PCS Eyes Campus Expansion

The PCS Board of Directors is currently in talks to possibly rent a large portion of the building across the street from the PCS campus which was formerly occupied by the Santa Cruz Housing Authority. The space is now available for rent due to the Housing Authority’s move to Capitola. Possible benefits of renting of the space would include a performance and storage space for the Visual and Performing Arts department, additional parking for students and staff, an assembly space for student/faculty/parent meetings, a possible outdoor play area, space for standardized test administration,  and additional classrooms. VPA staff, parents, and students wouldn’t have to move themselves and items to off-site locations where they currently rent space. Estimates indicate that roughly 250 people could be seated in this space. This is almost half of the current size of PCS. However, the housing authority has made clear that the space isn’t available for sale and they are only interested in renting it to long term tenants. The PCS board is looking for a 10-year lease or longer on the space. As of right now, the discussions over the space are still in the early stages. A big obstacle to the rental of the space is the financial cost. The money needed for the rental of this space will be much more than the yearly $50,000 that PCS currently devotes for storage space at four locations around town. Possible ways to pay for the extra funds needed include fundraising, renting out space, and increasing the number of students at PCS.