Our MJUSD facilities are aging and we need your help

Did you know that schools in the Marysville Joint Unified School District have been educating students for more than 150 years? While a long legacy of public service in education is something we are proud of, it also means that many of our historic buildings have been standing for quite some time.

As with any aging facility, many of our buildings and campuses are in need of upgrades, renovations and, in some cases, expansions to accommodate for the growing population of our community. Our district recently commissioned a facilities study that identified significant needs at a number of sites. Although our Board of Trustees continues to prioritize investment in facilities and allocate resources toward these improvements, there is still so much work to do. And that is where you come in.

The Marysville Joint Unified School District is an integral part of our community. We have the privilege of educating our youth throughout their formative years and it is in our schools that students build their skills and talents to grow into the leaders of tomorrow. I invite you to come and visit our schools where you will see the great work of our teachers, administrators, and support staff. But I truly believe that an even higher standard of teaching and learning could occur in facilities that are updated. Our students and educators deserve a safe and innovative learning environment and we as a community can provide that.

So what do we need from you? We would like you to respond to a survey that will circulate in our community in the coming weeks about a potential bond initiative that could fund some of these essential upgrades, renovations, and expansions. If the community expresses support for a bond initiative, it would appear on the November 2022 ballot for your consideration.

I would like to highlight some of the major projects we’ve recently undertaken through the vision and direction of the MJUSD Board of Trustees.

– Arboga Elementary School expansion to a TK-8 campus. The project is underway and slated for completion this summer.

– Districtwide solar panel installations and energy infrastructure upgrades in partnership with Sitelogic. We have recently installed new HVAC units, air purification systems, and LED lighting, all intended to reduce the district’s energy

footprint and accumulate energy savings of about $1.5 million each year.

– New construction at Covillaud Elementary includes a state-of-theart building with new classrooms to house students in grades 1-6. The project has an expected project completion date of 2024.

– Foothill Intermediate School, which serves about 300 students in grades

6-8, will see upgrades and new construction starting in 2023. The facilities are outdated and lack science labs and music classrooms.

The above projects have all been funded, but with 23 sites that serve approximately 10,000 students, there is still so much work to do. A detailed list of identified projects will be contained within the survey, but recent discussions about areas that need increased investment include:

– Athletics facilities across the district need significant attention, including the Marysville High School track and field complex and the Lindhurst High School football field and stadium.

– As new houses are built in our community, including Cedar Lane and Edgewater, we need to add

additional classrooms at schools to accommodate increased enrollment.

– We need to build fully equipped science labs and expand our Career

Technical Education

(CTE) programs, which offer hands-on experiences that give students life skills to help them gain entry to the workforce and

prepare them for college opportunities.

Education is a collective responsibility and our schools need your help. I simply ask that you help

guide us by participating in the survey so that we can determine whether to bring a bond initiative to the voters this November. With the help of our

community, we can focus on designing modern and updated schools where our children can learn, laugh, and play in a safe and happy environment.