Laguna Beach USD staff brief board on facilities master plan and funding options including potential bond
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Summary
District staff presented the 2023 facilities master plan update, energy master plan and funding choices — including a potential general obligation bond (~$81–82M at $8.85 per $100,000 assessed value) or Certificates of Participation (~$34M capacity) — and outlined polling, bond counsel and timeline steps if the board pursues a ballot measure.
The Laguna Beach Unified School District received an informational briefing Dec. 16 on its 2023 facilities master plan, an energy master plan and a range of funding options that could be used to finance campus modernization and infrastructure work.
Ryan Zadeh, the district's director of facilities, explained the master plan is a 10‑year roadmap last updated in 2023 and described proposed projects by campus: El Morro (new one‑story classroom and kitchen, TK/K modernization, playfield upgrades); Top of the World (new central lunch shelter, kitchen, restrooms); Thurston (gym expansion, black box theater upgrades); Laguna Beach High School (administrative/counseling building, theater, CT and art classroom updates); and lower‑priority district office modernization.
Zadeh also summarized the 2024 energy master plan, which identifies solar installations, EV charging infrastructure, lighting replacements and HVAC electrification; staff estimated the energy work at roughly $18,000,000 with HVAC replacement constituting a large portion of that total.
Pool project and timeline: the swimming pool design team completed DSA plan check, construction bids were received and staff said they expect to return bids for board acceptance and contract authorization at the Jan. 8 meeting, with construction targeted to begin after school is out in June.
Funding options: business staff described two borrowing paths. Certificates of Participation (COPs) are shorter‑term market borrowings repaid from the general fund; the district has capacity to borrow approximately $33.8M by this mechanism. A Prop 39 general obligation bond was described as another option: staff said reauthorizing a bond at the district's existing tax rate (cited at $8.85 per $100,000 assessed value) could generate about $81–$82M in today's dollars; the board would have to decide to put a bond on the ballot and secure at least 55% voter approval for a Prop 39 bond.
Board members and staff emphasized process and community engagement. Staff recommended a polling and community‑engagement program to test support, refine priorities and estimate tax sensitivity; a fiscal adviser and bond counsel would be retained to shape ballot language and legal compliance. Staff flagged August 7 as a critical administrative deadline to place a measure on a November ballot and described an iterative poll process to help shape a bond package.
Public comment during the facilities item largely supported modernizing aging buildings and pursuing a bond if the community endorses it. Sarah Durand, executive director of School Power, urged the board to "build on the 2023 facilities master plan" and consider financing strategies that would benefit future students. Local residents and former board members stressed inclusion of infrastructure repairs (water, sewer, electrical) and making safety and indoor‑air priorities in any bond proposal.
What's next: staff said the FMP is a living document and that the board can modify priorities based on polling and community feedback. If the board pursues a bond, staff outlined a multi‑month sequence: polling and community outreach, fiscal advising, legal review of ballot language, and a campaign period governed by campaign‑finance rules. No financing decision or ballot authorization was taken at the Dec. 16 meeting; staff will return with additional information and potential contract items in coming months.
