By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief
Palisades Charter High School announced on Thursday, March 13, that the school had secured a “temporary space to return to in-person learning” this spring at the “rejuvenated” Sears site in Santa Monica.
The school was “forced to return to online learning as a result of the Palisades fire,” a statement about the site read. The start date at the temporary location is anticipated to be around spring break (April 14 to 18 at Pali High).
“This is an important first step for our Palisades Charter High community, and gives us the necessary space for all of our students and faculty to come back together for in-person learning, support and connection,” Executive Director and Principal Dr. Pam Magee said in a statement. “We are grateful to secure a space that can accommodate our 2,400 Pali students along with our faculty and staff for the remainder of this school year as we work in parallel to prepare for the reopening of our permanent campus.”
The forthcoming temporary learning space was the topic of a 90-minute town hall on Friday, March 14, hosted by Pali High and attended by several representatives from entities involved with its development who spoke during the meeting.
Remote learning through the Virtual Academy will be an option for students when the temporary site opens, though students will not be able to continue to “Zoom into class with their” current teachers.
Students who may have left the school after the fire to attend in-person classes at alternate schools are also able to re-enroll at Pali High.
The 102,000-square-foot facility is co-owned by Seritage Growth Properties and Invesco. It is being leased to Pali High for “up to 12 months,” according to the statement, though the goal is to return to the Palisades campus in fall 2025.
“Our goal is to return to in-person learning at the Palisades campus to kick-off the new school year in the fall of 2025,” Magee said, “but we can extend the lease for the Santa Monica location to ensure we have a place for in-person learning in case our return date is pushed back.”
The former Sears property is located at Colorado Avenue and 4th Street. It has undergone “an extensive upgrade” since it was re-entitled from retail to commercial use, according to Pali High.
“The school also negotiated joint use of athletic fields at Santa Monica High and the Santa Monica Civic Center—less than two blocks away,” the statement continued. “There is ample parking onsite at Sears and across the street at the transit center.”
At the time of the statement, design work to build out the indoor and outdoor spaces was underway to “maximize the educational experience for students.” Magee said that global architecture firm Gensler, which is headquartered in Los Angeles, has “provided pivotal support.”
The total estimated project cost is $11.07 million, as confirmed during the town hall. The funds obtained to cover the project costs cannot be used elsewhere, as they are designated for this use.
During a March 18 virtual town hall hosted by Mayor Karen Bass, Colonel Eric Swenson with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed Phase 2 debris clearance had been completed at the Pali High campus.
“Most buildings at [the] Palisades campus are still standing but will require some remediation,” according to the statement. “The timing of the return to in-person learning in the Palisades will also be impacted by overall community rebuilding efforts.”
Facility assessments are now underway, as confirmed during the March 14 town hall, projected to be complete by summer 2025. Interim classrooms are anticipated to be placed by fall 2025.
The completion of permanent facilities is anticipated to take four or five years, according to the presentation, but other areas, like the track and field, will be completed as separate projects with different timelines.
When it comes to other area charter schools that were destroyed in the fire, during the March 18 town hall, Swenson confirmed that USACE had completed clearing debris at Marquez Charter Elementary School.
A “360 site walk” was completed at Palisades Charter Elementary School the day of the meeting. Asbestos remediation was being started, with debris removal anticipated to take place within a week or so.
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