Perkins Eastman presents facilities master plan process; survey shows heavy student participation

Kimberly Cofin, principal with Perkins Eastman, updated trustees on the district's facilities master plan process and community engagement activities, including school-site town halls, parent and student meetings, and a districtwide town hall. She said the team has compiled site-specific project posters, cost estimates and a prioritization matrix to support a five-year facilities plan.

Cofin reported that the online community survey attracted 481 responses and that 71% of respondents were students; she noted that participation was uneven across schools in the online results but that in-person town halls provided broader representation. “We had participation at each of our meetings,” she said, adding that Mountain View and South Almani had strong in-person turnout while Rosemead’s turnout was affected by rain.

Cofin summarized five themes emerging from engagement: infrastructure, classroom upgrades, outdoor spaces, safety and staff support. She cautioned trustees that the master plan will inevitably identify more needs than can be funded and that the plan is intended to prioritize projects when funding becomes available. The Perkins Eastman team will deliver a final report on April 1, including an executive summary, appendices and cost estimates to guide implementation planning.

Trustees asked about language access and participation; the team said survey and town halls were offered with Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish and Vietnamese translations and that town-hall materials and the survey were translated to improve inclusion.