By Michael Beelie
Staff Writer
The Manhattan Beach Unified School District Board of Trustees discussed the possibility of pursuing a $150 facility improvement bond in November of this year at its May. 4 meeting to address the district’s most urgent bond projects that were outlined in the 2015 Facilities Master Plan.
The 2015 Facilities Master Plan identified $297 million in maintenance, repair, renovation and construction across all district facilities. The bond for the $297 million Facilities Master Plan is scheduled to be agreed upon for a later date, but MBUSD begun to advocate for the passage of the more immediate $150 million Facility Improvement Bond first by a vote in November of this year to first address the more critical needs of district facilities.
“We feel that addressing the most urgent and achievable bond projects will cost approximately $150 million,” MBUSD Superintendent Dr. Michael Matthews said. “This would allow us to repair or replace deteriorating roofs, doors, windows, plumbing and electrical systems.” “We could also use a portion of the funds to install air conditioning in every classroom.”
The goal of the bond is to provide the necessary funding to support improvements at all public schools throughout the district. MBUSD hopes to ensure every facility is up to date in efficiency and safety standards.
“Safety, major maintenance, a commitment to maintaining healthy and productive learning environment and size are a few of our priorities for this bond,” MBUSD Board of Trustees President Ellen Rosenberg said. “Some examples of thing we hope to implement are air conditioning in all classrooms and renovating the undersized and worn down Fisher Gym.
There are currently no set dates for the passage of the bond or the beginning of the construction, but the MBUSD Board of Trustees is set to decide on the Bond in June. If the board approves the bond, Manhattan Beach residents will be able to vote on the measure. If approved by the Board, a 55% affirmative vote is required from the public to pass.
“There are no specific deadlines for construction, but our history may provide a guide as to how it will be carried out,” Matthews said. “The 2008 Measure BB Bond passed in 2008 was successful in finishing in 2015 and may serve as a model.”
The specifics of how funds will be proportionally distributed to each aim of the goal are not yet available, with more specifics coming along as the the Bond reaches further stages of approval and development.
“If the bond is voted on there are some guidelines about when actions must be taken within certain time frames but those are a matter of years,” Rosenberg said. “There will be more public meetings for more specific architectural design and ultimately the lengthy approval process with the department of state architecture before we even begin construction.
Matthews sent out a newsletter in April to encourage community members to assist the district in leading efforts to pass the bond. It also stressed that the bond must be a citizen-led effort, and that after the Board of Trustees authorizes the bond measure, no one in the district can use work or meeting time to advocate for its passage.
“The Facilities Master Plan is very clear about the needs of our district. It outlines in detail those improvements and changes,” Matthews said. “We know we cannot do all of this with one bond, but we do plan to start on that as soon as possible.”
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