Now Or Never

Community must speak up to save McClaskey school

By Shannon Ross
January 2026

Drive around Sacramento and history disappears before your eyes. We’ve lost the Alhambra Theatre, Tower Records and countless landmarks that gave neighborhoods their character.

Now, another piece of history is in danger, the beautiful Mediterranean-style A. Warren McClaskey Adult Education Center, formerly El Dorado Elementary, at 5241 J St.

For more than a century, the campus has been an anchor of East Sacramento life. Now we stand to lose it.
Built in 1921, the school bustled with students until state earthquake regulations required major upgrades. Rather than abandon it, the city school district transformed the site into an adult education hub, home to folk dance classes, computer literacy, English language instruction and community activities.

Two programs remain, an upholstery class and adult students with disabilities, many of whom have been part of the campus for decades.

Yet Sacramento City Unified describes the site as “under-utilized,” a problem the school district created by shutting down public access and ending community classes.

Green space, once used by Little Leagues, dog walkers and gardeners, was fenced off. Rather than invite the community in, the district shut the gates.

In October, the district formed what it calls a 7–11 Committee. Under California Education Code, this committee is the first step in declaring school properties surplus.

Once a site is surplus, the district may lease or sell it. In other words, the committee is the doorway to losing this 4.5-acre site to private development.

The 7–11 Committee’s job is to hold public meetings and make a recommendation to the school board. Unless residents speak up, the decision will be made without neighborhood input.

And here’s something many people don’t know. Even if the district sells the land, state law restricts how the money can be used.

Under the education code, proceeds from surplus property are generally limited to capital improvements or maintenance, not salaries or operating expenses. Selling this irreplaceable site won’t solve the district’s budget deficits.

Think about what we lose if McClaskey is sold. A historic building standing for more than 100 years. Twenty-plus mature trees and green space. Community gardens and outdoor learning spaces. A hub for adult and senior classes in a ZIP code without a senior center.

We also lose opportunities for reimagining the site. The National Trust for Historic Preservation says readaptation is far more common in historic buildings than in areas dominated by new, oversized commercial structures.

Across the country, former school buildings find new life as community centers, arts hubs, senior programs and affordable housing.

If McClaskey matters to you, it’s time to act. Once the district declares the property surplus, the pressure to sell becomes enormous. The community’s influence becomes harder to assert.

There are several ways to help save McClaskey.

You can build a community voice. Email jstreetcornerschool@gmail.com to join the McClaskey community and receive updates on the 7-11 Committee.

The 7–11 Committee can’t stop development. It can’t require a buyer to follow community recommendations. But this is the key stage where community concerns become part of the public record.

Finally, you can tell the school board you want community involvement on McClaskey’s fate.

The city school board—not the 7–11 Committee—will decide whether McClaskey is declared surplus and whether it’s sold.

January is a big month in McClaskey’s future. Supporters are organizing a community meeting to make sure residents know what’s at stake.

A united, organized community can shape public opinion, influence the school board and stop the loss of an irreplaceable public asset.

McClaskey has served children, families, adults, seniors, immigrants and people with disabilities. It’s given East Sac green space, beauty and identity.

We have one chance to protect the school from becoming just another profitable parcel on a developer’s spreadsheet.

Shannon Ross can be reached at jstreetcornerschool@gmail.com.