![\"MV](\"https:\/\/missionvalleynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/MV-School-photo.jpeg\")
<\/a>The building would have a contemporary, urban feel to it, he said. It would be two, maybe three stories tall. Classrooms would have movable walls, allowing teachers to open rooms into larger spaces. The land is next to a 17-acre park, \u201cso it will have great synergy with that space,\u201d Sessa said.<\/p>\n
The building would be constructed with i21 in mind, the district\u2019s $500 million tech rollout<\/a> that equips classrooms with the latest gadgetry<\/a>. Instead of laying new technology on top of decades-old classrooms, the school would be built for the 21st century from the ground up.<\/p>\n That\u2019s great for Sudberry: A quality local school is good for property values, especially when you\u2019re selling single-family homes meant for young families. And all the better if it\u2019s a school built around a unique concept that attracts parents.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the district sees a possibility for how schools can be built, and they want to try it out on us. So that\u2019s kind of exciting,\u201d Sessa said.<\/p>\n Indeed, selling to San Diego Unified would be even better for Sudberry than selling to one of the several charter schools, like High Tech High and Albert Einstein Academy, that have been interested in the spot.<\/p>\n Charter school attendance could mean enrollment is based on a lottery that draws from various ZIP codes across the city. Even if the Civita school proved successful and attracted parents to the surrounding neighborhood, there\u2019s no guarantee that a kid living down the street could get in.<\/p>\n \u201cSo when you\u2019re talking about sustainability and reduced miles traveled and all the things that we\u2019re hoping to accomplish with Civita, the charter school just didn\u2019t seem like it would be the right fit in some ways,\u201d Sessa said.<\/p>\n A traditional district school means an attendance boundary is drawn, and kids living within that area are ushered into the neighborhood school.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, we believe in the vision of the i21 concept,\u201d Sessa said. \u201cIt feels like the right fit to try something new with that concept. And of course, if successful, it would give us great PR to say that we\u2019re doing something new for the district.\u201d<\/p>\n Having a sparkling, innovative district school is a slam-dunk for the developer. Whether it\u2019s the best decision for the district, though, is less clear. Out of 10 elementary schools in the Kearny cluster \u2013 the area where the new school would be located \u2013 nine are under-enrolled, based on numbers the district provided.<\/p>\n Five of them have more than 100 extra seats. That\u2019s about three classes. There\u2019s even been talk over the years of closing some to conserve resources if enrollment didn\u2019t tick up.<\/p>\n A new school in Mission Valley could siphon kids who would have otherwise been funneled into one of the existing schools, said Amy Redding, chair of a district-level advisory committee and parent in the Kearny cluster.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the Kearny cluster, every kid counts,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd if the district is going to build a new concept school in Mission Valley, it\u2019s just going to make it that much harder. How are schools going to fight that beast?\u201d<\/p>\n Redding is angry Kearny parents haven\u2019t been involved in the conversation thus far \u2013 especially considering the direct impact a new school could have on neighborhood school dynamics.<\/p>\n \u201cOn this whole deal, there are so many angles that are bad: not bringing the community into the conversation, questionable use of resources, and the district not following through on its own mandate to support existing neighborhood schools,\u201d Redding said.<\/p>\n When I initially asked district spokesperson Ursula Kroemer about the district\u2019s short- and long-term plans to build new schools, she emailed this response:<\/p>\n \u201cI do not believe there are any short-term plans to build more schools \u2013 it\u2019s really more making sure we offer the best programs in our existing schools and take good care of them from a facilities perspective that they are and remain the quality neighborhood schools consistent with our community-based reform plan.\u201d<\/p>\n When I returned to Kroemer about a week later, she said that she hadn\u2019t been aware of Civita when I first asked. That illustrates how incongruent a new addition would be with the district\u2019s previous messages.<\/p>\n The deal would represent a marked shift in another way, too. For the past few years, San Diego Unified has been aggressively selling its land<\/a> to make up for budget shortfalls \u2013 including some highly coveted properties the district will never recoup. That\u2019s still happening<\/a>. In the midst of the sales, it is now considering buying more real estate even though it hasn\u2019t yet made up for a shortfall. That deficit has remained even after the district raised taxes for bonds and the state sent additional funds.<\/p>\n Trustee Kevin Beiser, whose sub-district the new school would fall into, didn\u2019t return a request for comment. Along with former school board member Scott Barnett, Beiser in September voted against an appraisal of the Civita property. But Sessa said Beiser has been supportive of the proposal in private conversations.<\/p>\n Superintendent Cindy Marten confirmed that negotiations have begun on the Civita site, but said she couldn\u2019t yet talk publicly in greater detail.<\/p>\n So the big questions are: Why a new school now? And why Mission Valley?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018Cindy Wants to Compete With Charter Schools\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s been a slog for Sudberry to get a school in Civita. It\u2019s wanted one since planning began in 2002. Bringing in a school, Sessa said, is less about turning a profit as it about building a sustainable community.<\/p>\n The land is still owned by the Grants, a family that includes two retired teachers who\u2019ve hoped their land would one day include a school.<\/p>\n Sessa said that after the Grants partnered with Sudberry 15 years ago, he went about trying to make that happen. He approached San Diego Unified a number of times over the years, seeking support for a new district school, but said each time he was rebuffed.<\/p>\n \u201cThey kept saying they weren\u2019t interested, that the demographics didn\u2019t support it. Around 2006 or 2007, we kind of gave up trying, to be frank,\u201d Sessa said.<\/p>\n So what happened?<\/p>\n Sessa can\u2019t say for sure. It may be simply, as Sessa said, \u201cCindy isn\u2019t the previous administration.\u201d He guessed Marten could have also been impressed by research from Julie Cramer<\/a>, a USD senior researcher whom Sudberry enlisted to look at population projections. Her numbers show that between 2010 and 2020, the number of school-aged children in Mission Valley will increase five-fold.<\/p>\n Sessa gave me those numbers, which are based on 2010 census data. The district hasn\u2019t yet provided demographic information that shows a new Mission Valley school is justified.<\/p>\n In any case, when Sessa spoke with Marten last summer, Academia Albert Einstein<\/a> was interested in the land. Einstein Academy operates two sought-after charter schools, one in Grant Hill and another in South Park. At the time, they were eyeing Civita as the spot for a new elementary school.<\/p>\n When he told Marten about the vision for the school and about Einstein\u2019s interest, she said, \u201cGosh, you know, I\u2019d kind of like a district school there,\u201d Sessa recalled.<\/p>\n![\"IMG_1800web\"](\"https:\/\/missionvalleynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/IMG_1800web.jpg\")
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