Facility Improvements, New Buildings Ready for Students after Winter Break

Students and teachers will have a chance to rest and recharge over the three week winter break, but across the district workers will take advantage of empty campuses to complete a number of facility improvement projects.

In addition, construction crews will complete the new classroom building at Baird Middle School over the break and have it ready for students and staff when they return on Jan. 9. Construction will be winding down on the new classroom building on the north side of Bullard High School as well, although it will not be complete until the end of January.

All are Measure Q projects, made possible by the district's $280 million school bond passed by a 76% vote of the community in November 2010. On Nov. 8, voters passed the $225 million Measure X to build on the work of Measure Q.

The new building at Baird features seven classrooms, including two science rooms, one ag science room, three standard classrooms and a fully equipped functional skills classroom for students with special needs.

The building will replace five portable classroom buildings. The Baird project also includes timers and irrigation infrastructure for an outdoor life science and ag garden area.

The Bullard building features 24 classrooms and combined with the other new Bullard classroom building that opened in January 2016, 30 portable classrooms will be replaced. The site work surrounding the building will include new concrete and planters in a small garden and fountain area north of the cafeteria, as well as an outdoor workout space with artificial turf adjacent to the existing weight room.

While the Baird and Bullard classroom buildings are highly visible projects changing the look of their schools, other facility projects completed recently or over the winter break are also critical to improving the quality of facilities in the district. The projects include:

- Yosemite Middle School: polished concrete flooring in the multipurpose room

- Calwa, Centennial, Ewing and Wilson elementary schools: playground equipment replacement

- High school dugout fencing

- Eaton Elementary School: multipurpose room stage tile (completed in November)

- Lori Ann Infant Program at Powers-Ginsburg Elementary School: playground modifications, including installation of rubber fall-protection ground covering

- Rata High School and Storey Elementary School: shade structures