For the first time in 48 years, the Milpitas (Calif.) Unified District will have a new school.
The San Jose Mercury News reports that district officials will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony next week to mark the opening of the Mabel Mattos Elementary School.
Milpitas High School, which was built in 1970, was the last school in the district to open.
Mattos Elementary is being built in phases, and the $16 million first phase is expected to accommodate 238 students in lower grade levels. It will include an administration building and a two-story building with eight classrooms.
Superintendent Cheryl Jordan says the school will incorporate personalized learning strategies.
“Students have to be prepared to be creative thinkers who know how to collaborate in a way that will enable them to be ready for work in a future that will be very different from how we work now,” she says.
Phase two of the new school could open by August 2020, and when all three phases are complete, the elementary school could serve up to 700 students from preschool to grade six.
Funding for the next phases of construction is not yet secured. The school board may place a bond proposal on the November ballot to secure additional funding.
Video: Flyover of new elementary in Milpitas: