Vacant LA School Costs $1M Annually, Faces Vandalism
A $34 million Los Angeles school sits vacant and vandalized, burdening taxpayers with $1 million in annual costs.
2 min read
In 2003, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) served 703,000 students, operating on a year-round schedule to accommodate growing enrollment. Over the next 23 years, however, enrollment dropped by more than 50%, prompting the district to cancel 18 new school construction projects in 2007.
A Charter School Reborn from the Dead
One of those projects, Camino Nuevo Charter Academy, was revived in 2011 with state and district funding. The school opened in 2013, but by 2021, it closed due to declining enrollment and a lack of nearby students. The campus, built for 500 students, never reached half that number.
LAUSD spent $34 million in taxpayer dollars to build a campus that’s been empty since 2021. The vacant school gets frequently vandalized so LAUSD has to spend $20,000 per month of taxpayer dollars to keep the empty campus secure. Over $200,000 a year just for securing a vacant campus. Zero children are helped by this. LA City is a complete mess with just no leadership whatsoever.
The school left behind an $8 million debt, and subsequent attempts to lease the campus have been met with resistance from a now-hostile school board. The district has imposed steep financial conditions on potential tenants, including a $750,000 upfront fee and monthly charges exceeding $70,000 for the first three years.
> Be LAUSD
> Enrollment collapsing
> Build a new $34 million public school anyway
> It's empty, no students (unsurprisingly)
> Pay $1 million last year to secure & maintain empty school
> Pay $20,000 a month in security & maintenance
https://t.co/MQMoDrpTFX
Since Camino Nuevo’s departure, vandals have caused extensive damage, including punched walls, fires, and broken pipes. The district spends $1 million annually on security and maintenance, with repairs estimated at $1.86 million.
Despite the state’s demand that LAUSD make the campus available to a charter school, the district has made the process as difficult as possible. The school stands as a symbol of failed policies, with only 60% of LAUSD schools currently occupied.
While the district pushes forward with a multi-billion-dollar modernization plan, questions remain about the value of investing in buildings that may soon be closed. The future of Miramar and similar campuses remains uncertain, with vandals and squatters likely to continue occupying them.
Source: PJ Media
