Santa Paula Elementary District holds farewell celebration

The Santa Paula Elementary School District held a farewell celebration Friday at Isbell Middle School. The event ran from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with lunch, raffle prizes and a group photo. SPESD employees, retirees and past and present board members were invited.

Santa Paula’s first public school was established at Main and 10th Streets in 1876. Other schools opened over the years, with Bedell School being the last, built in 1964. Unification passed last year creating a new Santa Paula Unified School District, which officially takes over the two old districts on July 1.