Cordova Villa Elementary School broke ground Aug. 18 on a modernization project designed to carry the school into its next generation. From left are FCUSD Board Vice President YK Chalamcherla, Councilmember David M. Sanders, FCUSD Board Clerk David Reid, Mayor Garrett Gatewood, FCUSD Board President Jennifer Laret, Cordova Villa Elementary Principal Kayla Yates, FCUSD Board Member Kara Lofthouse, Superintendent Eric Swanson and FCUSD Chief Operations Officer Craig Rouse. Photo courtesy of Folsom Cordova Unified School District

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - More than five decades after Cordova Villa Elementary School began serving students on its Rancho Cordova campus, school and community leaders gathered Aug. 18 to break ground on a modernization project designed to carry the school into its next generation.

The Folsom Cordova Unified School District project will replace more than half of the campus footprint and add new classrooms, a permanent administration building, an entry plaza, fencing and improvements to the playground, paving and landscaping. Construction began in June and is scheduled to be completed in 2027.

The work is funded through Measure R, the $144 million bond approved by voters in 2024 to improve elementary school campuses in Rancho Cordova and Mather.

The Folsom Cordova Unified School District project will replace more than half of the campus footprint. Photo courtesy of Studio W Architects

FCUSD Board President Jennifer Laret said the project is not about replacing the identity of Cordova Villa but giving the existing school community facilities that better support its work.

“Today we are not starting over,” Laret said. “We are building on something great.”

Laret said the modernization will preserve the history and sense of community at the school while providing students and educators with updated learning spaces.

Superintendent Eric Swanson thanked Rancho Cordova voters for supporting Measure R and said the investment represents a broader commitment to education and the community.

Swanson recalled visiting Cordova Villa and speaking with a first-grade student who told him she hoped to return to the school one day as a teacher.

“I think that's a testament to this community,” Swanson said. “There was a long history here in the Cordova Villa community about wanting to attend a school and wanting to come back and live in this community, wanting to serve this community.”

Fifth-graders Emma and Jacob led the Pledge of Allegiance during the ceremony. Photo courtesy of Folsom Cordova Unified School District

Rancho Cordova Mayor Garret Gatewood also recognized the voters and community members who supported the bond measure.

“Today, we are breaking ground on an important new chapter for this campus, celebrating investment in our students, our teachers and the future of Rancho Cordova,” Gatewood said.

Principal Kayla Yates said the work extends beyond new buildings and classrooms and is intended to strengthen the school's role as a gathering place for students, families and community partners.

“Our campus may be under construction, but so much more is being built here,” Yates said. “We are building on traditions, relationships and the strength that make Cordova Villa special.”

Fifth-graders Emma and Jacob led the Pledge of Allegiance during the ceremony. Certificates of congressional recognition were also presented, with representatives attending on behalf of state Sen. Roger Niello and U.S. Rep. Ami Bera.

As shovels hit the dirt, Yates said the groundbreaking represented both the physical changes ahead and the future students who will learn on the renovated campus.

“We aren't just moving soil,” she said. “We are laying the groundwork for the next generation of thinkers, creators and leaders in Folsom Cordova.”

Kosim Latipovon (left) presents Cordova Villa Elementary Principal Kayla Yates with a congressional certificate of recognition on behalf of state Sen. Roger Niello. Photo courtesy of Folsom Cordova Unified School District