SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As a parent, Brandon Jefferson is excited about the future of PS7 Elementary School in Sacramento's Oak Park neighborhood.
The school is getting a new campus and Jefferson says it will provide a better educational experience for his two daughters at the school.
"It's a great school," said Jefferson. "We have some of the best teachers. They get kids ready and prepared for college, and I wanted my kids to experience that. The new campus means a lot to me because they are going to be able to go to school in a state of the art facility."
The PS7 Elementary campus was built in the 1950s, making it more than 70-years-old. St. HOPE Public Schools oversees the aging facility.
The school serves 557 students. According to the California Department of Education, 58% are Black and 25% are Hispanic or Latino. St. HOPE says all students deserve an education without barriers.
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"PS7 Elementary is tucked back in south Oak Park, but it's not forgotten," said St. HOPE CEO Cassandra Jennings. "We have an opportunity to match our excellence in teaching with the excellence in facilities. For the last five years, we've been planning to make it beautiful. Now, we have an opportunity to make that dream come true."
Construction started at the school this summer. The project includes building new classrooms, renovating the multi-purpose room, expanding the kitchen, providing a new administration building and upgrading the outdoor play areas. It also comes with reconfiguring the front entrance, access ways and parking area.
St. HOPE says it's all about ensuring the safety of students, families and staff members during drop-off and pickup, and reducing traffic congestion on Strawberry Lane.
"It's an exciting project," said CPM Project Manager Windy Rodriguez Buller. "We're going to be doing 31 new classroom facilities with modern technology. It's going to be done in two phases. Nineteen classrooms will be completed in phase one. There's a lot of site work being done right now, trying to get it in while the good weather is in place and before students return on August 2. We're making sure that the safety of our students — during construction — is number one on this project."
The project is expected to be done in 2025. Jefferson says he can't wait.
"To see it finally coming into fruition, it's just really good," said Jefferson. "I'm just happy that it's finally starting and a lot of the parents are going to be shocked when they see the start of it, too."
St. HOPE says the project costs $35 million, which will be paid for by a state loan, state grant and other funding sources.
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