The ownership dispute between the State of California and the Morongo Unified School District regarding the old Joshua Tree Elementary school property and building is still pending. Reporter Andrew Dieleman has the details…
A new Elementary school had to be built in Joshua Tree since a portion of the old school was built over an earthquake fault. Now, the old elementary school property sits vacant due to an ownership dispute between MUSD and the State. According to MUSD Superintendent Tom Baumgarten, the new school cost an estimated $19 Million to construct. Since the state provided approximately 5 million of those dollars, the State laid claim to ownership of the old property once the school officially closed. MUSD is currently disputing the State’s claim of ownership to the property. If the property is awarded to MUSD, there are plans to either use the building for non-student activities or to auction off the property. No action can be taken, however, until the final ruling on property ownership is made.
