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Approved in 2002 Purpose of Bond: Ease overcrowding and modernized 30-40 year-old schools
Thank you, Community! A Message from the Superintendent [Back to top of the page]
The school district has opened two new schools since 2002 and has two more schools in progress. Placentia’s newest school, Melrose Elementary, opened its doors to students in 2004. The school was instrumental in relieving overcrowding at Rio Vista Elementary and bringing another neighborhood school to Placentia. In Yorba Linda, Lakeview Elementary welcomed students in September 2005. The school is located in the Vista del Verde community. Two more new schools are planned: Gualberto J. Valadez Middle School in Placentia and Yorba Linda High School. Valadez Middle School, situated in the southwest area of Placentia, is scheduled to open in the fall of 2008. In addition to providing a neighborhood school for the surrounding community, the new school will play a big role in alleviating overcrowding at Kraemer Middle School, reducing student enrollment from the current 1,600 to an anticipated 800. It is expected that Valadez Middle School will also serve approximately 800 students. This new sixth-through-eighth-grade school is named for beloved pioneer
educator Señor Gualberto J. Valadez who taught in Placentia schools
from 1939 until 1983 and is fondly remembered for his inspirational
teaching, founding after-school sports programs and providing adult
education classes for parents. Yorba Linda High School 2009
The school district purchased the initial 15-plus acres of land in 2002. Most recently, the school district opened escrow to purchase the final 50 acres. The new high school will help reduce student enrollment at the high schools. The district’s goal is to have high schools that range between 1,600 to 2,000 students. Yorba Linda High School will be the culmination of a long-awaited dream
of the community. Realization of this dream has truly been the result
of a public and private-sector partnership between the Placentia-Yorba
Linda Unified School District, the City of Yorba Linda and local developer
Shapell Industries. Funding for the school will come from Measure Y,
state matching funds and redevelopment dollars. The Board of Education has retained the firm of WLC Architects to design
the school. Yorba Linda High School Construction [Back to top of the page] Valadez Middle School, situated in the southwest area of Placentia, is scheduled to open in the fall of 2008. In addition to providing a neighborhood school for the surrounding community, the new school will play a big role in alleviating overcrowding at Kraemer Middle School, reducing student enrollment from the current 1,600 to an anticipated 800. It is expected that Valadez Middle School will also serve approximately 800 students. This new sixth-through-eighth-grade school is named for beloved pioneer
educator Señor Gualberto J. Valadez who taught in Placentia schools
from 1939 until 1983 and is fondly remembered for his inspirational
teaching, founding after-school sports programs and providing adult
education classes for parents. 22 Schools Modernized in Only
4 Years Modernized Schools
Additional Projects
What Is Modernization? Modernizing our schools included more than just carpet replacement and new paint. School interiors underwent extensive demolition and remodeling which included state-of-the-art technology infrastructure, new heating and air conditioning systems, new fire alarms and other safety features, as well as improvements that met Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. Classroom interiors were rebuilt with more efficient lighting, built-in desks, and teaching walls with ample storage to allow for more spacious classrooms. In order to provide students closer proximity to computer areas, technology pods were also added, as appropriate, between every four to six classrooms. At the elementary schools, new playground equipment replaced decades-old structures, ensuring greater safety for our students. Parking lots at many schools were added or expanded. Middle schools now feature “synergy labs,” which are expansive classrooms surrounded by physics, engineering or technology-related stations, and high schools were provided state-of-the-art science labs. While the primary focus of the district’s modernization efforts has been on classroom interiors, projects also included school health offices, libraries, teacher workrooms, and lunch shelters—all possible thanks to Measure Y! Spacious, Brighter Classrooms New Playgrounds for Safety New Science Labs
Expanded Parking
[Back to top of the page] Based on the district’s sound financial status, Standard & Poor’s gave an A+ rating to the district’s bond and Moody’s Investors Service issued a AA3 rating. These high ratings allow the school district bond to be much more desirable to investors and resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings. [Back to top of the page]
Using the $102 million Measure Y funds as a starting point, PYLUSD
has been able to fulfill the initial vision of its planned building
program by combining state matching money with local developer fees
and redevelopment dollars to achieve a total program budget of $395.2
million. $395 million building program
Thank you, Community!
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of an incredible journey for the PYLUSD. In the brief years following
that time, we have witnessed a remarkable transformation in 30- to 40-year-old
schools across the district as well as the opening of two new elementary
schools. The resulting benefit to our students, staff, and community
has been significant. 
