A note from Superintendent Bassanelli: Investing in our schools

Greetings San Juan Unified families,

I hope the school year is off to a great start for everyone. In August, I introduced our new strategic plan, which is guiding our district’s work in the coming years. Today, I want to highlight an important aspect of our plan: the role of our school facilities in advancing student success and enhancing employee support.

Our facilities team is currently working to update our Facilities Master Plan (FMP), which provides a comprehensive look at the needs and desires school communities have for the physical structure of their campuses. 

This past spring, we sought your feedback on what matters most for each school site. We are currently reviewing this input, and we expect to share an updated plan with the community this spring. Our goal is to transform our aging and heavily used facilities to better provide 21st-century learning environments. One example of this work can be seen with Mariemont Elementary School’s recent campus modernization, where we not only updated the school’s facilities but also removed all asbestos from the campus to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment. 

While we finish revising the FMP, our facilities team has developed draft conceptual site and building plans that represent the vision set forth for our campuses through the input collection process. The updates and new additions included in them represent more than $3.5 billion in projects, far beyond our capacity to deliver immediately or all at one time. While the concepts will inform the FMP, projects included in them are subject to change based on resources and evolving needs. Students, staff, families and community members are invited to view draft plans and provide feedback on key elements. 

Many of our local schools are more than 70 years old and in need of significant repairs. To address these needs, the Board of Education has placed a measure on the November ballot proposing a $950 million bond. If passed by voters, Measure P funds could help the district maintain safe classrooms and environments by upgrading career technical education facilities, math and science labs, fully removing dangerous substances like lead and asbestos and ensuring that students have access to facilities that allow for a well-rounded education including music, visual and performing arts.

As I continue to share updates on our strategic plan with you, I would love to hear from our community on how you’re seeing it unfold in your school communities. Please submit a Strategic Plan Shoutout with what you’re seeing and what you're excited about. And, be sure to follow us on our social media channels to stay updated on our ongoing work and see how we are advancing student success. 

Thank you for your continued support.

In community,  

Melissa Bassanelli  

Superintendent