Teachers, parents and students urge board not to repurpose McKevitt Elementary for Isabella early‑childhood campus

Dozens of teachers, parents and students urged the Santa Paula Unified School District board on Jan. 22 to abandon plans to repurpose McKevitt Elementary for a centralized early‑childhood campus tied to the Isabella project.

"This school is special," said Donna Cowles, a first‑grade teacher at McKevitt, describing the campus as a family‑like community that she said produces strong academic results. Cowles and other speakers repeatedly pointed to McKevitt’s gains on state assessments and argued that turning the site into a preschool would disrupt students, staff and long‑standing neighborhood ties.

Allison LaPral, a second‑grade teacher, read letters written by her students expressing anxiety about a possible closure. "Dear board members, McKevitt should not close because it means a lot to me," one student wrote; LaPral said the uncertainty has affected classroom learning.

Parents, students and community members raised several concrete concerns: how repurposing would affect principal and staff jobs; whether grant dollars already committed to preschool programs at other sites would be preserved; transportation and parking challenges for families who walk children to school; and the potential for larger class sizes at receiving schools.

"Repurposing McKevitt would alter the heart of the school," said Sean Thomas Miller, a fourth‑grade teacher, who called the neighborhood school a hub with decades of generational attendance. "Many parents value the safety and relationships that come from a neighborhood school."

Several speakers also questioned the district’s financial choices and asked the board to review recent capital spending before moving forward. One written commenter asked whether district office expansions and portable purchases could be re‑examined to free funds; others urged more transparent accounting of how Isabella project funding would interact with existing grants.

Trustees listened but did not make a decision at the meeting. Board members and district staff have said the district is evaluating options and legal considerations for how to implement any Isabella‑related plan and told speakers that the project remains under review.

The board scheduled town‑hall meetings and additional communications; several trustees asked staff to ensure community outreach and to preserve grant funding tied to existing preschool sites. Supporters of the Isabella project say centralizing early‑childhood services can expand access, but residents at the meeting expressed a strong preference for preserving McKevitt as an operating elementary school.

The board took no final action on the McKevitt site at the meeting; trustees said they would continue study, listen to public input at upcoming town halls, and return with further information before any formal site decision.