Board mulls Briggs move to open Preserve School

The relocation of Briggs Fundamental Elementary School about 10 miles away to the still-unopened Preserve-area school next year is being considered by the Chino Valley Unified school board.

Some Briggs parents had suspected their school would be relocated to the Preserve in order to open the new school, but now what was once a contentious rumor is a distinct possibility.

The Preserve facility is a built but unopened school that doesn't have an official name.

Parents of children in the Preserve have been anxiously awaiting the school's opening since they moved into the new 5,400-acre community several years ago, but because of budgetary constraints and a shortfall of students, the school has remained closed.

A point of contention with some Briggs parents is the question as to whether the new Briggs school at the Preserve would open as a districtwide school of choice or as a neighborhood school just for children who live in the Preserve.

"According to the mitigation agreement, the Preserve school is to be a neighborhood school, so the only way I would be in favor of Briggs being transplanted would be for our school to be a neighborhood school," said Mark Glaudini, a parent and school board candidate who has been vocal about opening the new Preserve school.

The school district's interpretation of the agreement, however, differs with Glaudini's.

"As party to the mitigation agreement, the district is of the belief it is not beholden to the Preserve as a neighborhood school," said district spokeswoman Julie Gobin.

The board discussed the possibility of keeping the Preserve school as a districtwide school of choice, as well as the possibility Preserve-area students would be given priority enrollment and then school-of-choice lottery enrollment would be opened up to current Briggs students and their siblings.

Andrea Contreras, a Briggs parent, was concerned about such an arrangement because she said at some point in the future there wouldn't be any room left for students outside of the Preserve.

"They would be closing Briggs for the benefit of the Preserve students, and after all of the hard work that the Briggs students have done, it will be for nothing," she said. "There won't be any room for anybody else."

Another idea considered was to consolidate Los Serranos and Glenmeade elementary schools, which both have low enrollment.

Still, Gobin added, consolidation of the schools would not enable the school in The Preserve to open without deficit spending.

Board member Fred Youngblood Jr. said he favored the Briggs option over the consolidation option because it was less disruptive to staff, but board President Michael Calta said the board may weigh more than one option in its decision.

Gobin said it was possible the board could choose both options. The issue comes back to the board on Nov. 6 for a vote.