Families who bought into Roseville's shiny new Amoruso Ranch community say the school they were banking on has suddenly gone from a selling point to a major question mark. The neighborhood campus they were told to expect is now delayed by a major funding shortfall, and parents are trying to determine where their kids will actually go to class and how far they will have to travel to get there. The surprise twist has pulled back the curtain on the complex math behind school funding in new subdivisions and increased pressure on both the school district and the developer to find a way out.
According to the Roseville City School District, the price tag to build and open a campus at Amoruso Ranch by 2029 is estimated at $100 million. Developer fees tied specifically to the project are expected to bring in roughly $41 million, which leaves an estimated $59 million hole in the budget. The district says it entered a mitigation agreement with the developer in 2016, but the fee escalator built into that deal has not kept up with fast-rising construction costs. In response, the board approved new attendance boundaries on April 24, 2025, assigning Amoruso Ranch students to Vencil Brown Elementary and Buljan Middle School as of July 1, 2025, and the district says buses will be provided where the distance is beyond walking range.
Parents say they were promised a school
Homebuyers and parents told ABC10 that a neighborhood school was a key reason they chose Amoruso Ranch, and they say the district’s pivot has left families juggling new commute times, enrollment questions, and childcare logistics. On community message boards and at neighborhood meetings, parents have been pressing district leaders and builders alike for clearer timelines and for real money to close the construction gap, arguing that the original pitch included a school within the community.
City finance tools do not bridge a nine-figure gap
City records for the Amoruso Ranch Community Facilities District lay out how the CFD’s special-tax is structured and list the public facilities it is allowed to help pay for, but the anticipated revenue from that tool was only ever a fraction of what a modern school campus would cost. The Bond Buyer recorded a 2025 special-tax bond sale for the Amoruso Ranch CFD’s Improvement Area No. 2, and city materials indicate the initial construction proceeds were limited, a pattern focused on roads, utilities, and parks rather than underwriting a nine-figure school project. City of Roseville CFD documents spell out the special-tax framework and the specific ways those dollars may legally be used.
Builders keep selling homes
Even as the school plans stall, the broader Amoruso Ranch master plan keeps moving. The community is still actively marketing lots and new homes, and its website lists multiple neighborhoods currently selling, a contrast that has not been lost on residents. The Amoruso Ranch site highlights amenities, neighborhoods, and homes for sale while families already living there say they are still waiting for a firm education plan to match the rapid pace of homebuilding.
What families can expect next
The district says it is in talks with the developer and is exploring additional revenue options, but it has not yet lined up the extra money needed to build the promised campus. For now, families are being directed to district communications staff for the latest details on new attendance boundaries and transportation, and officials say they will keep hunting for financing solutions that could alter the long-term plan. In the meantime, students from Amoruso Ranch will be heading to their reassigned schools instead of walking to a campus in their own neighborhood.
