School District Unloads First Round of Bonds

The first unloading of Measure I bonds — approved by voters in November — is underway at Santa Barbara Unified School District, with $50 million in secondary-school funding earmarked for new portable classrooms, plus playground, parking lot, pool deck, restroom, and boiler upgrades, among other shovel-ready projects. The purchase of the armory building has $10 million reserved. The board of education also approved an additional $20 million in bond sales to cover hillside stabilization at McKinley Elementary School, walkway stabilization at Cleveland, and various infrastructure renovations outlined by Dave Hetyonk, the district’s facilities director, during January’s board meeting. The district’s goal is to have the money in April, but it will likely launch small-scale maintenance projects sooner.