TUSTIN : District Must Decide Fate of Surplus Sites

An advisory committee has declared three school sites and two other properties as surplus, and it is now up to the Board of Education of the Tustin Unified School District to decide whether to sell or lease them.

The Community Advisory Committee for the Disposition of Real and Surplus District Property determined that Guin Foss/Adult Education School, portions of Lambert and Red Hill elementary schools and the district administrative office and the district maintenance and operations center are no longer needed.

The committee, which held eight meetings since last November, reviewed student enrollment data, district facility needs, and conducted public hearings before it submitted its report and recommendations to the school board Monday.

District Supt. David L. Andrews said the school board will now decide what to do with the properties after consulting with lawyers and appraisers. He said the board may decide to hold more hearings.

Andrews said he prefers selling the properties to improve the district’s cash flow and help pay for maintenance and repair of schools and district facilities. Money is also needed to build a central facility for all district operations. Currently, district operations are conducted in three locations, he said.

Several residents have opposed the plan to sell the properties, saying the schools may be needed in the next 10 years as enrollment increases. Residents also said apartments and other developments may be built on the sites and would impact their neighborhoods.

One member of the committee, Niles Koines, disagreed with some parts of the committee’s recommendations and submitted his own report. He said the school district would be taking a “financial risk” if the properties are sold because more schools may be needed in the future.

But he agreed with the majority that the district administrative office be declared surplus property.