More than $1 billion to be spent on renovating classrooms and other facilities at local schools; a Santa Monica College satellite is planned for Malibu High campus.
By Melonie Magruder / Special to The Malibu Times
Outlining a 20-year, five-phase plan for improving local schools site by site, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Facilities Master Plan Project Team offered a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation that charted improvements to schools that will eventually cost more than $1 billion.
The Board of Education held a public workshop on Saturday to present local parents and educators with the results of the Project Team’s plan for spending the largesse of Proposition BB-the ballot initiative overwhelmingly approved by voters last November to improve the state of local schools.
Proposition BB was designed “to improve health, safety and class instruction by repairing, renovating outdated classrooms, bathrooms, plumbing, leaky roofs, computer technology, fire safety equipment, improve handicap access, earthquake-retrofit classrooms, remove asbestos and mold, and … upgrade sites and facilities” by issuing a $268 million bond.
The proposition specifically guaranteed financial audits and citizen oversight and forbids funding of administrator’s salaries.
Malibu resident and school board President Kathy Wisnicki said it took architectural and urban planning firms the better part of a year to complete the planning process for implementing Proposition BB’s improvements and that the workshop was designed to “bring everybody up to speed.” The final draft of a master plan is expected to be voted on later this year.
“For the first time, we have a sizable bond to fund an educational master facilities plan so we can strategize beyond just structural improvements,” Wisnicki said. “What will our technological needs be for the next 10 years? What kind of special facilities and science labs will we need? With $268 million, we will be able to take these considerations a lot further.”
The next step to adopting a Facilities Master Plan is for a site commission, made up of teachers, parents, administrators and business-savvy community members, to visit all 17 school sites.
“We can determine, site-specifically, what’s missing and what still needs to be tweaked,” Wisnicki said.
One, oft-neglected component of funding public school improvements is consideration for art and music instruction. Included in plans for Webster Elementary is a new music instruction room.
The master plan will also accommodate a new emphasis on self-sustainability and “green” building.
“Point Dume wants to become the model for self-sustainability,” Wisnicki said. “Chi Kim [principal of Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School] is looking to have the science building solar paneled for self-contained energy production.”
The stated goals of the strategic plan for implementing Proposition BB in Santa Monica-Malibu schools include: insuring abundant resources, enhancing the curriculum, differentiated instruction, equality of education, insuring optimal class size and universal access to pre-kindergarten.
As macro-considerations, the plan wants to offer sustainable design, storm water and traffic management, structural and building code upgrades, architectural preservation, inclusion of special education students and cooperative joint-use planning. For example, “We’re planning a Santa Monica College satellite on the campus of Malibu High School,” Wisnicki explained.
Big picture ideas for Malibu schools include the following:
Point Dume-Further development of features for a marine biology theme, flexible learning spaces, larger windows and outdoor access for classrooms, sustainable perma-culture landscaping, enhanced entrances and walkways, creation of outdoor living and learning spaces and a new play yard.
Webster Elementary-Flexible learning spaces, expanded kindergarten facilities, new classrooms, a new amphitheater, renovation of the cafeteria and administrative offices, sustainable landscaping and enhanced pick-up and drop-off areas.
Juan Cabrillo Elementary-Classroom expansion, flexible learning spaces, dedicated kindergarten facilities and enhanced landscaping and better circulation and pick-up/drop-off areas.
Wisnicki also pointed out some of the creative community partnerships and shared-use plans for Malibu schools, including a new, joint-use library at Malibu High. District standards will also include incremental updates in technology with wireless and network access on every campus and dedicated IT support.
The full presentation on the Facilities Master plan can be viewed online at www.ourschoolplan.com