New bond measure may finance new facilities
DISTRICT HDQTRS. — School officials on Thursday will weigh in on consultant bids to create a district-wide growth plan that will likely include a new bond measure. The measure, if approved by voters, would support future improvements to educational facilities.
Eight firms have responded to the district’s recent request for proposals, with proposed consultant fees ranging from $400,000 to $2 million to cover the cost of organizing the facilities’ master plan.
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District’s board of education will make requests to staff regarding parameters for a consultant, which will be responsible for creating a facilities’ master plan that will direct future school structure improvements for the next 10 to 20 years. While assessing the district’s structural needs, the consultant will likely conduct a feasibility study to determine if bonds might be levied to support the plan, school officials said.
In particular, the board of education will be asked to request an acceptable fee range for the master plan development, review the timeline for the project and priori-tize which consultants may be most qualified to work with the district, according to a staff report.
The SMMUSD recently assigned an ad-hoc facilities committee that will help oversee the project. That committee will have the final say on which consultant is chosen, according to the staff report.
Despite the substantial upgrades from previous bond measures, there remain areas where facilities may be improved for the district to attain its educational vision, suggesting the need for a “facilities bond measure for a yet-to-be-determined amount in the very near future,” according to the staff report.
The facilities master plan would take into account the state of current buildings, their use, any new buildings or structures that may be needed, as well as potential joint-use agreements with the city of Santa Monica and Santa Monica College, according to staff. The district will ask the consultant to pay special attention to day care and parking needs, public access issues, and a building for recreation and information management systems, according to staff.
Currently, the district has $88 million in bond indebtedness, according to Karen Garot, executive assistant to the superintendent. For every $100,000 in assessed property value within cities of Santa Monica and Malibu, property owners pay $30 per year to support the district’s bonds, Garot said.
Emily Bloomfield, board president, said one of the projects left incomplete from previous bond measures is the physical conversion of Santa Monica High School into a house system.
In 2001, the district began developing a five-year program aimed at redesigning Samohi’s large campuses into smaller, individual ones.
By focusing on more individualized education for each student, the goal is to close the achievement gap that is widespread in large high schools, officials said.
Samohi has been divvied up into six “houses” in which there are 25 teachers educating about 550 students. However, work is still needed on the campus to ensure the approach of “smaller learning communities” is strengthened by design for years ahead, Bloomfield said.
“We couldn’t finish everything at Samohi with the last bond, and there’s still reorganization that’s needed,” Bloomfield said.
Any new buildings would likely be as “green” as possible to make best use of energy and raw materials, Bloomfield said.
SMMUSD has retained the forensic research division of Deloitte and Touche to perform a background investigation and advise the facilities committee on the “worthiness” of the consultants. While the public is welcomed to comment on the “worthiness” of those consulting firms at Thursday’s board of education meeting, access to Deloitte and Touche’s report is considered privileged and not open to the public, according to staff.
John Deasy, superintendent, said he is impressed with the consultants who have applied to develop the facilities’ master plan.
However, Deasy was surprised by the fees the consultants are seeking to perform their work.
The consultant will be paid using money from state revenue sources.
“I am pleased with the number of proposals and anticipate the quality of work will be exceptional,” Deasy said. “We have lots to choose from, and it’s a nice position to be in.
“Still, the average cost overall was higher than I anticipated.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 21, 2005. Read the original PDF.