The Riverside Unified School District Board of Education has officially named the district's newest campus the Ofelia Valdez Yeager Eastside School, honoring the former school board member, education advocate, and community leader alongside the historic neighborhood it will serve.
The $62 million project, situated near the intersection of 14th and Park Avenue, will serve 900 students in grades TK-6 who currently attend six different schools throughout the district, some requiring lengthy bus rides away from their neighborhood.
Art Alcaraz, member and former president of the Latino Network, urged the board to honor Yeager, calling her "not just a leader in our community. She was a true hero and a source of inspiration for many."
Patricia Reynolds, president of the board of trustees at Riverside Art Museum and The Cheech, also advocated for Yeager, noting she had served as "a PTA president, a school board member, and Chief Administrative Liaison for the Riverside County Superintendent of Schools" while tirelessly advocating for students and families.
Dr. Noemi Hernandez-Alexander proposed that the school's multipurpose room be named after Dorella Anderson, the other finalist who served as director of the Community Settlement Association for decades until her retirement in 2006.
The 6.87-acre campus will feature modern learning facilities including two two-story classroom buildings, specialized spaces for visual and fine arts, and shared recreational areas with adjacent Lincoln High School.
Community advocates have pushed for a neighborhood school for decades, noting that Eastside students have been bused to Longfellow, Castleview, Emerson, Pachappa, Magnolia, and Alcott elementary schools.
The Ofelia Valdez Yeager Eastside School is expected to open for the 2027 fall semester, finally bringing educational resources directly to one of Riverside's oldest neighborhoods.
Dawn Brawley, who previously served as principal at Emerson Elementary, has been appointed as the school's first principal.
