District votes to reopen Washington Elementary for residents, commuters’ kids
Trustees of the Sacramento City Unified School District voted unanimously Thursday night to reopen Washington Elementary School in midtown Sacramento in fall 2016, three years after it was closed due to falling enrollment.
The school at 18th and E streets will focus on attracting students living in the neighborhood but will also seek to enroll students whose parents commute to Sacramento.
District spokesman Gabe Ross said Trustee Jessie Ryan was out of town for business Thursday night but sent a message through other board members indicating her support.
Trustee Jay Hansen and Sacramento City Councilman Steve Hansen, who are not related, met for months in the spring with community members in an bid to transform the closed campus into a destination school and help revitalize the area.
In its final school year, Washington had 222 students and capacity for 706.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to remove reference to Washington Elementary providing a focus on STEAM, or science, technology, engineering, arts and math. The education focus for the school remains uncertain.
Loretta Kalb: 916-321-1073, @LorettaSacBee
This story was originally published August 7, 2015 at 4:25 AM with the headline "District votes to reopen Washington Elementary for residents, commuters’ kids."