Digital video tours of Ernest Righetti High School’s proposed 38-room classroom complex were shown to the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District administration and the Board of Education the week of March 9. The three-minute videos give viewers a firsthand look at the internal and external elements of the three-story structure.
In particular, the proposed classrooms will feature moveable whiteboard walls, mounted big screen monitors with the capacity to display from the teacher’s tablet, desks and chairs on wheels that separate easily into different arrangements, and other learning aids.
The proposed facility would be placed in the center of campus, an area that currently has a parking lot and a maintenance and operations building.
The project is being undertaken to increase permanent classroom capacity, eliminate portable classrooms, and advance new technology.
“Most school buildings constructed in the 21st century have a 20th or even 19th classroom design,’’ said Superintendent Dr. Mark Richardson in a district press release. “These classrooms do little to prepare students for the environment outside or after high school. We must educate our students in a setting that will emulate the experiences they will have in life.’’
Righetti parent Meredith Brough, whose son Micah is a freshman, said in the press release that she believes the new facility would enhance the learning environment for all students in the future.
“New classrooms would provide students with a modern setting for learning and make cutting edge classroom technology available to all students,’’ Brough said. “There will be more collaboration possible between teachers and more parking for students and staff.’’
During the district’s March 10 school board meeting, board members approved Roebbelen Contracting Inc. to construct the new classroom complex. The project is estimated to cost $21.7 million.
“It’s a preliminary design that is subject to change as the process moves forward,” said Kenny Klein, a district spokesperson.
A virtual tour of the classroom can be viewed at smjuhsd.k12.ca.us.
This article appears in Mar 19-26, 2015.