|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Mountain View Whisman School District is shelling out roughly $22 million to make improvements across its schools this summer, including upgrading aging infrastructure and installing outdoor learning areas for students.
The bulk of the construction will be completed by the time school starts on Aug. 12, according to district spokesperson Shelly Hausman.
“This summer is very heavily impacted by construction,” Chief Business Officer Rebecca Westover told the school board at a June 11 meeting.
The projects are funded by the $259 million Measure T bond that voters passed in 2020.
Summer projects include:
- Restroom renovations: Kindergarten-specific bathrooms, as well as ones for older students, are being renovated at Theuerkauf Elementary School. Construction started in early June.
- Roofing projects: New roofs are being installed at Crittenden and Graham middle schools, as well as Bubb, Imai, Landels, Mistral and Theuerkauf elementary schools. The improvements will replace aging surfaces with lighter-colored materials, improving heating and cooling efficiency, according to the district’s website.
- Water bottle fillers: The district plans to install bottle filling stations at Crittenden and Graham middle schools, in addition to Mistral, Monta Loma, Stevenson, Theuerkauf and Vargas elementary schools. Construction is scheduled to start later this summer. Water bottle fillers have already been installed at Bubb, Castro, Imai and Landels elementary schools, Hausman said.
- Fiber cabling replacement: The district plans to install new fiber optic cables at Graham, Bubb, Imai, Landels, Stevenson and Theuerkauf. The work is meant to increase internet bandwidth and capacity, Jason Cave of Greystone West Company, the district’s contractor, told the board at the June 11 meeting. Upgrades were not needed at the district’s other schools, Hausman said.
- Outdoor learning spaces: The district plans to redesign the outdoor spaces at Bubb, Crittenden, Graham, Imai, Landels, Monta Loma, Stevenson and Theuerkauf. Upgrades were already made at Vargas Elementary School last summer. At Castro and Mistral, which share a campus, outdoor learning construction is planned for summer 2027 because the two schools are currently hosting summer programs.
“These are important infrastructure improvements to increase school safety and efficiency, as well as create cooler, nature-based areas for student learning and play,” Hausman said.
Since Measure T was passed six years ago, the district funded a variety of projects including security cameras, fencing around campuses, lighting upgrades, window replacements, new publicly-accessible restrooms, and heating and cooling improvements.
The biggest project was the construction of employee housing. The district spent about $84 million building 144 apartments, 73 of which are set aside for district staff. Another 20 are available for city employees and 50 are allocated for the Foothill-De Anza Community College District.
After this summer’s construction, the district expects to have about $28 million left in Measure T funding.
