After three years of construction, a new complex is ready to house the Fresno (California) Unified District’s alternative school programs under one roof.
The Sacramento Bee reports that the $65 million Farber Educational Campus has been built on the site of the infamous juvenile hall, which was torn down in 2019.
The district says the complex will offer state-of-the-art educational programming using modernist architecture with an emphasis on natural light and collaborative spaces. The facility consolidates three alternative education programs: Cambridge Continuation High School, J.E. Young Academic Center and the eLearn Academy, which have been given new names: Farber Credit Attainment, Farber Independent Study, and Farber Online.
The new building uses a lot of glass to bring natural light into the lobby, classrooms, and cafeteria, providing plenty of open seating areas for kids to socialize and learn on their own.
Farber adopts four CTE pathways: cyber security, public services, multimedia and video production, and logistics and warehouse management.
The campus hosts more than 1,900 students from the three programs, says Pete Pulos, administrator of alternative education. Depending on their needs and study plans, some students might come to school five days a week in a traditional setting, some three days a week, and others might take online courses. The campus provides resources and facilities to help them learn, and teachers are always on standby to answer questions for those who struggle to understand the material.
The campus is named for philanthropists Francine and Murray Farber, who have given more than $300,000 in scholarships and launched various school programs that have benefited thousands of Fresno children and youths.
