Culver City : Deal Closed on School Sale

The Culver City school board this week finalized the sale of Linda Vista School to the Westside Children’s Center, a private social services group.

The school district has been trying to sell the four-acre elementary school since 1987, said James Crawford, the district’s director of business services.

The small elementary school on Stoneview Drive is located in a geographically isolated pocket of the district known as Blair Hills.

Although most elementary schools have 500 to 600 students, Linda Vista had about 240 students at the most and never grew to its capacity, Crawford said. The school has been leased over the past few years to various groups, including the Apollo Training Academy and the Baptist Temple.

The six-month escrow on the property, which was sold for $1.4 million, is expected to close by mid-December, Crawford said. By law, money from the sale must be used toward capital improvements.

Most of the district’s schools are 30 years and older, and many have had plumbing and other problems, Crawford said.

The Westside Children’s Center, located in Santa Monica since 1988, was one of three bidders for the property, he said. Their offer was accepted by the board on May 5.