Measure P passed. What will it mean for Citrus Heights schools?

By Sara Beth Williams–
With the passage of Measure P, a $950 million dollar facilities improvement bond, local schools in Citrus Heights can expect significant upgrades, according to the San Juan Unified School District.

Measure P is designed to address critical infrastructure needs, according to the district, and is funded through property taxes levied at $60 per $100,000 of assessed value. The bond passed with just over 60 percent of the vote in the November elections, comfortably above the threshold of the 55 percent required for passage.

“We are incredibly grateful to our San Juan Unified community for approving Measure P, as it will bring transformative changes to our school facilities in the coming years,” San Juan Unified School District Director of Communication Raj Rai said last month.

Rai listed several schools in Citrus Heights that will be directly impacted by the funds provided through the facilities improvement bond, including San Juan High School, Sylvan Middle School, Cambridge Heights, Carriage Elementary, and Woodside K-8.

In the spring of 2024, the district gathered feedback from staff, students, and families regarding facilities needs across the district, as well as visions for improvement and how the district can better support teaching and learning. Site walks and assessments were also completed at each school, Rai said. The data collected is being used to inform a new updated version of the Facilities Master Plan, which is currently in draft form and is expected to be finalized in the spring of 2025.

The Facilities Master Plan will help inform future facilities planning decisions for new construction, modernization, and deferred maintenance of projects across the district, Rai said.

A handful of projects slated to begin in the near future at schools in Citrus Heights include the following:

• Track and field updates at San Juan High School are anticipated to begin in the summer of 2025.
• Scoping and design is expected to start in 2025 for upgrades to San Juan High School’s science classrooms to support 21st-century learning.
• Construction on new transitional kindergarten age-appropriate play structure projects at Cambridge Heights Elementary, Carriage Drive Elementary, and Woodside K-8 is expected to begin in the summer of 2025.
• Woodside K-8 is expected to receive new furniture, flooring, and interior paint in the summer of 2025 to support the innovative school program.
• Scoping and design for a new gymnasium, classroom expansion, and support services at Sylvan Middle School space is anticipated to begin in the summer of 2025.

While draft versions of the conceptual site and building plans are available for each campus, Rai said currently, updates and new additions included in the plans represent more than $3.5 billion in projects, which is “far beyond our district’s capacity to deliver immediately or all at once.” The concepts serve as guidance for facility improvement efforts, but projects are not guaranteed and are subject to available resources, Rai said.