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School in Chino faces eviction
Sycamore Academy Charter School in Chino faces potential eviction from the Upward Call Church property, which could displace hundreds of students.
CHINO, Calif. - A charter school in Chino says it is on the verge of eviction, which could leave hundreds of families looking for a new school.
Sycamore Academy Charter School is located on the property of Upward Call Church. The school is not affiliated with the church, but it rents space from the church and the pastor is the landlord.
Amid lease negotiations, the school sent parents an email last week saying the church could be preparing to evict them.
"It seems to me like we're in this nasty divorce where two adults are fighting and who's suffering? Children," said parent Gemma Chun.
The school's lease ended on August 31. The parents say it's facing a rent increase as high as 100 percent. The man on the other side of the table says that's not true but did confirm he is asking for an increase.
"From my perspective we're still negotiating even though their lease is out of contract," said Darian Venerable, pastor of Upward Call Church.
Sycamore Academy says Venerable's attorneys are preparing for the eviction process.
FOX 11 asked the pastor about a possible eviction.
"That's the last thing we really want. We just want to come to an amicable agreement to where we can both live harmoniously," said Pastor Venerable.
That's what parents here want, too: to avoid jeopardizing stability for their students.
Venerable said he has no deadline in mind when it comes to negotiations.