The elementary school campus where the infamous “I Don’t Like Mondays” shootings took place 36 years ago is one of two properties that could be sold under a plan to be considered Tuesday by the San Diego Unified School District Board of Education.
Quail Capital Investments LLC has proposed buying the nearly 9-acre Cleveland Elementary School at 6365 Lake Atlin Ave. in San Carlos, just east of Mission Valley, for $6.1 million. It was advertised for sale last month after no public agencies expressed interest in the property.
On Jan. 29, 1979, 16-year-old Brenda Spencer opened fire on the campus with a .22-caliber rifle from a window at her family’s house across the street, killing principal Burton Wragg and custodian Mike Suchar. Eight students and a police officer were wounded but survived.
Spencer later said she didn’t like Mondays. Frequently referred to as the first school mass-shooter, she is imprisoned and not eligible for another parole hearing until 2019.
The campus is currently used by the Magnolia Science Academy, which operates a middle school at the location. According to SDUSD data, the district spends an average of nearly $116,000 annually to maintain the campus and receives about $61,000 a year from the charter school.
The Islamic School of San Diego was the high bidder for the other campus, the former Benchley Elementary, located at 7202 Princess View Drive in the nearby Navajo neighborhood. The nearly 4.3-acre property would fetch the district $2.8 million, according to the district.
The campus is leased to Excelsior Academy. The district says it receives more than $85,700 in annual fees from the charter school, while the property costs roughly $32,000 a year to maintain.
The sale prices are both slightly higher than district projections. The state Education Code requires school districts that want to unload property to gauge interest from other government agencies as a first step. But since there was no such interest in either campus, the land was auctioned off.
District officials said both Magnolia and Excelsior have multi-year agreements to lease their campuses and are being kept apprised of the sale plans.
—City News Service
