Citizens oversight committee reports small initial SOS expenditures; district lays out quarterly bond timeline

William Ohm, chair of the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee, presented the committee’s first annual report for Measure SOS and told the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified board that the expenses covered in the report (November 2024–June 2025) totaled just under $130,000 and were spent in accordance with voter intent. "We did not find any expenditures that were being used for improper purposes," Ohm said.

Ohm explained that early spending was concentrated on consultants and project management during the program’s start-up phase and said the committee will provide more frequent updates as expenditures increase. He also encouraged public participation and attendance at oversight meetings, which are held quarterly.

District consultants then presented a draft master project schedule for Measure SOS projects that shows planning, design and DSA approvals will front-load soft costs before construction activity ramps up. Alan Reising of District Advocates Group said the schedule is a "snapshot in time" and will be updated quarterly on the district website. He described early summer work (playgrounds, fencing, roofing, safety wiring) and noted that some items—like Dapple Gray—were accelerated in the schedule to address site-specific needs.

Board members asked for clearer labeling of the posted schedule ("Projected"), quarterly update dates, and school‑specific communications so families could track when work will occur on individual campuses. Staff said each school will have a bond webpage with phased project lists and that a postcard with a link to the full annual report will be mailed to households.

Next steps: staff will post the master schedule online, update it quarterly, and return with more detailed school-level communications and answers to board questions at an April workshop.