SHAFTER, Calif. (KERO) — A new elementary school is coming to Shafter's Gossamer Grove neighborhood, according to a letter sent to residents by the Norris School District in September.
According to the letter, the new school, which will take students from transitional kindergarten to 6th grade, will be built next to Community Park on Cobble Creek Drive after the district received approval from the Division of the State Architect to start the work.
In a statement from Norris School District, a spokesperson said the district was crafting plans to build the school prior to the pandemic, but enrollment stalled, and the plan was shelved. However, as enrollment increased in recent years, the plan was set back into motion with funding from a special tax bond from the RNR Community Facilities District, developer fees, District facilities reserves, and state matching funds.
The statement reads in part: "We look forward to keeping our community informed as construction progresses and to opening the doors to this highly anticipated new TK-6 Norris School District campus in August 2028."
According to the letter, while the plan is in motion, there is still more work to be done, such as naming the school, plotting our student attendance areas, and putting together transportation plans for students.
According to the current district boundary and student attendance areas, elementary school students in the Gossamer Grove neighborhood attend Veterans Elementary School on Old Farm Road near Olive Drive.
Suchul Battier, a Gossamer Grover resident who has a young child that will likely attend the new school, said when he got the letter he was a little skeptical, but he’s excited to see work start.
“My wife's a teacher, so we were interested. I was calling Norris District. They were trying to figure out which district was actually going to have the school here, so now it looks like Norris is gonna be the school. And everyone's really excited about the Costco coming in, but I think the residents of this community are more looking forward to the school being built.”
In the letter to residents, Norris School District noted it plans to create a section on its website where it will post updates on the construction and plans for the school.
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