MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - Officials at Marysville Joint Unified School District are in the early planning stages of preparing the district for a population boom of new students. This year, the district saw its highest growth, topping over 10,500 students. Several planned housing projects that are set to be built over the next five years will result in hundreds of new students attending already crowded classrooms. Of the twenty-four schools that fall under the umbrella of the Marysville Joint Unified School District, Edgewater Elementary, Linda Elementary, Arboga Elementary, Yuba Gardens and Lindhurst High School will experience the most substantial growth.

According to Yes to Yuba, an Economic Development catalyst effort led by Yuba County, 1000 new family units are expected to be built by 2029. The comparatively low cost of new home pricing, reasonably priced rental units and small-town atmosphere, make Yuba County a destination for families with school-age children in the Sacramento Region. 

“At the fulcrum of planning for this growth is the current state mandate of providing Transitional Kindergarten to all 4 year olds by 2026. This is additional space the schools do not currently have,” said Board President Randy Davis. “It was tight this year, and we will soon need new classrooms at almost every elementary school,” he added. The new state mandate requires California public schools to educate students who are 4 years old in Transitional Kindergarten. This means we have to find a way to make space or add space to each of our 13 elementary schools and monitor the impact on middle schools as students advance to higher grades.

Superintendent Asrani shared that education is the collective responsibility of the entire community. “Whether we have school-age students or not, we all understand that our students are the future. Every decision we make must keep their needs, safety and success in the forefront. On one hand we celebrate the addition of new residents to our communities, but on the other we face the daunting question of increased facilities needs.” The district facilities team has dived in to ensure all campuses have what they need.” All of us recognized that our students and staff must have updated classrooms, play areas, science labs, and music and creative spaces. We have been very focused these past few years in taking action on improvements we have long talked about,” said Trustee Alisan Hastey.

MJUSD has invested over 70 million since 2020 to complete several large and small projects. The new Covillaud school building, remodeling of the Foothill Intermediate school, and installing new track and field facilities at both Lindhurst and Marysville high schools, are the big-ticket items currently underway. Numerous small and midsize projects have also been completed along with the 20-million-dollar project upgrade at Arboga Elementary in 2022. “A neighborhood school defines the neighborhood,” said Board Trustee Seth Stemen. “We are doing fabulous work all across the district, updating and constructing new facilities. This amount of work in such a short timeline is pretty impressive. We are committed to making MJUSD schools the best they can be.” The district leadership has used every available dollar to improve the learning environment. “Having served students in Yuba County for 168 years, our district is one of oldest and most historic districts in California. This provides a challenge and an opportunity everyday,” added Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, Jen Passaglia. The district used the 2006 and 2008 bond dollars on projects district wide. These were:

1) Marysville and Lindhurst High: science and math buildings; 2) Ella and Olivehurst : classroom buildings; 3) Edgewater Elementary School; 4) McKenney: gym; 5) Yuba Gardens: gym and library; 6) Arboga: gym and school expansion; 7) Dobbins: Library and office building; 8) Yuba Feather: classroom building; 9) Browns Valley: classroom building; 10) Cedar Lane: building modernization - Administration and classrooms.

Trustee Doug Criddle commented that “as fiscal stewards of the district, we have been responsible and responsive. We will have to come together again to make sure our schools have space and facilities, and we ask that our communities join us as we continue to find ways to meet the growing enrollment needs.” A group of community leaders and certificated and classified staff members met last spring to identify some major projects: building a new Middle School in Linda, new gymnasiums for sports and activities at Lindhurst and Foothill and a new Auditorium, replacing the historic Marysville auditorium, appeared on top of the list. These too are long-term requests that must be completed along with addressing aging facilities, more classrooms, and upgraded sports and arts opportunities at schools.