A Ribbon Cutting for a Ten-Year School Project!

The Muroc Joint Unified School District held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 9, 2022, in Edwards, CA to celebrate the completion of the modernization the Desert Junior/Senior High School. The ribbon-cutting celebrated a ten-year project forming a consolidated transitional kindergarten through twelfth grade campus. This final phase of the project involves construction of a shared performing arts center, new classroom wings, a new gymnasium, and site improvements throughout the Desert Junior/High School campus.

This ceremony follows the August 10, 2021 ribbon-cutting ceremony that celebrated the completion of the modernization of the Bailey Elementary School and relocation of Branch Elementary School. This phase of the project involved the relocation of the existing Branch Elementary School, after demolition of the closed Payne Elementary School, and serves fourth through sixth grade students. The district also renovated and reopened Bailey Elementary School to serve transitional kindergarten through third grade. The project included new classroom wings, a new shared library, a new shared multi-purpose facility, and music/specialty classrooms.
The district has five schools located in the Mojave Desert, with three schools on Edwards Air Force Base.

In 2017, the Muroc Joint Unified School District was the third California school district awarded a design grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) through its Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC) for the Construction, Renovation, Repair or Expansion of Public Schools Located on Military Installations Program. The district is the sixth in California to receive full construction funding and awarded a total of $141.6 million by OLDCC to upgrade facilities and modernize these schools. The state funding provided, in combination with local contribution, met the federal requirements for a 20 percent local matching contribution on the projects.

The District received approximately $18.5 million in state funding for seven projects from the School Facility Program.

The 2022 ribbon-cutting ceremony attendees included the Office of Public School Construction's (OPSC) Executive Officer, Lisa Silverman; Edwards Air Force Base's Brigadier General Matthew Higer, 412th Test Wing Commander; Ben Chida, California Governor Gavin Newson, Patrick O'Brien, Director, U.S. Department of Defense's Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation; representatives from the offices of U.S. Congressman Kevin McCarthy, and California Assembly Member Tom Lackey; District Superintendent Kevin Cordes and other local officials.

OPSC serves as staff to the State Allocation Board and implements and administers a $42 billion voter-approved school facilities construction program.Rendering courtesy of WLC Architects Inc.