Other bond projects discussed, new administrators introduced

A quarterly bond update regarding Measure S funds was delivered at Thursday’s school board meeting by Chief Business Official Tim Rahill. Among these updates was the status of a statewide grant application for improvements to Benicia High School’s Performing Arts Building (PAB).

Measure S is an initiative approved by Benicia voters in 2014 to provide $49.6 million in bond funding for renovation and upgrades of school facilities. Rahill noted that 11 projects have been completed: technology upgrades at all schools, phone system improvements at all schools, playground upgrades at all the elementary schools, replacing the roof at Benicia Middle School, replacing the roof at Mary Farmar Elementary School, replacing the softball field bleachers at Benicia High, painting the exterior of Benicia High in a new color scheme, security surveillance upgrades at all schools, replacing the fire alarms at Benicia Middle and High schools and renovating Benicia High’s stadium.

Meanwhile, 13 projects are in progress: modernizing Benicia Middle’s campus, replacing or upgrading the fire alarms at the five remaining sites— including the District Office, which shares a building with Liberty High School—, miscellaneous infrastructure upgrades, replacing Benicia High’s gym floor, alternative education improvements, modernizing Mary Farmar’s campus, providing security upgrades at all schools and replacing the bathrooms at Joe Henderson Elementary School.

Rahill said the district was working with an architect on the BMS modernization and beginning the process on the fire alarm upgrades.

Also on this list are modifications to Benicia High’s PAB.

Last year, the district applied for a California Proposition 51 Career Technical Education Grant to provide funds for the 37-year-old PAB. Among the changes being sought by the school are new lighting and acoustic fixtures, converting the former costume shop into a dance studio, adding changing rooms in the backstage area and enlarging the stage for more performance space. If the grant is awarded, it would require BUSd to match it with up to $3 million in local funds. If the grant is not awarded, then a minimum amount of $400,000 will be allocated for improvements.

Rahill said the district was waiting to hear back from the state.

“We hope to hear by the end of June,” he said.

Trustee Gary Wing noted that when bids were put out for the bonds, BUSD identified $150 million in needs. The district ended up taking $49 million for its most urgent needs.

“We’re not changing any of our projects that we’ve stated in the $49.5 (million),” he said. “We’re just rearranging some of them with the extra money we haven’t used yet.”

Rahill said a facility assessment was done before the bond was drafted, which was around $50 million in needs.

“We knew there was more needs, but we didn’t want to wait and do a full facility master plan which did come after the facility assessment,” he said. “We did the full facility master plan. It was around $150 million, so we used the guide of the assessment so we could get things going so we could reach out to the community. They passed Measure S at $49.6 million.”

Since then, Rahill noted that BUSD has used the facility master plan to guide itself through different priority projects. He said there has been some flexibility in the priorities. For instance, while the possibility of renovations to the PAB was on the list, the opportunity to match funds was not initially available.

“(It) was an opportunity for us to make our dollars go further,” he said.

Rahill said BUSD is also getting started in the Mary Farmar modernization project. Trustee Celeste Monnette asked if there was a specific item list for this project. Rahill said it was in the packet.

Rahill also said that about $150,000 to $200,000 was set aside for security upgrades. The district’s remaining $2.6 million will be discussed with the district’s facilities committee and be brought back to the board for consideration.

In other business, the board voted 4-0— Trustee Stacy Holguin was absent— to set the retention for all the fire alarm projects at 10 percent due to their substantial complexity. Superintendent Dr. Charles Young also introduced four new BUSD administrators: Vanessa Fortney as Benicia Middle’s new vice principal, Yadira Zapata as Benicia High’s new vice principal, Kimberly Lewis as Liberty’s new principal and Melissa Harley as Farmar’s new principal. Fortney has been a longtime advocate for foster and homeless youth in Solano County and most recently served as a vice principal at Jesse Bethel High School in Vallejo. Zapata was a Spanish teacher at Alhambra High School in Martinez where she served on the WASC Leadership Team and received an administrative credential from California State University East Bay. Lewis is a longtime Benicia resident who recently served as principal of Solano Middle School in Vallejo. Finally, Harley has taught fifth-grade at Farmar since 2005 and was recently named as BUSD’s Teacher of the Year.

The board will next meet Thursday, May 31.