$144 million bond begins transforming Rancho Cordova elementary campuses, with Cordova Villa among first major projects underway
RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. — With students looking on and construction already reshaping portions of the campus around them, Folsom Cordova Unified School District leaders joined city officials, educators and community members Tuesday to ceremonially break ground on a major modernization of Cordova Villa Elementary School — one of the first significant projects being delivered through the voter-approved Measure R bond program.
The extensive renovation will replace aging portions of the longtime Rancho Cordova campus while allowing Cordova Villa to remain open and serving students throughout construction.
Plans call for demolition of the existing administration and classroom building and construction of a new 10-classroom modular wing, along with a new permanent administration building. The project also includes a new entry plaza, paving and landscaping improvements, new fencing and a new playground.
Construction began in June and is scheduled for completion in 2027. Studio W is serving as architect and Landmark Construction as contractor for the project at 10359 S. White Rock Road. The TK-5 campus is being modernized with funding from Measure R.
Tuesday’s ceremony carried a message district leaders returned to throughout the morning: Cordova Villa is not being replaced. Instead, a school with generations of history in Rancho Cordova is being rebuilt around the community that already calls it home.
“We aren’t breaking ground on a new school. We are investing in a school that already has a proud history, a strong community, and generations of memories within its walls,” Folsom Cordova Unified School District Board President Jennifer Laret said.
Laret said the modernization is intended to bring the physical campus up to the level of the work already taking place inside its classrooms.
“Cordova Villa doesn’t need to become a different school. It needs facilities that support the great work already happening here,” Laret said. “Our teachers and school administrators have long upheld the standard of excellence, and this remodeling project will ensure that the facilities match that same standard.”
When construction is finished, she added, Cordova Villa will retain “the heart, history, and people that have always made it special,” while gaining a renewed campus designed to serve future generations.
The investment is being made possible through Measure R, the $144 million general obligation bond approved by Rancho Cordova and Mather voters within School Facilities Improvement District 4 in 2024.
Measure R is intended to finance modernization projects throughout existing elementary school campuses in the Rancho Cordova portion of FCUSD. Cordova Villa is among the first campuses where major construction has moved forward.
Other campuses identified for Measure R modernization include Cordova Gardens Academy of Arts and Sciences, Cordova Meadows Elementary, Mather Heights Elementary, Navigator Elementary, Peter J. Shields Elementary, Rancho Cordova Elementary, Riverview STEM Academy, White Rock Elementary and Williamson Elementary. Most remain in planning, while Rancho Cordova Elementary is listed in planning and design.
District information describes the overall Measure R program as an estimated $144 million investment in modernization projects across the Measure R area. The bond program is also subject to review by a Citizens’ Oversight Committee and annual independent audits.
Superintendent Erik Swanson used Tuesday’s groundbreaking to directly thank the voters who made the investment possible.
“I do first and foremost wanna thank the voters of Rancho Cordova in 2024 passing Measure R, which shows the commitment of this community to reinvesting into education,” Swanson said. “To invest in this is really investing in your community.”
Swanson also highlighted the partnership between FCUSD and the City of Rancho Cordova, describing both organizations as willing to pursue new approaches aimed at improving opportunities for students, families and residents.
But some of his most personal remarks were directed toward the students who will ultimately inherit the remodeled campus.
Swanson recalled visiting Cordova Villa on the first day of school and climbing onto the playground equipment to talk with a first-grader named Brooklyn. During their conversation, he said, she told him she hopes to someday return to Cordova Villa as a teacher.
“I think that’s a testament to this community,” Swanson said. “There’s a long history here in the Cordova Villa community about wanting to attend this school and wanting to come back and live in this community and wanting to serve this community.”
“This school is for Brooklyn and all of her classmates that are gonna get to enjoy a beautiful brand new school because you deserve it,” he added. “Go Hawks.”
Rancho Cordova Mayor Garrett Gatewood also credited the community effort that helped Measure R win voter approval, particularly recognizing Jennifer Laret for campaigning on behalf of the bond while also running her own campaign.
Gatewood recalled Laret and others walking Rancho Cordova neighborhoods through heat and rain to talk with residents about investing in local schools.
“Without that walking, without convincing the community members of how important it is to put education, this doesn’t get built,” Gatewood said.
Gatewood also spoke about Cordova Villa’s broader role in the community, recalling a previous visit to the campus when he distributed books to students.
“This school is so special,” Gatewood said. “You take my minority and lower socioeconomic community members and make them feel special, heard, and seen. And I truly, as mayor of Rancho Cordova, think this is what makes us so special in the city of Rancho Cordova.”
The ceremonial groundbreaking came after months of less-visible work required to undertake a substantial construction project without shutting down the school.
FCUSD Chief Operating Officer Craig Rouse recognized district project staff, Studio W and Landmark Construction for coordinating the work while maintaining a functioning campus.
“We’re doing this major construction, yet still keeping this place open,” Rouse said. “And that takes a lot of coordination with our team.”
Rouse said the district, architects, contractor and campus staff spent roughly eight to nine months working through construction logistics, temporary barriers, safety measures and other details necessary to keep students and staff separated from active work areas.
“The campus working with us is also the key,” Rouse said. “It’s that collaboration. If you don’t have that, this doesn’t happen.”
The ceremony also included recognition from state and federal representatives, with representatives of state Sen. Roger Niello and U.S. Rep. Ami Bera presenting certificates marking the milestone and recognizing the school community.
For Principal Kayla Yates, the construction underway around the campus represents more than new classrooms, pavement and buildings.
Yates said the modernization is intended to strengthen Cordova Villa’s role as a community school and create a campus where students, families, educators and community organizations can come together.
“With the community school’s model at its heart, we are creating a vibrant community hub, a place that brings students, families, educators, and community partners together,” Yates said. “Our campus may be under construction, but so much more is being built here.”
She also recognized teachers and staff who have continued serving students while navigating the disruption that accompanies a large-scale construction project.
“Through change, transition, and construction, you continue to show up every day and create a place where students feel known, supported, and inspired,” Yates said. “You and our students together are the heart of this school, and no building can replace that.”
The Cordova Villa project comes as FCUSD begins putting Measure R dollars to work across Rancho Cordova. District information says projects have begun at Cordova Villa Elementary and Cordova High School, while new playground equipment and safety fencing have recently been installed at multiple sites and larger modernization projects are expected to follow.
For Cordova Villa, however, Tuesday marked the moment years of planning, voter approval and construction preparation became something students could see taking shape around their school.
Board members, district leaders and community representatives closed the ceremony by putting on hard hats and safety vests and taking ceremonial shovels to the dirt as students and staff looked on.
“Today, when we dig our shovels into the dirt, we aren’t just moving soil,” Yates said. “We are laying the groundwork for the next generation of thinkers, creators, and leaders in Folsom Cordova.”
Copyright © 2026, Folsom Times, a digital product of All Town Media LLC. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
