A few weeks ago, the local Board of Education approved a purchase order of close to $3,000 for computer drives. This month, it will consider funding more than $65,000 in laptops and other classroom equipment.
The expenditures are small examples of the improvements being funded by Measure ES, a $385-million bond that voters passed in 2012 to support technological upgrades throughout the Santa Monica-Malibu school district.
Renovations continue rolling out at campuses across the district, according to details shared with the school board by Jan Maez, the chief financial officer for SMMUSD.
(The board, which had just spent several hours discussing the financial implications of possibly splitting the district into separate Santa Monica and Malibu entities, was not particularly chatty about the bond-backed projects.)
The board had previously designated $180 million of Measure ES money for Santa Monica High School, and Maez said consultants are working to prepare a campus development plan.
Architecture consultant Rebecca Binder is scheduled to interview key Samohi officials this month about space needs at the district’s flagship campus, Maez said.
A draft of the development plan will likely be presented to the school board for review by mid-2016.
Of the $77 million in Measure ES funding allocated for Malibu schools, about $2.1 million has been spent on lighting replacement and environmental remediation this past summer. The district has spent millions of dollars in non-bond money to cover consulting and legal fees since the discovery of polychlorinated biphenyls at Malibu schools about two years ago.
Meanwhile, money from Measure ES will be used to repair windows, upgrade floors and repaint walls at nine SMMUSD elementary schools that Maez said, “could very much use a facelift.”
The window portion of the 3-year plan requires approval from the Division of the State Architect, a California oversight agency.
Flooring and painting projects are expected to take place this year at Will Rogers, Grant and Cabrillo elementary schools. The schedule for the next two years has not yet been finalized.
The school board could award a contract for some of these facility improvements as soon as this month.
Measure ES funds could also be used to pay for upgrades to the fields at Lincoln and John Adams middle schools.
Maez said the synthetic turf field at JAMS is starting to fail and that health concerns have been raised about the turf pellets, which are sometimes referred to as crumb rubber. The northern section of the field could be renovated as soon as this summer, Maez said.
The City of Santa Monica has expressed “strong interest” in improvements to the track and field at Lincoln, Maez said.
Other Measure ES issues before the district include JAMS auditorium renovations, a forthcoming study of classroom temperatures and ongoing technological upgrades.
One obstacle to improvements across SMMUSD is a shortfall of more than $31 million in funds linked to Measure BB, a $268-million bond that voters backed in 2006. The board has previously discussed covering the shortfall with Measure ES money.
jeff@www.smdp.com
