What is happening with the Cardiff School rebuild? 

Construction on our new school has been halted due to a lawsuit filed by nearby residents who are unhappy with the project’s design. They are claiming taxpayer waste and environmental concerns.

Here are the facts:

1. Measure GG was endorsed by the San Diego Taxpayers’ Association and approved by 65.9 percent of Cardiff voters. See the full text of the ballot measure.

2. The District undertook a comprehensive, collaborative community engagement process to create the new design for the school campus. This process included input from parents, residents, staff and students via multiple community workshop meetings.  

3. The District completely redesigned the project in response to concerns expressed by some community members, which satisfied all but a few immediate neighbors. The District further refined the design in an attempt to accommodate those neighbors but was unable to do two things they wanted. The District was unable to relocate the multipurpose building because relocating that building would compromise both student safety and the educational program. The District was unable to reduce the parking and pick-up area because the parking is required by the California Coastal Development Permit and the pick-up area is needed for the safe loading of students.

4. While a project of this type and scope is not generally required to prepare a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) as part of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process, the District chose to do so in order to make certain it addressed all environmental issues and also out of an abundance of caution since the plaintiffs had made it clear they intended to file a lawsuit.

5. The District completed all necessary planning requirements prior to moving the project forward, including a Coastal Development Permit from the City of Encinitas and approval from the California Division of the State Architect, which sets strict structural, safety and accessibility regulations for public schools.

6. The plaintiffs uncovered a Land and Water Conservation Grant that had been applied for by the City of Encinitas in 1993. The $160,0000 grant was used to improve the playfields at Cardiff School. The District was a cosignatory to the grant but did not retain any institutional knowledge of it because they were not listed in the state’s database nor did they receive communications regarding the grant. The grant requirements called for a boundary around the playfields to remain as-is in perpetuity; however, the new school encroached on a small part (less than 10 percent) of the playfields. When the District became aware of the situation, they immediately began pursuing their due process to convert the site boundary, working closely with the state and federal agencies surrounding the issue. For more detailed information, read additional details on the LWCF process.

7. The conversion/boundary adjustment was approved by the state agency in November 2019, who recognized the project as enhancing the existing outdoor recreation area. The state agency recommended the federal agency approve the District’s proposal. A conditional approval was made by the federal agency, pending two straightforward conditions that are in progress.

8. The enhanced playfields will reopen to the public as they have been for nearly a century once the new school construction is complete.

9. This lawsuit has led to unnecessary legal fees and time delays that increase project costs; however, the District intends to use all legal measures available to them to appeal this ruling so that construction can resume and the new school can be built for students and taxpayers as promised. 

Please check back for further updates as more information becomes available.