WHITTIER — Two weeks after terminating Whittier Christian Elementary School’s lease to use Maybrook Elementary School, officials at the Lowell Joint School District said they hope to find a replacement private school to operate the campus that served 288 students last year.
Meanwhile, the operator of the current school vows to stay put, possibly forcing an eviction.
The school board voted July 31 to terminate the lease and on Monday, it voted to encourage a new operator by promising to shield the newcomer from potential lawsuits.
Whittier Christian is scheduled to begin classes Aug. 24, but Lowell Superintendent Jim Coombs said the district is prepared to go to court to evict the school from the campus at 11700 Maybrook Ave. The district includes part of La Habra.
Once the campus — previously the site of a public elementary school — is available, Lowell has one possible candidate, Heights Christian Schools, in mind.
Heights Christian operates a junior high, one school for fifth- and sixth-graders, three elementary schools, and five preschools.
Claud Lamar, president and CEO for Heights Christian, told the board Monday his organization was interested in taking over the campus and asked Whittier Christian parents to call his district office in La Habra Heights.
“We understand that people have paid money,” Lamar said. “To those who have paid registration and to those who have paid tuition, we’ll waive tuition. As we hear from families, we’ll put together a class list.”
Lowell terminated the lease held by Calvary Baptist Church, which since July 1994 had rented the site for use as Whittier Christian Elementary School, for two reasons, Terry T. Tao, attorney for Lowell, said in an Aug. 1 notice of termination.
First, in July 2016, Calvary officials decided to get out of the school business as financial demands became too much and subleased the campus to Carnegie, Pastor John Ploog said.
However, the district’s lease with Calvary doesn’t allow for a sublease, Tao wrote.
Second, Carnegie planned to bring seventh- and eighth-graders onto campus, which also is forbidden under the contract, he wrote.
“This lease has been in place since (July 1994) and the board has made its standing practice to have elementary students only,” Coombs said.
Reached by phone Tuesday, James G. Schwartz, Carnegie’s attorney, denied his client was going to bring seventh- and eighth-graders onto the campus.
“We were hoping to fold (the students) in, but we were told we couldn’t do it,” he said.
However, district officials point to a letter emailed in March to parents saying the junior high would be moved to the Maybrook campus for the 2017-18 school year.
Coombs also said a number of Whittier Christian parents have told them seventh- and eighth-graders were on the Maybrook site during the summer for activities and other classes.
It looks like Lowell may have to go to court to regain control of its campus.
Carnegie “intends to remain at the Maybrook campus for the foreseeable future,” said Schwartz in an Aug. 8 letter to David Libman, attorney for Calvary. “What Carnegie will do, and what Calvary has agreed they do very well, is to continue to provide a high-achieving Christ-centered college preparatory education to each student in the school.”
Calvary officials have said they will not fight the termination of the lease and in fact have canceled its agreement with Carnegie and support the eviction, Ploog said.
Lowell’s problems with Carnegie began last spring when the school didn’t pay the nearly $20,000 monthly rent for April, May and June, Coombs said. The rent was eventually paid with interest and fees.
Whittier Christian Elementary School is not related to Whittier Christian High School.