As school gets underway students may see some much-needed upgrades to facilities. At the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, the largest public high school district in Santa Barbara County, district officials contended with limited upkeep and maintenance money over the summer to make some fixes to several of its campuses.
Santa Maria High School, which is more than a century old, got a new visitor parking lot, upgraded landscaping next to Ethel Pope Auditorium, and a new electronic message board in front of school, according to Kenny Klein, the district’s spokesman. The campus also received a renovated west bathroom, and a snack bar and ticket office near the football field. To finish things out, some parking areas were slurry sealed and the gym floor was finished.
At Righetti High School several block walls were removed to improve access and traffic. The school also received a refinished gym floor and new electronic message board.
At Pioneer Valley High School, construction was finished on the new Performing Arts Center, which will be used for the school and the community.
All high schools in the district received upgraded security cameras and systems.
In the Guadalupe School District, Kermit McKenzie School was painted and received murals and other enhancements, Klein said. Mary Buren received asphalt work in anticipation of future potential flooding.
This article appears in Aug 18-25, 2016.