Santa Ana Trustee Offers to Cooperate on School Site
The president of the Santa Ana Unified School District Board of Education on Friday said she is “confident” that the city and district can work together to find a site for a new high school.
Since Tuesday, the district and city have been embroiled in a dispute over the board’s selection of a 40-acre site adjacent to a proposed multimillion-dollar development by McDonnell Douglas in the southeast section of Santa Ana.
On Thursday, the city sent an ultimatum to the school district, threatening legal action if the board pursued the South Grand Avenue site. The owner of the property had said earlier that the McDonnell Douglas transaction would not be feasible if the district proceeded with plans to take the 40-acre parcel for a school.
Board President Joan Wilkinson, who received a copy of the ultimatum Friday morning, responded with a cordial, hand-delivered letter to Mayor Daniel E. Griset later in the day.
“The complexities of the issues involved in locating the new high school could be more expeditiously resolved with the cooperation of the city,” Wilkinson wrote. “Accordingly, I would like to think that the (district) can count on the city’s support.
“I am confident the board would welcome any new recommendations of viable alternate high school sites.”
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