Duarte Unified board approves $14,420,152 guaranteed-maximum price for Beardsley modernization amid concerns over garden removal

The Duarte Unified School District Board of Education approved Amendment No. 1 to lease–leaseback documents with Balfour Beatty Construction LLC, setting a guaranteed-maximum price of $14,420,152 for the Beardsley Dual Language Academy modernization project.

Board members voted 4-1 to approve the amendment after a discussion that included multiple public comments from Beardsley teachers, students and staff who said parts of the campus garden and outdoor green space — described repeatedly in testimony as a student safe space and learning area — would be lost or substantially reduced by placing new classrooms and portables on that site.

Why it matters: The board’s action commits district contract authority to a defined GMP and moves the modernization project forward on a timeline district staff said is tied to approvals by the Division of the State Architect (DSA). Board members and public speakers said reversing or reworking the plans at this point would likely require reapproval by DSA and could add six to eight months to the schedule.

Details of the approval: The motion to adopt Amendment No. 1 to the…