From the Desk of the Superintendent

Superintendent J. Brian Sarvis, Ed.D.

Monday, April 11, 2005

Message to the Community on Elementary School Measure I-98 Construction Projects

In June 1998, voters in the Santa Barbara Elementary School District approved a $25 million bond, often referred to as Measure I-98, for school modernization and construction. The original $25 million has actually been parlayed into $43 million worth of construction completed or in progress, thanks largely to the district’s work in accessing millions more in state matching funds than had been originally anticipated.

Our elementary district has a lot to show for the I-98 bond funds that have been expended during the past five years, including the following:

Modernization of eight schools (Adams, Cleveland, Franklin, McKinley, Monroe, Peabody Charter, Santa Barbara Community Academy, and Washington).
Replacement of portables and parking lots at five schools (McKinley, Washington, Monroe, Franklin, and Peabody Charter).
Handicap accessibility at all school facilities.
Rebuilding of libraries at three schools (Adams, Peabody Charter, and Franklin) with plans for a school library at Washington.

Many of these campuses date back to the 1930s, 40s, and 50s and were in need of more help than routine maintenance could offer. By the late 1990s, the campuses needed major reconstruction and modernization. Some of the construction projects are still in process and are not yet finished.

The I-98-funded campus improvements noted above will benefit more than 4,200 students each day. Former superintendents Caston and Flores, previous board members, and a caring community should be credited for their vision, commitment, and investment in facilities that serve the students of today as well as the students of tomorrow. Our schools are the hearts of their respective communities and we are proud of the community’s investment in the future of its children, as demonstrated by the passage of school facility bond measures.

When planning for the 1998 general obligation bond, the board and administration believed that $25 million, an amount likely to be supported by the voters, would cover the cost of much-needed elementary district projects, particularly once additional state matching funds were accessed. As we have learned, $25 million would barely cover the cost of a parking garage today. Following passage of the bond, escalating construction costs, intensified by the south coast bidding climate, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, and protracted neighborhood opposition to the construction of a new campus on property that the district has owned since 1966, resulted in some unanticipated changes within the projects envisioned in the original I-98 proposal. Discovery of major foundation repairs (e.g., Monroe Elementary School) or necessary re-roofing (e.g., Adams Elementary School) also added significantly to the cost.

Some have asked if ADA upgrades have consumed most of the original $25 million. Not at all. Many of the upgrades were already anticipated as part of modernization. However, in a state increasingly concerned with accessibility, after the Measure I-98 bond was passed, other ADA compliance requirements were added to the school facility projects as a condition for non-ADA improvements at school sites. Certainly the $9 million in ADA upgrades is less than the $11 million in state matching funds over and above the original $25 million. In return, the community should be proud to have buildings fully accessible to every member of the public.

So, now that $43 million has been spent or encumbered – what projects remain? Last summer, when it became apparent that the bond funds would soon run out, all of the school projects in process were scaled back. A number of projects described in the original voter pamphlet center on the district’s property at Hidden Valley: construction of a facility that would house a new elementary school, Open Alternative School, and Santa Barbara Charter School. Due to problems related to neighborhood resistance, other options for that site are being explored. Meanwhile, the status of those particular projects is as follows:

Construction of a new elementary school at Hidden Valley was addressed when the downtown Santa Barbara Community Academy was constructed instead. The Community Academy has not been fully developed, but does have 13 classrooms.
Construction of Santa Barbara Charter and Open Alternative School at Hidden Valley is an unresolved issue despite the best efforts of planning committees and significant board-level discussions on the topic. Subsequent attempts to locate the two schools on the La Cumbre Junior High School campus have also failed largely because of space considerations. In today’s market, the price of constructing a campus for Santa Barbara Charter and Open Alternative School, not including the cost of land, would be $14 million.

The district regularly reports on bond projects in open, televised board meetings. The projects seldom receive press coverage. Some news stories are not accurate. For example, one facilities-related story that appeared in recent articles alleged the presence of mold in the Washington Elementary School library. The allegation was erroneous. At the time of the allegation, a toxic-substance expert immediately tested the library and the allegation was determined to be without merit. Yet, the allegation was repeated again in the media a few months later and experts went back to retest. For the second time, experts found that there is no mold in the Washington Elementary School library. Let’s put the rumor to rest.

The Board of Education meetings will continue to focus on Measure I-98 bond projects regularly in the future.