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San Marino Unified outlines Measure M bond phases for school modernizations, TK/K capacity and athletic upgrades
Summary
San Marino Unified School District officials presented a three‑phase Measure M implementation plan at a joint meeting with the city, describing early-impact projects, priorities for Huntington Middle, Carver Elementary, Valentine Elementary and San Marino High School, and steps to minimize classroom disruption.
San Marino Unified School District trustees used a joint meeting with the City Council to present the district’s phased plan to implement Measure M, the local school bond voters approved in November 2024.
Board President Chang and Superintendent Dr. Dela Torre described a three‑phase approach, starting with high‑priority, high‑impact projects and interim classroom housing, followed by campus modernizations and, in a later phase, remaining tier‑one and tier‑two projects.
District officials said phase 1 will deliver early wins and interim classroom housing to reduce disruption while protecting the district from rising construction costs. Phase 2 will leverage interim housing to undertake larger modernizations at elementary and middle schools. Phase 3 will complete remaining tier‑one work and reassess scope and funding for larger tier‑two projects, including work at San Marino High School.
San Marino High School
Vice President Franchesca Gill described Measure M projects at the high school focused on the Medical Arts and Career Technical Education (CTE) building, which supports the Titan Medical Arts Academy and a dual‑enrollment partnership with Pasadena City College. Planned upgrades include modernization of the career center, robotics lab, medical arts classrooms, STEM and CTE labs, ADA improvements and technology upgrades. The district also listed early‑impact athletic upgrades such as replacing synthetic turf, resurfacing the track, refreshing restrooms at the concession building and selective roof replacements.
Huntington Middle School
Board Clerk Shelley Ryan said Huntington already received major recent investments including the Barth Athletic Complex and that the district secured $2.4 million in state matching funds to lower project financing costs. Because of recent investments and prior ESSER‑funded HVAC upgrades, Huntington will not receive a major phase‑1 construction project; instead it will receive early‑impact infrastructure work and be scheduled for a full modernization in phase 2.
Carver Elementary School
Board member Joanna Lam said Carver will receive new transitional‑kindergarten and kindergarten classroom buildings, age‑appropriate play yards and shade structures, modernization of three existing kindergarten classrooms, new restrooms and utility rooms, and a reconfigured student drop‑off on San Gabriel Boulevard to improve safety and traffic flow.
Valentine Elementary School
Board member Joshua Tsang said Valentine will receive a two‑story ~10,000‑square‑foot classroom building that will add general‑education classrooms, active learning labs, a wellness center, restrooms and support spaces. The district said interim modular classrooms will remain available for interim housing during construction to minimize disruption.
Funding, outreach and schedule
The district said it has prioritized projects to limit classroom disruption and to capture state matching funds where available. Officials said they will publish regular updates on the district Measure M website and that a newly hired public information officer, Rochelle Mayer, will serve as the primary contact for bond communications. The district said some projects will begin as "early impact" stand‑alone work while larger modernizations move through planning and funding decisions in later phases.
No formal votes were recorded during the joint presentation; trustees described the program timeline, matching funds and interim housing strategy and invited further questions and community engagement.
Details and clarifications
- Measure M implementation is described as a three‑phase approach: early‑impact and interim housing (phase 1), broader campus modernizations using interim housing (phase 2), and remaining tier‑one and reassessment of tier‑two projects (phase 3). - The district reported $2.4 million in state matching funds that helped pay down a certificate of participation balance for the Huntington Barth Athletic Complex and said $1 million in federal ESSER funds were used for HVAC upgrades at Huntington and Valentine. - Specific projects cited: high‑school Medical Arts/CTE modernization, replacement of high‑school turf and track work, new TK/K buildings at Carver, a ~10,000 sq ft two‑story building at Valentine, and a potential future multipurpose room/food service building in later phases.
Next steps: the district will provide regular updates on the Measure M web page and community members can sign up for bond email updates; the district will reassess scope and timing for tier‑two work after earlier phases are underway.
