180 Days of Learning : TUSTIN UNIFIED

Administrators and maintenance workers have spent the summer preparing for the fall opening of a new school and the reopening of a campus that closed nearly 20 years ago.

The schools, Peters Canyon Elementary and Guinn Foss Elementary, are needed to accommodateenrollment growth and class-size reduction, officials said.

District enrollment “is growing at about 7% a year, which makes us the second fastest-growing district in the county behind Capistrano,” Supt. George Mannon said.

The $7-million Peters Canyon school, at 26900 Peters Canyon Road, will open with 325 students and ultimately serve as many as 650 students in the Tustin Ranch area. It is being financed through a Mello Roos assessment district, similar to a bond issue, that will be paid back by property owners in that area.

Peters Canyon is only the district’s second new school in the past 25 years. Tustin Ranch Elementary opened in 1995.

Peters Canyon will feature a media center, video production studio, amphitheater and multilevel playground, officials said.

“It’s a school for the next century, with all the latest technology,” Mannon said.

Guinn Foss School, named for a longtime district nurse, closed in 1978 because of declining enrollment. The campus at 18492 Vanderlip Ave. was built in 1957.

“Guinn Foss is an interesting situation,” Mannon said. “In some of the older neighborhoods, where there were no school-age children a few years ago, you have homes that are now turning over, and people with school-age children are moving in.”

The district is spending $1 million to reopen Guinn Foss. Refurbishment includes new carpeting, air-conditioning, interior and exterior paint, asphalt and concrete replacement, playground equipment, library and multipurpose room.