Modernization Projects, TK Expansion Planned For Calabasas Schools

CALABASAS, CA — The Las Virgenes Unified School District continued preparations for major remodeling and upgrades to Calabasas schools over the summer, including roof repairs and turf installation on multiple campuses.

The district on Feb. 14 continued planning for projects that will be retroactively funded through Measure S, $340,000,000 improvements bond measure approved by local voters in Nov. 2022 to "ensure all local schools have safe and modern classrooms, labs, and school facilities," according to district documents. Over the summer, these projects will include roofing repairs, transitional kindergarten facilities and solar infrastructure.

In Calabasas, Calabasas High School, AE Wright and the MOT buildings will all see roof repairs as will Round Meadow in Hidden Hills and Lindero Canyon Middle School in Agoura Hills.

The district's focus was initially on school "temperature, environmentals, leaking roofs, HVACs," Stepenosky said. "We've got classrooms that are 88 degrees or are leaking or those kind of things — that's not acceptable for our staff and our students so we wanted to get serious about attacking those as soon as possible."

The district will also use the Measure S funding to lease modular classrooms for transitional kindergarten classes in the district. Transitional kindergarten playgrounds and restrooms will be installed on campuses in accordance with the state's new requirement to make the early grade level universally available to young learners across the state.

This summer's construction will be the first of multiple waves of Measure S improvement projects, according to Tim Carty, Managing Director from Piper Sandler, the district's financial advisor.

The district moved quickly on these construction projects even before Measure S was approved to protect tax-payers from increasing inflation rates, district staff said at the board's Feb. 14 meeting. Before Measure S passed, the district had already set an initial project list, and a project management firm was chosen immediately after its approval, according to Ryan Gleason, Chief Business Officer and Assistant Superintendent of LVUSD. A citizens oversight committee was expected to be finalized in late February or early March.

"All those steps were put in place prior to the passage of the [Measure S] bonds to ensure that if the community passed it, we would be able to act quickly given the cost of goods and services and their escalation," Gleason said.

The summer's projects were prioritized based on how quickly and efficiently they could be accomplished. The district will continue to chip away at larger construction projects like roof repairs that will require new HVAC systems, which will take much longer than a summer of construction due to supply chain issues and required clearances.

"We’re very excited and deeply appreciative of the community and the passage of Measure S,” Stepenosky said. “Summer is our best chance to do work, along with the fact that prices are starting to cool a little bit — [they] were exploding just months ago. [Now is] our chance to launch into projects as quick as possible, and the projects directly impact the classroom environment."

In addition to the bond projects, the district will also undertake deferred maintenance projects over the summer such as replacing grass with turf at a number of district schools, including AE Wright, Agoura High and Chaparral Elementary. Deferred maintenance projects will also include hillside drainage improvement, an upgraded snack shack at Agoura High School, increased freezer size at Agoura and Calabasas high schools and more.

Funds for the maintenance projects will not come from Measure S, according to Gleason. Deferred maintenance happens every summer and will be funded through existing district funds and money put aside for specific projects.