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The Northern California community of Butte County continues to grow - in the last 10 years the population increased by nearly 12 percent. Yet, some of the basic infrastructure needed to accommodate this growth - including the construction of new schools - has not been built due to the misapplication of the ESA.
The last time a high school was built in the Chico Unified School District(CUSD) was in 1967. In response to a growing population and student body needing to be served, Chico voters approved a $48.7 million dollar bond for the construction of a new high school campus. That was in 1998.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) recommended that no development occur on the 40 acre proposed site because of the presence of the endangered Butte County Meadowfoam. This recommendation is in despite of an earlier FWS's 1995 biological opinion that found that development on the site was unlikely to jeopardize the meadowfoam and other species.
The Chico Unified School District (CUSD) and community leaders continue to meet with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in order to get the much-needed project approved. The Department of Interior and members of the House of Representatives have shown an interest in helping move the project forward.
Today in California there are over 1 million students who desperately need new classroom space. These figures are only expected to increase. Delaying the construction of Canyon View High School - which would accommodate 1,800 students - not only hinders the education of the students currently occupying the CUSD's two already overcrowded high schools, but also compounds the statewide problem of failing to meet the needs of its unhoused student population.
What's more, the delay threatens the project's funding source as the community, which passed a school bond allowing for the local community to pay 100% of the project, is not likely to approve more funding caused by the delay.
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