Board denies Waldorf School request to lease Andrews Duarte campus, citing statute and existing negotiations

The Duarte Unified School District board voted unanimously to deny a short-term lease request from the Waldorf School Pasadena for the vacant Andres Duarte campus.

The motion to deny the request was made by the Board President and seconded by Board Member Diaz; the vote was recorded as 5–0 in favor of denial. The board directed Superintendent Doctor Hillman and staff to notify the requesting party of the decision.

District legal counsel Sabrine Abrahamian explained the board’s legal constraints on the record. “There are two overarching issues,” she said. “One is under the Education Code section [as cited in counsel’s remarks], which is what we would rely on to enter into the type of lease arrangement that the private school is seeking here. It specifically prevents districts from entering into short-term lease agreements with a private school that’s K–12.”

Abrahamian also told trustees the property is subject to an exclusive negotiating agreement with the Crestfield Townhomes developer. She said the developer is in the entitlement period and has submitted a site plan to the city; that active entitlement process restricts the district’s ability to consider an alternative short-term lease.

Board Member Reyes noted the Waldorf school has located an alternate site in Glendale and thanked staff for considering the request. The board’s motion instructed the superintendent to communicate the denial to the school and the requesting party.

The board carried the motion 5–0 and received the related demographic and facilities presentations for information earlier in the meeting.