School leaders have stressed the importance of resuming in-person learning to provide stability and support for students
The old Sears building in downtown Santa Monica is being considered as a temporary campus for Palisades Charter High School, which suffered damage in the Palisades fire earlier this year, school officials revealed during a board meeting Tuesday.
School administrators acknowledged ongoing negotiations but emphasized that no formal agreement has been reached.
“I won’t say a lot about the temporary relocation, because we have more to talk about later,” said the school’s executive director and principal, Dr. Pamela Magee. “But I do want to assure everyone we’re working on that. We had a little bit of a delay, because, as with many things that deal with contracts, things sometimes come up. We’re working through it. We think that we’ll get it all resolved quickly.”
The high school has been searching for a temporary site after the January wildfires forced students and staff out of their original campus. Last month, school officials issued a public appeal for assistance in securing an interim location, calling on local businesses and organizations to help provide space for continued instruction.
“We have a unique opportunity to show the strength and resilience of our community in the face of adversity,” Magee said at the time. “By coming together, we can ensure that our students can stay in their learning environment, with their friends and mentors, at a time when they need it most.”
The former Sears building, located on Colorado Avenue, has been the site of other redevelopment efforts. Most recently, it was set to house SCI-FI WORLD: The Experience, a museum dedicated to science fiction and fantasy memorabilia. However, the museum’s grand opening was delayed last year due to regulatory and staffing issues.
If an agreement is reached, the Sears building would serve as a temporary home for Palisades Charter High School while officials work on long-term solutions. School leaders have stressed the importance of resuming in-person learning to provide stability and support for students affected by the fires.
