Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District spokespeople sent a letter to parents and guardians of Malibu students on June 9, stating that the district plans to begin facility improvements at both Malibu High School (MHS) and Juan Cabrillo Elementary School this summer, funded by Measure BB and ES bonds.
“The modernization projects will necessarily remove and replace certain building materials that have been the subject of concern due to the potential presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),” the letter stated.
Projects will include demolition of the existing library and administration buildings and the construction of a new building that will also add three labs and four new classrooms to the campus. The middle school building will also be updated with new window systems, floors, doors and paint, and two new classrooms will be added.
Measure BB work also includes the construction of a new parking lot, renovation of the middle and high school quads, and the installation of new fencing around the campus perimeter. The construction is expected to take a few years in total.
The purchase of portable classrooms has been approved by the district board of education, and they are expected to be installed in January 2017. The portables will be in place for the duration of the construction.
Malibu’s $77 million dollar portion of the Measure ES bond will be used to update windows, floors and doors that have not been replaced in the past 25 years at both MHS and Juan Cabrillo. The interiors of all rooms will be painted at both schools, and a new Seaside Preschool will be added to Juan Cabrillo that is expected to open in fall 2017.
A Malibu Facilities District Advisory Committee has been established to identify priorities and recommendations regarding school projects and bond work.