Los Altos trustees direct staff to prioritize modernization at Sanorita, Oak and Almond

The Los Altos School District Board of Trustees on Friday held a special study session on the facilities master plan and directed staff to proceed with a Phase 2 schedule that prioritizes modernization work at Sanorita, Oak and Almond schools.

Eric, the district’s staff presenter, told trustees the bond measure approved by voters in 2024 provides $350 million in general- obligation funding for campus modernizations, construction of the San Antonio campus and a conversion to middle-school grade configurations. He warned the draft project list is preliminary and depends on cash flow: the district expects to issue a second series of bonds in early 2028 to fund the San Antonio campus and seed future construction.

“The master plan is a draft,” Eric said, “and we have to budget conservatively for escalation and contingency. We may not be able to afford every item on the list.” (Presenter name appears in the hearing transcript as Eric.)

Trustees spent the bulk of the meeting weighing two alternatives: (1) move up construction of new permanent classrooms at Gardner Bulis now, or (2) focus Phase 2 on classroom modernizations at Sanorita, Oak and Almond and defer new Gardner Bulis construction to a later phase. Board members repeatedly cited the risks of scope creep, Division of State Architect (DSA) triggers and unknown conditions in modernization projects that can quickly inflate budgets.

“Once you peel the walls back on an older building, you discover unknowns,” a trustee said during discussion, urging caution about new-construction work that could force wide campus upgrades not budgeted for in Phase 2.

Trustees who supported the Sanorita–Oak–Almond approach argued that it places highest priority on items that most directly affect student learning — HVAC, lighting, fire alarm systems and roofing — and reduces the chance that later schools will be left without funding. Several trustees also noted that Sanorita and Almond have higher concentrations of socioeconomically disadvantaged students and that prioritizing them is an equity-driven choice.

Public comment at the meeting included a three-minute statement from a parent, Lena, who expressed concern about allocating a large share of bond funds to the San Antonio site and asked the board to increase transparency and stakeholder engagement. Lena also cited an advisory-committee enrollment projection and raised that a charter operator had objected to relocation plans under the California Education Code.

The board did not take a roll-call vote on the Phase 2 direction; instead, after discussion staff recorded the board’s direction to proceed with option two (classroom modernizations at Sanorita, Oak and Almond) and to return with a final Phase 2 proposal and any required budget revisions at upcoming May/June meetings. Earlier in the meeting the board moved and unanimously approved the agenda as presented.

Next steps described by staff include beginning design procurement and architect hiring to meet DSA timelines, preparing programming in the near term and aiming for construction windows that match the district’s summer schedule so modernization work minimizes classroom disruption. Staff also said the district will continue to hold contingency buffers (design/construction and program contingencies) and that any budget increases beyond those contingencies would be brought back to the board.

The meeting closed with trustees requesting clearer public communications about the bond program’s phasing and rationale so the community can better understand the sequencing of projects and expected timelines.