ENROLLMENT BOOM
The El Segundo Unified School District is evaluating the cost of reopening a junior high school that the former Los Angeles Raiders used as a practice facility so that it can accommodate a steep increase in enrollment.
District officials hope to reopen the school for the 1999-2000 school year after the Raiders contract expires in 1998. Though the Raiders have moved to Oakland, the football team still uses the facility for administrative operations.
Supt. Bill Manahan said that an architect has calculated that it would cost $874,000 to return the school to its original condition. When the Raiders moved in in 1982 they split classrooms into smaller offices, added a turf football field, and took lockers and cabinets out of the classroom. Manahan said it is not clear whether the Raiders or the school district will pay for the transformation of the school.
“We never thought the Raiders would leave Los Angeles and never expected enrollment to increase,” Manahan said.
He said enrollment is up about 25% since 1982 and the school is in desperate need of classroom space. He said the district plans to open the school for sixth to eighth grades.
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