Rising construction costs and competing priorities are shaping – but not yet determining – how the Los Altos School District will roll out projects funded by its $350 million Measure EE bond, as the Board of Trustees continues to weigh which campuses to prioritize.
During a March 26 study session, district staff and the board reviewed updated cost estimates and potential timelines for the multiyear facilities program, which includes campus modernization and new construction. No final decisions were made, and officials said the district remains in an early planning stage.
“We’re still at a very high level,” Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Erik Walukiewicz said in a follow-up interview, noting that project lists and budgets will continue to be refined in the coming months.
The bond, approved by voters in 2024, is intended to fund upgrades across elementary and middle school campuses. Updated estimates presented to the board reflect a more complete accounting of project costs, including construction escalation and contingency funding that were not fully incorporated in earlier projections.
Modernization work initially estimated at approximately $83 million in earlier figures presented to the board is now projected at roughly $140 million. The district said the updated estimates reflect ongoing refinements to project costs rather than an overrun. Officials added that the scale of the program means projects will be phased over several years, potentially extending into the early 2030s.
Staff outlined a tentative timeline that would begin with projects tied to the district’s middle school model in 2028, followed by additional campus work in summer 2029 and beyond.
But much of the discussion focused less on specific timelines and more on broader questions about how to prioritize limited funding.
While the district’s facilities master plan calls for comprehensive modernization at each campus, several trustees raised the possibility of shifting toward more targeted improvements – such as upgrading heating and cooling systems or prioritizing transitional kindergarten facilities – to reach more schools sooner.
“Perhaps, instead of looking at just doing full school modernization, are there some different priorities that we would push up that would touch more schools?” Superintendent Sandra McGonagle asked.
Board members also debated how to balance competing needs across campuses, including whether to prioritize elementary schools, where students spend more years, or middle schools, which serve a larger share of students.
Staff cautioned that a range of constraints will shape what is ultimately feasible, including limits on how quickly bond funds can be issued, the availability of contractors during peak summer construction periods and extensive state oversight requirements for school construction projects.
“We can’t get you all three, $50 million projects at once,” Walukiewicz said.
The discussion is expected to continue this spring, with staff planning to return to the board with revised options that reflect trustees’ feedback. The board is expected to decide by June which projects to prioritize in the next phase, including how many campuses the district can realistically take on in 2029.
