For the first time in six years, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) will be seeking bond measures for school facility projects. During the June 20 meeting of the SMMUSD Board of Education, the board gave staff approval to develop bond measure resolutions for the November ballot.
The two bond measures would be for $495 million in School Facility Improvement District #1 (Santa Monica schools) and $395 million in School Facility Improvement District #2 (Malibu schools). The board will pass resolutions to place bond measures on the ballot during a meeting next month.
The Santa Monica schools bond measure, if approved by 55% local vote in the November election, will provide funds for facility improvements via property taxes to the assessed value of the property for up to 30 years. This would be estimated to be 3 cents per $100 of assessed value. In November 2018, 72.07% of voters approved of bond Measure SMS, issuing up to $485 million in bonds at an estimated tax rate of 4 cents per $100.
SMMUSD Chief Operations Officer Carey Upton gave presentations on both Santa Monica and Malibu schools, mainly focused on facility priorities in Santa Monica. A top priority for the district is replacing portable and modular classrooms at the elementary and middle school levels, which have been around for over 30 years in many cases. Upton noted that a good lifespan for these rooms would be around 10 years, as the portables have become "inadequate" for modern education.
"We saw a number of them failing … they are leaking, they don’t have good ventilation … [and] they’re just not configured well, they’re not built well to provide the best quality of education," Upton said. "With a few windows here and a few windows there, and the rectangular shape, it’s just not enough to meet what we need."
Other challenges at the elementary and middle levels include Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) facility work. Work on TK classrooms is a "new challenge," Upton said, as August 2025 begins universal TK programs statewide. Required facilities to support the four-year-old students need to be constructed and reconfigured, as typical TK classrooms are 1,350 square feet as opposed to regular classrooms being 960 square feet. Spaces for restrooms and outdoor play areas also need to be considered for the grade.
STEM facility work is geared toward engaging struggling students and embracing project-based learning specialization, crafting art labs and outdoor learning areas at school sites.
"We [learned] that hands-on project-based learning supports our instruction and really supports those most struggling students, and sort of [makes] school makes sense to them," Upton said. "So we know that those spaces need to be more specialized, they’re not just the standard classroom."
Specific site projects are already in design and will be "shovel-ready" if the district procures the necessary funding. The most construction-heavy elementary campus would be Grant Elementary School, with plans to modernize four small classrooms into three large classrooms to meet TK standards, as well as combine outdoor learning areas for TK and Kindergarten students.
"Currently, our preschool and TK classes are separate from our Kindergarten classes … by clustering our early learning classes, we will create an early learning cohort that will allow for greater collaboration among our teachers, ultimately fostering a more engaging daily learning experience for our students," Grant Principal Christian Fuhrer said.
Another Grant project in design is modernization of the campus library, combining "inadequate" spaces into a larger library and innovation classroom. A new classroom building also in the design stage would replace six older portables with a new classroom and outdoor learning area space, which would also add a science and garden area to the roof for "more engaging instruction."
"The new building will engage Grant students and provide a learning facility that will challenge them," Fuhrer added.
Other elementary school projects include construction on a new library and early education building at Roosevelt Elementary School, a new early education building and field modernization at Franklin Elementary School and modifications at Santa Monica Alternative School House (SMASH)/Muir Elementary School.
On the middle school level, the district is attempting "big swings" at Lincoln Middle School based around innovation and career technical education, specifically modernization of the Shops Building. The last classroom building in SMMUSD without air conditioning, construction would add that as well as improving science, tech, math and innovation labs.
"We believe that by providing spaces that encourage curiosity and hands-on learning, we’re equipping our students with the tools they need to navigate their path toward success in the careers of tomorrow," Lincoln Principal Jose Cuevas said. "The existing [shops] building is in desperate need of revitalization and air conditioning. This modernization will provide these students an engaging, safe and fresh learning facility."
STEM education is also a focus at John Adams Middle School, with a project to add a new STEM building with collaborative and exterior learning areas. At Samohi, Phase 4 of the school’s campus plan would be re-prioritized with the bond funding, including the transition of the English building to an administration and library space.
After the presentation, board members were appreciative of the clarity in facility needs, with Board President Jennifer Smith saying the district has prioritized projects "ready to go into construction."
"We’re always trying better to work with each other and listen, and I really see that reflected in how things are being asked and what’s being specified so people really understand what our educational objectives are … I appreciate the specificity," Boardmember Stacy Rouse added.
The Malibu school bond measure would focus on the completion of the Malibu Campus Plan, including a new middle school gymnasium and multi-purpose room, as well as a new pool and aquatics center which would replace an existing pool "often closed due to maintenance issues."
Malibu water sports teams would be able to host tournaments with the new pool, with a main pool about 40 meters in length along with a smaller pool area to be used as a competition warmup space as well as a swim teaching space with more shallow waters.
