With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
LAUSD relies on thousands of portable classrooms. What does it take to replace them?
Los Angeles Unified Board President Scott Schmereleson, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and John F. Kennedy High School Principal Oscar Vazquez cut the ribbon in front of a new academic building on Tuesday.
(
Mariana Dale
/
LAist
)
John F. Kennedy High School students will start school in 10 new classrooms and science labs when they return from spring break later this month.
Their new building is an example of the longevity of school bonds — with the project completed 23 years after approval of at least one bond used to help fund it.
Kennedy High opened in 1971, and many of the campus' original buildings remain, with the exception of the gymnasium and the administration building, which were rebuilt after the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
The new building is part of a $274 million renovation that includes removing aging portable classrooms, a new track and retrofitting buildings to better withstand earthquakes.
Support for LAist comes from
The project, first put forward for consideration in 2016, is funded by voter-approved bonds from 2002, 2008 and 2020.
"The bond measure allows the district to take on the replacement and the construction of new facilities where otherwise we would only have funds to do very minimal repairs,” said Chief Facilities Executive Krisztina Tokes.
The renovation also includes the removal of 19 portable buildings, part of a district-wide goal to remove aging trailers from campuses. The district added most bungalows between the 1960s and early 2000s to rapidly expand capacity, but now many of them have outlived their use.
What bonds will do in the future
Akshita Islam is a junior in the school’s medical magnet program and hopes a few of her science classes will be in the new building next year.
“The most exciting part is just to have something modern in this campus,” she said. “As you can tell, we're at an outdated campus, so it's nice to have something new.”
Support for LAist comes from
John F. Kennedy High School renovations include flexible furniture.
(
Mariana Dale
/
LAist
)
Flexible furniture allows for desks to be easily rearranged.
(
Mariana Dale
/
LAist
)
Tokes said more than 5,000 portables remain on LAUSD campuses, down from a peak of 10,000 in 2003.
Voters approved a property tax increase in November to fund up to $9 billion in LAUSD school construction projects over the next several decades. The district said the majority of Measure US funding (nearly $5 billion) will go toward renovations like the one at Kennedy.
The district’s bond oversight committee reviews each project, and the majority of the board must vote to approve the projects before they can proceed. The committee's meetings are open to the public; it next meets May 1.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
What do stairs have to do with California’s housing crisis? More than you might think, says this Culver City councilmember. -
Yes, it's controversial, but let me explain. -
Doctors say administrator directives allow immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and compromise medical care. -
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and went on to kill 12 people and destroy more than 6,800 homes and buildings. -
People moving to Los Angeles are regularly baffled by the region’s refrigerator-less apartments. They’ll soon be a thing of the past. -
Experts say students shouldn't readily forgo federal aid. But a California-only program may be a good alternative in some cases.
Best of LAist