Fred T. Korematsu Elementary School

The full name of this school is "Fred T. Korematsu Elementary School at Mace Ranch". The length of the name is the result of a compromise between school board members who wanted to name it based on a local figure or geographical feature and members who wanted to name it after Fred T. Korematsu who was a civil rights leader. This article describes the decisions of the board.

The construction of the school has been controversial since before it was built. Residents of Mace Ranch were told that an elementary school would be built in the early 1990s but the school district did not purchase the land until 1995, there was no further funding until 2000 (voters rejected a $55 million school construction bond in 1997), and construction did not begin until 2005. During a 2002 school board meeting, members considered downsizing the school or possibly not building it at all.¹

Originally set to open in fall 2005, the opening was pushed back to fall 2006 due to budget cuts.² Soon after opening plans were laid out for Korematsu to slowly to a K-3, one grade level per year, the district had a sudden cut back in funding due to under-enrollment of elementary students which resulted in the closure of Valley Oak Elementary School in June 2008 and the Korematsu opening was accelerated to open as a full K-6 in the fall of 2008.

The 2006/2007 school year included only kindergarten and first grade, with second grade to be added for the 2007/2008 school year.

On March 20, 2007, the Board of Education voted 3-2 in favor of a resolution that would open Korematsu as a K-6 school in the Fall of 2008.

During the summer before the 2011-2012 school year, solar panels were installed that also double as shade in the parking lot.

Previous principals

Mary Ponce (2008-2019)

Pictures

Basketball and Tetherball Younger kids playground Under Construction

• We have a beautiful K-6 elementary school in a part of town where enrollment is not declining and we're not opening it! The problem is overcapacity in other parts of town. That's not likely to change since East (and South) Davis are the only parts of town that are remotely affordable for a family with young kids. It's time to bite the bullet and do some elementary school consolidation in the parts of town where enrollment is declining. — DianeK

2008-08-13 22:29:51   I highly recommend walking around or lying down with your eyes closed in the tether ball courts while the wind is blowing. Listen closely to the phasing of the chains striking the poles... —watson

2009-04-13 18:42:25   pretty nice teachers and the school is good looking but lack of money makes things hard, there is also no school spirit, but some teachers dont exactly think that fun is a good thing, mr kelleher, mrs olmstead, mr carlson, mrs kesser,and mr miille are extremely nice I reccomend them highly —Churro615

2010-07-22 10:45:05   a really good school and good teachers things getting a little rough because of the economy and bugets but were hanging in! —LuuKyu

2010-10-04 18:27:32   This is the best school ever. The teachers are really nice and thought the budget cuts made it hard, we went on some awesome field trips and put on some cool events. The playground is really nice and the classrooms are really big and there not all stuffy and old. The people are nice people and make it a really really really fun place to learn. —ViviS

2011-01-24 21:49:40   Now in Junior High looking through the yearbook and old pictures, I miss this place so much! The campus environment is so nice, and there isn't any bullying, or harassment. The stuff you learn here is stuff that you would learn throughout life. —Churro615

2011-06-06 21:29:28   Why am I not allowed to edit this page? I have never had this happen before I just wanted to pass on a congratulations to the nature bowl kids —CraigFergus

Footnotes

1. Hudson, Jeff. Mace Ranchers say they're just tired of waiting. The Davis Enterprise. 2006-04-17
2. Hudson, Jeff. Mace Ranch school will open in 2006. The Davis Enterprise. 2005-01-21

2016-04-20 15:29:59   My daughter attends this school and has done amazingly since she started 1.5 years ago. She has made huge strides in her learning and in social skills. I can't say enough about how caring and amazing the Teachers are. The Office staff know each child by name and the Principal is kind and responsive about sending messages. Seems a lot of fund raising happens here but it's great to get the community involved in caring so much for this school. I've seen a lot of school spirit since my daughter has been enrolled here. —melanierice