SPUSD Board gets an update on long
range facilities master plan
February 06, 2015
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
After starting work on a long range facilities master plan over a year ago, the Santa Paula Unified School District board may be getting closer to adopting a plan and preparing for a bond election next year.
Yuri Calderon of the consulting firm Caldwell, Flores and Winters brought a revised plan to a special board meeting Monday. The firm was hired by the district in December of 2013. An assessment of current school facilities was conducted in January and February of 2014, followed by community input. A survey of some 200 voters was held in May and June to see if there was community support for a bond measure.
The results showed as much as 68 percent of those surveyed indicated definite or probable support for a bond measure. When given information on the impact on their tax bill the support dropped to 63 percent. The survey results also showed support for a K-8 option for at least one school and for middle school academies, plus very strong support for enhancing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs at Isbell and integrating with the high school curriculum. In addition there was support for career tech classes at the high school.
Board workshops on the plan took place in September and October of last year. If the board approves this revised plan work would begin on working towards a bond election in June of 2016. The proposed timeline calls for the hiring of an engineer, financial advisor, bond counsel and bond underwriter. The engineer would also begin work on the boundaries of the district, which would likely follow the former elementary district boundaries. The board would approve the boundary map in May. It’s proposed that the board would hold public hearings in July. Town hall meetings would then be set for September and December.
There are five program objectives developed by the board, district staff and the consultant:
1. Provide attractive, inviting 21st Century learning environments complete with state of the art technology, flexible learning spaces and improved facilities to support the district educational program.
2. Establish two K-8 schools to accommodate enrollment and support school choice.
3. Replace portables with permanent facilities.
4. Improve parking lots, drop-off and site security and safety, as well as libraries and multi-purpose spaces.
5. Meet current state standards, ADA accessibility requirements, infrastructure requirements for modern technology and long-term capacity needs.
Board President Michelle Kolbeck expressed concern over a portion of the proposed plan because it outlines specific steps, such as academies at Isbell Middle School and several new academies at Santa Paula High School. She said, “Decisions should be made by the board...I’m not one to just jump on the bandwagon.”
Board member Christina Urias was adamant that the plan move forward. “We need to go forward...it’s time for Santa Paula to move forward,” she said. “We need to put a plan in place. They didn’t just pull this out of the sky.”
The board gave the superintendent direction to send a letter to the city, notifying them of the long range plan and giving them the opportunity to look at it and comment. The government code requires the notice to be sent. After that, the district can act on the plan in 45 days.
