Design firm presents updated outdoor-learning plans; trustees ask for site-level sign-offs and cost priorities

Carducci Associates presented updated concept designs and a public outreach timeline for the district's outdoor learning and greening program, a Measure T-funded set of site improvements covering multiple school campuses.

Carducci principal Vince Lattanja said the firm had visited campuses, met with principals and parents since 2023 and had pared the original, higher-scope pricing plans back to designs intended to fit the current budget. The team described iterative steps: site visits, principal and community meetings, schematic designs, and revised schematic development (SD) drawings the firm will return to schools for confirmation before final design.

Examples and adjustments: Lattanja showed examples at Graham Middle School and Landels Elementary where plans were adjusted after school and community meetings, including relocating walkways away from playing fields and balancing play-area upgrades with shade and plantings. Carducci stressed the firm's intent to increase shaded, usable outdoor space, preserve public field access and add nature-based play elements and learning gardens where principals prioritized them.

Trustee and public reactions: Trustees asked Carducci and staff to provide clearer, site-level priority lists (what the school most wants first, and what would come next) and to show example photos of the nature-based play equipment being proposed so community members can visualize built results. Several public commenters argued for a stricter prioritization process: they urged the board to confirm that projects address schools' highest needs (for example, kindergarten playground replacement where that was a principal priority) before committing larger budgets. A number of speakers cautioned against treating the program as a one-size-fits-all package and urged the district to avoid inadvertently reducing open playing fields by placing hardscape or play structures in active field areas.

Costs and maintenance: Multiple public commenters asked for explicit lifecycle and maintenance cost estimates tied to each site's proposed improvements, warning that new plantings and features will require ongoing maintenance budgets. A trustee suggested the district explore external funding sources where possible (some trustees and staff flagged Valley Water bottle-filler grants earlier in the meeting as an example of outside funding for specific items).

Timeline and next steps: Carducci said the firm will return final SD plans for board review in April and a full final design package for board approval in May; Vargas design has been put out to bid and construction there will begin this spring. Trustees asked to be invited to school-level follow-up meetings and asked staff to collect explicit site sign-offs from principals, site councils and PTAs before final board approvals.

The board also asked staff to present per-site priority lists in a format that shows the principal's top needs, the estimated cost to achieve those needs, and which items (if any) could be deferred or funded externally.