"It means that they mean something. They matter." Pulos said.

Executive Director of Alternative Education Michael Niehoff says the campus is going to be state of the art.

It will feature classrooms, a student union, and a 10,000-square-foot logistics lab that will give students hands-on experience with logistics and supply chain management.

"We're really trying to give them something that really - I say - transform their lives, give them an experience that's really going to change their trajectory," Niehoff said.

There will be a focus on giving students an opportunity while also giving back to the surrounding community.

Niehoff says the goal of having three schools at one location is to encourage collaboration.

"The hope is the more people coming from different programs and sharing different ideas and perspectives, overall, we get a better experience for our students," Niehoff said.

Long term, Principal Pulos says he aspires for the campus to be the model for other alternative education schools.

"I hope this sets the stage for other schools across the country," Pulos said.

Students will be on campus starting next school year. Officials are even considering using the campus for summer school to get everything up and running.

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