The Governing Board of Benicia Unified School District will hear a discussion on options for Benicia Middle School’s lower campus redesign at Thursday’s meeting.

Roxanne Egan, the Measure S bond director, will be leading the discussion. Measure S was approved by Benicia voters in June 2014 to provide $49.6 million in bond funding for projects that would improve student life at each of the district’s seven schools. Projects include an upgraded stadium at Benicia High School, upgraded playgrounds at all the elementary schools, improved phone systems at all the schools and improving the PA system at all the schools.

At the Oct. 6 meeting, the school board voted to approve Oakland-based HY Architects for Benicia Middle’s lower campus renovation project, another item on the Measure S bond’s Facility Master Plan. The project will largely consist of replacing the portables on the lower end of campus with new buildings and replacing the tennis courts.

There are three options being proposed, and staff and architects will present preliminary sketches to the board on all of them. These options include:

1. Locating classrooms near the tennis courts. This option closely aligns with the layout shown on the master plan and would require replacement of the tennis courts.

2. Altering the classroom footprint in the same region as the present classrooms. According to district staff, this would mean the current portables would have to be temporarily relocated but the tennis courts would be allowed to remain where they are.

3. Locating the classrooms at the staff parking lot, located at the northwest corner of the school. This would allow the new classrooms to be constructed without affecting the current portables and keep students on the main campus. However, this option would create tighter pedestrian spaces and affect the parking situation.

This item will not be voted on; however, it will be open to discussion.

In other business,  the board will be voting on a College and Career Readiness block grant for both Benicia High and Liberty High School, and there will be a highlight on Benicia High’s new iQuest course.

The board will meet at 7 p.m., Thursday, in the Benicia Unified School District Board Room at the district building on 350 East K Street. There will be an earlier closed session at 6 p.m.

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