Roselawn High School is moving across town into an updated campus that will provide students with more learning opportunities come next school year.
RHS, a continuation high school, is currently located at 312 S. Roselawn Ave. on the outskirts of town. In 2019, Turlock Unified School District purchased the property at 350 N. Kilroy Rd. with plans to update the existing property into a new campus for the high school. The property previously served as a campus for the county’s John B. Allard Educational Complex and is located behind Turlock Regal Cinemas.
The project, which is estimated to utilize $1,468,846.13 of Bond Measure O and Restricted Maintenance funds, is currently out to bid and construction is expected to begin in mid-April. The overall campus won’t change much in terms of layout, TUSD Director of Maintenance and Operations Scott Richardson said, but plenty of features will be either replaced, added or completely remodeled.
Concrete and asphalt will be replaced campus-wide, as will the property’s outdated fire alarm system. Landscaping will also be added, which includes 11 raised planters that can also serve as benches, and on the interior of campus, the plan is to completely remodel the office, cafeteria and student restrooms to provide adequate space. In addition, new LED lights and security cameras will be installed, as well as a new phone system and signage.
Visitors to the campus will be greeted by the existing gate, but it will be painted black and display both the TUSD logo and “Roselawn High School” in white.
Construction will take place through the summer and the new campus is expected to be completed by August 2020.
The decision to move the campus stemmed from the need to bring RHS further into town. Issues such as emergency services, like police and fire, as well as local utilities (water, power and data) were also considered. TUSD Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Barney Gordon said there are no plans for the soon-to-be former RHS campus at this time and the district is exploring opportunities to either lease or sell the property.
“We’re excited to move Roselawn into a more centrally-located facility where they will have easier access to the site,” Gordon said, adding that the planned upgrades will provide a “wonderful learning environment for students.”
Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Heidi Lawler said the new location will provide opportunities for RHS staff and students to benefit from practices more closely-aligned to the comprehensive high schools, including professional development and weekly collaboration through professional learning communities, or PLCs, in an effort to improve student outcomes.
This is especially important, Lawler added, since RHS was identified as an eligible Comprehensive Support and Improvement school due to its California Dashboard scores in English language arts and mathematics, suspension rate and college and career readiness.
“TUSD’s Educational Services Team will work closely with Roselawn staff to support them in all aspects of their program, with specific focus on building the CTE courses with increased internships and business partnerships as a result of the centrally-located site,” Lawler said.
