August 2003

Ran: North County Times-Local - Wednesday, August 13, 2003

Groundbreaking held for school

New Hanson Elementary School will replace older Ramona Campus

By: Erika Ayn Finch

RAMONA - Elementary school children in Ramona will soon be learning the three R's in state-of-art classrooms.

Under a scorching morning sun Tuesday, school district officials broke ground for the New Hanson Elementary School.

The future school, at 2520 Boundary Ave., sits on 52 acres of land and will house 36 classrooms, Mike McCarty, assistant superintendent of administrative services said. The new campus will replace Hanson Lane Elementary School on the corner of Ramona Avenue and Hanson Lane.

McCarty said the new school should be completed in 12 to 14 months and will cost $13 million in state funds.

"Hanson Lane is comprised of portable classrooms that are 20 to 27 years old," McCarty said. "The buildings are falling apart and have structural problems. This new school is a long time coming."

Peter Schiff, superintendent for Ramon Unified School District, said it has taken four years to plan and develop the new school.

"This new school will provide a better quality education for the kids and the staff as well," Schiff said. "The staff deserves an appropriate environment where they can practice their craft."

Schiff said planning the school has been an uphill battle. The new school resides in a residential area and Schiff said neighbors have had concerns.

"Unfortunately, it has not been universally well received but we've worked through the concerns," Schiff said. "We do not have 100 percent endorsement."

Schiff said neighborhood concerns included increased traffic, environmental issues and impact on the quality of life of the residents.

"We have addressed these concerns," Schiff said. "We changed the school boundaries so some students will attend Mt. Woodson, alleviating traffic. We have situated the school so it will have the least impact on the neighbors."

Schiff said the school will include bus and parent drop off locations on the campus rather than on the street to reduce congestion.

Chuck Apgar, a neighbor and member of Ramona Alliance for Safe Schools, said the neighborhood is most concerned about the safety of the kids rather than the impact to the area.

"We are worried about the traffic on such a narrow road and how that will affect bike and foot traffic for the kids," Apgar said. "We are also worried about secondary access for emergency vehicles. We just want these safety concerns resolved."

Gary Tiegs, principal at Montecito Continuing Education High School, said he understands the neighborhood's worries but students deserve a school in which they can be proud.

"I understand the community concerns but most schools are good neighbors," Tiegs said. "I was at James Duke Elementary for 11 years and we were a vital part of our community."

HMC Group designed the campus and the school will be built by Douglas E. Barnhart Co. During its first year, McCarty expects the school to enroll 650 students but the facility will have the capacity for up to 750 children.

Kathy Lord, an architect with HMC Group, said the design of the school is different than other schools in the area. She said the classrooms will all be contained in one building with a separate multipurpose room and three playgrounds.

"Each classroom will have interior and exterior access," Lord said. "They will also have their own courtyard with a garden. There will be a computer lab for every three classrooms and all classes will be Internet wired for the teacher's computer."

Lord said the campus also will include a library, offices for staff, a covered lunch area and a covered area for students to wait for the bus.

"The school will be completely fenced and the hill behind the school will stay," Lord said. "The multipurpose room has a stage and a kitchen - it is a very simple set-up."

Carol Tennebaum, the principal at Hanson Lane and the future principal for the new school, said she is thrilled about the new campus.

"The current facility is old," Tennebaum said. "It was built as a satellite for Ramona Elementary School and, as the community grew, Hanson Lane grew. It has far outlived the life span of the portables. We have the largest enrollment of any elementary school in Ramona with the smallest facility."

Hanson Lane Elementary School currently has approximately 35 teachers, Tennebaum said. She said the new school could employ up to 40 instructors.

Tennebaum said the students and parents at Hanson Lane are excited about the new building. She said some of the older students are disappointed they will not be able to attend the new school but she has invited them back as volunteers.

"The parents are really excited," Tennebaum said. "We have a strong volunteer program and they are looking forward to the new facility. We need equity in facilities for our children so they can take pride in their school."

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