There is a proposal to turn the former Sunnyside Elementary School in Los Osos into a recreational area for the community, but this old public school site is currently being used by the private Wishing Well School and parents are concerned about what a potential sale could mean for their students.
Wishing Well School aims to offer a unique learning environment and has been welcoming students at the Sunnyside site in Los Osos since 2012.
“What they do really well here is they maintain the creativity in the child all the way through eighth grade. For me, that was crucial,” said Humberto Norman, Wishing Well School parent.
“They’re able to embrace their creativity, look at the world from so many different angles. I think it’s so special to watch that develop,” said Casey Farrell, Wishing Well School parent.
Limiting the use of technology in classrooms, using chalkboards, no projectors and teaching curriculum through movements, singing and storytelling, some parents say they moved closer to Los Osos so their children could attend Wishing Well.
“The school has grown a lot and we need this because it’s relatively central for people coming from Nipomo to Paso,” said Pratish Patel, Wishing Well School parent.
Now, the Los Osos Community Advisory Group is urging the county to purchase the former Sunnyside school site so it can be turned into a recreational area for the community.
But Wishing Well parent and site committee member Crystal Bradshaw says it’s already been difficult for the private school to find another site due to zoning restrictions. She says the school would be interested in purchasing the property from the San Luis Coastal Unified School District.
“It seems like it would make the most sense to sell the property to a school as opposed to something that is not a school that would then have to go through some type of zoning change to even make that possible for the community,” Bradshaw said.
Ashtane Brixler’s preschool also sits on the former public school site. She says she was not aware of the preliminary discussions surrounding the sale of the property to the county.
“It affects us and it affects the families that we serve and we also have contracts with families so it’s not like we can open our doors and shut them tomorrow. We have contracts for ten months, for twelve months that we can’t just jump out of easily,” said Bixler, Stepping Stone University Preschool owner/director/teacher.
The property is not currently for sale, but San Luis Coastal Assistant Superintendent Ryan Pinkerton says if it does come up for sale, selling to Wishing Well could be an option.
Some parents say they would like to be involved in the discussions about what happens next.
“If we don’t get to renew our lease or expand our lease, it would be a total gut punch to about 200 families who go here. We would like to be involved and involve us in the talks that are going on. We want to do this in good faith,” Patel said.
“I think we just need to find a good solution that works for everybody. If we all get together and talk it out, I think there’s a solution there that we can explore,” Norman said.
“Given that this is a school environment as it was Sunnyside that had been here since 1979, I think it should stay that and stay Wishing Well and we just hope that the school district will work with us on that. We would continue to make a great presence in our community,” said Beth Crizer, Wishing Well School grandparent.
Some say they don’t mind a potential sale to the county as long as they are still able to fully operate their programs.
“I hope that whether the school district sells the property or whatever happens, we don’t get dismissed,” Bixler said
Pinkerton also told KSBY, “Wishing Well School is on a year-by-year rental lease and has been for the past few years. They are aware and have been aware of the possibility of us selling the property. We are still in preliminary discussions about selling the property.”
The Los Osos Community Advisory Council says it hopes that through a purchase to the county, the school could be turned into a multi-use site for the community, adding that they are aware of Wishing Well School and share parents’ concerns.
“Keeping the Wishing Well School at the Sunnyside site would not interfere with the development of parks and recreation at Sunnyside and that is what we are advocating for,” said Deborah Howe, Los Osos Community Advisory Council vice chair.
The Board of Supervisors is expected to discuss the possible purchase in a closed-session meeting next Tuesday.
