Finley

History of Finley Elementary School

The Finley family had been established in Westminster by the time the school that bears their name was opened on October 28, 1957. The land that had been owned by the Munemitsu family was sold to the Westminster School District as agriculture declined in Orange County. Despite this, the school was named after the Finley family that owned the land adjacent to the Munemitsu family property across Westminster Boulevard. The Finley family were at the time well known for their involvement with the district PTA, with Mae Finley being one of the presidents.

Like many of the Westminster schools, the site was constructed rapidly to meet the needs of the newly incorporated city’s booming population. The school was drafted on January 3, 1957, and remarkably opened its doors less than 11 months later. Due to this accelerated timeline, several campus facilities remained incomplete when students first arrived. For the initial two months of the 1957–1958 academic year, Finley students were temporarily bused to Schmitt School. ”

A historical document written in 1972 notes that the school’s supply closet was used as the front office and that the land was notably barren — evidence of the hurried effort to establish the campus. Thus, for the first three months, Mary Lazano, the office manager, and principal Don Stuckey ran the school from the supply closet until the actual front office was ready. Other than these setbacks, Finley would run like a normal school, with occasional friendly competition with Sequoia, for 22 years. The declining enrollment of students by the 1970s and economic struggles meant that several schools like Finley were closed by 1979. From 1979 to 1993, the school would be leased to become a campus for Coastline Community College.

Better economic opportunities and a rise in potential pupils led to the district reopening previously closed sights. Finley would be the first school site to be reopened. “We’re going to do it real nice…students will have a new computer lab, library and classroom equipment,” said Dr. Bill Lawson, the interim superintendent to the Westminster Herald in 1990. This revitalization would come at a price, however, as some beloved schools such as Midway City and Boos would be closed and sold to realtors by 1994.