PUSD board discusses using final Measure I1 money to renovate and expand Alisal Elementary School

The Pleasanton Unified School District Board of Trustees on Thursday will consider approving the sale of the remaining $35 million in Measure I1 bond funds so the money can go toward expanding and renovating Alisal Elementary School.

In 2016, Pleasanton voters approved the $270 million Measure I1 general obligation bond, which has so far been used to fund a number of safety, infrastructure and maintenance projects throughout the county.

According to the Oct. 24 staff report, the district has since sold and issued $235 million of the bonds approved under Measure I1, leaving $35 million in bail powers.

Originally, one of the projects listed among Measure I1’s goals when it was first approved was to use bond funds to build a 10th elementary school in the city in the Donlon Elementary School area. However, after further review of enrollment data and a restructuring of the district’s school boundaries, the district decided to abandon plans to build a new school.

“Since the passage of Measure I1, enrollment patterns within PUSD have changed,” the staff report states. “The capacity issues previously identified in the Donlon attendance area have been addressed through boundary adjustments and, given declining enrollment, there is no need for a tenth elementary school campus in the foreseeable future.”

Instead, staff have identified the Alisal area as a location for expansion to accommodate future growth based on new planned housing. That’s why the district wants to put the remaining $35 million in Measure I1 funds into a school renovation project.

Staff examined the campus to determine whether it could accommodate the projected increase in enrollment and determined that while it could, the school would require significant renovation.

“The additional growth will likely require new classrooms and larger core facilities such as the library, food service, multi-purpose room, etc.,” the staff report states. “This forward-looking approach ensures we are prepared for the future growth of the Alisal ES visitor area.”

According to staff, the school was last renovated in 1998.

“The final project and scope may include both campus improvements and adjustments to attendance areas to better balance the school’s enrollment with surrounding schools,” the staff report states. “The proposed future project may use a mix of Measure I1, Measure I, state offset funds and a local developer fee to fund the proposed project.”

The full scope of work is still under review as staff plans to present additional design recommendations to the board at future meetings.

The board’s open meeting is scheduled to begin on Thursday (October 24) at 6 p.m. Read the full agenda here.

In other stores

* District staff will submit a report to the board on the results of the 2024 California Assessment of Student Progress and Performance (CAASPP) and the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC).

“This report will provide information on student outcomes in English language arts, mathematics and science for students overall, for student groups identified in the LCAP (Local Control and Advisory Plan), and on student outcomes over the past three years,” the staff report states.

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