MUSD officials celebrate construction of new school

From left: Bruce Shaw, director of facilities for MUSD; Bob O'Donnell, MUSD board president; Jerry Bowman, board member; Steve Kennedy, superintendent; Neil Winter, Menifee mayor; Randall Freeman, board member. Menifee 24/7 photos: Doug Spoon

Officials of the Menifee Union School District and Mayor Neil Winter gathered Wednesday at the site of what will become the newest school in Menifee to celebrate the construction taking place.

The elementary school, which has not been named, is being built on the east side of Stage Coach Road in the Audie Murphy Ranch community. The 13-acre property backs up to a hillside that borders on Pechanga Native American land. According to superintendent Steve Kennedy, MUSD officials worked through the process with the Pechanga tribe to ensure that they were not encroaching on sacred land.

Wednesday's ceremony featured the obligatory groundbreaking photo, but in reality work is well under way. The foundation has been poured for some of the buildings in the school, which is scheduled to open in August 2018. Kennedy said the school is being built to accommodate 900 students; the initial enrollment is expected to be about 600.

"One of the priorities the district has had is to establish neighborhood schools," Kennedy said. "We're working with these developers as they're coming in and pulling permits from the city to identify land right away so we can stay ahead of the curve."

Kennedy said the district is in the process of selecting a name for the school. He said he hopes it includes some reference to Audie Murphy, the war hero and movie star for whom the development is named. He said the next school planned for Menifee is a middle school to be built in the northern section of Audie Murphy Ranch, across Newport Road. Plans for that school are still preliminary.

Funding for the new schools comes from Measure Q, a $135 million bond measure approved by Menifee voters by a 62 percent majority last November.

The foundation is taking shape for the new school in Audie Murphy Ranch.

Red star shows the location of the school property on the east side of Stage Coach Road.