The Morongo Unified School District will retain ownership of the old, abandoned Joshua Tree Elementary School property. The property has sat vacant since its closure in 2011 with the district facing the possibility of placing the property up for sale. Yesterday, (Wednesday, June 27) MUSD Superintendent Tom Baumgarten attended the State Allocation Board meeting in Sacramento where board members voted unanimously to allow MUSD to retain ownership of the property in exchange for MUSD paying half of the property’s current $440,000 appraisal price. According to Baumgarten, while the property can no longer be used for students, it has the potential to be used to suit several other school district needs. The ownership of the property had been under dispute with the state claiming it in exchange for its contribution to the new Joshua Tree School.
