Groundbreaking ceremony at Burton

With the sound of construction equipment in the background and the rising sun barely above the Sierra Nevada, administrators and trustees from Burton School District hosted a groundbreaking ceremony early Thursday morning at the site of what will be their 10th school directly across the street from Summit Charter Collegiate Academy. The district officially began construction at the site last month after ongoing delays in delivery of funds from Sacramento. The district secured alternative financing for the for the full amount of $17 million for the project to expedite construction, which is scheduled for completion by next school year.

The event began with music performed by SCCA’S Concert Band, and then members of Summit’s Native American cultural team commemorated the event with an eagle dance and a sage blessing. BSD school board president Jay Rice greeted those in attendanceand thanked the numerous parties involved in the coordination of the project, then reflected briefly on the growth of the district over the years. “We started off as a small school district many, many years ago, and our past board members had a vision of a charter system,

which has enabled our district to grow,” said Rice.

Rogelio Caudillo, district representative for Sen. Andy Vidak, presented BSD board members with a certificate of recognition for the occasion.

Then, wearing new hard hats and shovels in hand, trustees and administrators performed the ceremonial turning of earth to the applause of those in attendance.

The new school will feature a 34,324 squarefoot structure, and will consist of 16 classrooms, a library, an administration building and multi-use building with kitchen. The site is 12 acres and is located at the northwest corner of Thurman Avenue and Redwood Street.

The district has yet to make a final decision about what grades will be taught at the new site, but have expressed a need for additional instruction space for grades K-6.

The new school is being built by Bush Construction from Hanford, who previously worked on the district’s Jim Maples Academy.

An artist’s rendering of the new school site for Burton School District, which is scheduled for completion for the 2018-2019 school year.

RECORDER PHOTO BY CHIEKO HARA Burton School District Superintendent Sharon Kamberg, left, describes the new K-8 school rendering to guests Thursday after the groundbreaking ceremony.