ON CAMPUS AT THE NEWPORT-MESA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT:Facilities improvements near completion

Every good educator teaches his students that with the will to learn, a can-do attitude, teamwork and putting forth your best effort, you can accomplish great things. By using this same wisdom throughout life, the seemingly impossible becomes attainable.

A similar philosophy was used by the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, community supporters and program consultants to modernize 27 schools in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa over the last four years as part of the $193-million Measure A School Facilities Improvement Program.

“Although the school district had never undertaken such a huge construction program, we were willing to roll up our sleeves, learn from our efforts and mistakes, and give it our best,” said Paul Reed, deputy superintendent and chief business official for the district. “I am pleased to report that the modernization work is 99 percent complete, and we are nearing the finish line for all of the goals the community established for the program. And we did it all within budget.”

Construction workers are finishing work on the final Measure A modernizations at Corona del Mar and Estancia high schools, which are scheduled to complete in December 2006. The rest of the schools were modernized in four groups between March 2003 and October 2006.

Projects were prioritized so that the group of schools most in need of modernization were renovated first, and those with less improvements required were scheduled in the final phase of modernization. All of the 27 separate Measure A facility sites are at least 25 years old and had not previously been modernized with state funds.

“The result of detailed planning, focused oversight and open communication between the [school district], [oversight group] and the project management team will result in completing the complex, multifaceted program on schedule and within budget,” said Bonnie Martin, project director for McCarthy Building Cos., the Measure A program manager.

The Measure A School Facilities Improvement Program was made possible by the community through local bond Measure A, approved by voters on June 6, 2000, along with state matching funds from Proposition 47 and the Kindergarten University Public Education Facilities Bond Act of 2004 — all of which generated the $193 million required to finance the school improvement program.

The program was set in motion in December 1999, when the Board of Education approved the Education Facilities Master Plan detailing the results of professional and community input relative to the needs of the district’s school facilities. With the help of the community, Measure A was approved the following year to provide funding for the school modernizations.

Upon voter approval of Measure A, the school district, its consultants and the Board of Education established guidelines for the program and formed the 31-member citizens’ oversight committee to represent the diverse interests of the community, oversee the work of the Measure A School Facilities Improvement Program and advise the Board of Education on expenditures and priorities. Additionally, each of the Measure A sites had a site-based committee to oversee the improvement work on their campus.

Under the Measure A School Facilities Improvement Program, each of the schools in need of improvement received a major renovation.

“The effective result for educators, students and their families is that the major improvements will ensure a state-of-the art educational environment with equitable resources at all of the school sites throughout the district,” explained Reed.

With some schools in the district being up to 70 years old, the scope of work at each school varied slightly and was determined based on individual site investigations in conjunction with the priority guidelines established. The priorities that were used to determine the work conducted at each school, listed in order, included: health and safety; disabled access compliance; building shell integrity; classroom interior renovations, including technology upgrades and associated infrastructure items; renovation and new construction in support of educational programs and athletic/co-curricular support facilities.

Typical reconstruction work at the schools entailed infrastructure improvements, including fire alarm improvements and an upgrade of electrical services. Classrooms and support spaces received major interior renovations, such as new floors, ceilings, lighting, whiteboards, tackable wall surface, sinks and casework. ADA access was provided throughout the campuses. Roof, window and door systems were replaced on a widespread basis. Dry rot, termite and stucco damage was repaired, and the interior and exterior of each campus was painted.

“The culmination of extensive efforts demonstrated during the Measure A Improvement Program is representative of the vision of the NMUSD to provide a world-class education for ‘every child, every day,’ ” said school board President David Brooks. “The new modernizations at our schools will help to ensure educational success for our students. We thank the community for their support of Measure A and look forward to working together in the future to continue to improve and maintain our schools.”

The school district would like to recognize the following consultants for their participation in the Measure A program: McCarthy Building Cos., Inc. of Newport Beach along with Capital Program Management, California Financial Services and Jeannette C. Justus Associates. The project architects are: Dougherty + Dougherty Architects LLP of Costa Mesa; GKK Corp. of Newport Beach; HMC Architects of Irvine; LPA, Inc. of Irvine, and Trittipo Architecture and Planning of San Marcos.