LAUSD sets aside $2.2 billion to rebuild burned campuses, make schools more resilient

The Los Angeles school district will set aside $2.2 billion to repair or rebuild three fire-damaged schools and to make all campuses more “natural disaster resilient.”

L.A. schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho on Tuesday also announced that new health and safety evaluations are being undertaken at two smoke-damaged campuses near the burn scar of last month’s Pacific Palisades fire. Parents at Canyon Charter Elementary and Revere Charter Middle School had expressed concerns over whether these recently reopened campuses were safe.

Attendance at both schools has been below normal — especially at Canyon, where some parents have left the school or said they intend to.

In a related development, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass issued an emergency directive that could help the already distressed child-care sector in the wake of the recent fires. Displaced day cares would be allowed to reopen anywhere in the city and operate at higher capacity.

LAUSD anticipates natural disasters

It didn’t take long for the Los Angeles Unified School District to plan for drawing down a huge chunk of $9 billion in school construction and modernization bonds that voters approved in November.

A major expense will be the reconstruction of Palisades and Marquez elementary schools, most of which burned to the ground. In addition, fire destroyed about 30% of Palisades Charter High School, even though the main campus is intact. The district is setting aside up to $725 million for the cleanup and reconstruction of the three schools; a substantial portion will be eligible for state or federal reimbursement, said district Chief Facilities Executive Krisztina Tokes.

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Other spending includes $550 million for “natural disaster resilience investments,” as Carvalho put it, including more fire-resistant roofing.

“When we were in the Palisades, we saw one area of Marquez Elementary where every single portable classroom around this area completely burned to the ground, but three bungalows survived,” he said. “They weren’t even singed: Different era, different code — metal roofs. We cannot wait. We need to accelerate these projects to ensure that our facilities are resilient to what, no doubt, will be atmospheric conditions — fires — that will threaten our school system and our community.”

The district is trying to anticipate future forces of nature: $250 million for HVAC systems; $200 million for seismic retrofitting, air purifiers for every classroom.

Some of this work was already planned but is being expanded in scope or accelerated, officials said.

Carvalho also spoke of installing a better air-quality sensor system — one he hopes can test for toxic ash and evaluate wind conditions and directions.

Such a system would allow for better preparation and provide better data to inform decisions about when to close or open campuses, Carvalho said. It would need to be integrated into similar networks operated by the county and local cities, he added.

The district also highlighted $700 million for accelerated greening and shading projects and $122 million to expand solar energy.

Safety steps at Revere and Canyon

Many parents at Revere Middle and Canyon Elementary were dissatisfied with the district’s plan for reopening these Pacific Palisades schools. They said officials treated the situation like a cleanup job, when they should have managed for health hazards.

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Officials did not conduct soil testing or air testing at Canyon, which was over the hill from the fire zone. Both schools — which were in the path of smoke and ash plumes — were cleaned by regular maintenance staff. At Canyon, on Jan. 25, a contracted geologist walked through the cleaned-up campus, looking for ash and sniffing the air for the smell of smoke. He found nothing notably amiss and assessed the campus as safe to reopen.

A similar process ensued at Revere, although the inspection missed student lockers, which had ash in them when students returned.

Under ongoing pressure to do more, the district has hired an industrial hygienist to evaluate Canyon. That walk-through happened Tuesday, said Carlos Torres, director of the L.A. Unified Office of Environmental Health & Safety.

An analysis of Revere is being planned for next week, Torres said.

Carvalho called on state and federal regulators to help the district expedite debris removal, cleanup, environmental testing and reconstruction. The best-case scenario is that, by next fall, students could return to fire-damaged campuses, even if they have to do so in temporary buildings moved onto campus. He also hopes that the elementary schools will be rebuilt by the fall of 2028.

Despite largely surviving, the Palisades High campus is not ready for the return of students.

“The campus is 100% impacted, and students aren’t going to be able to be there for a few months,” said L.A. Board of Education member Nick Melvoin. He noted that this year’s seniors were freshmen during the campus closures of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While the school worked quickly to get them in a virtual [online] instructional program, we’re working closely with the school to get them back in-person in temporary locations,” Melvoin said.

A boost for day care

The action by Bass was intended to ease operations for day cares and their clients.

The mayor was building on an executive order from Gov. Gavin Newsom that is intended to speed up or suspend normal regulatory approvals for providers in good standing who were dislocated by the fires.

Under Bass’ directive, schools or child-care facilities damaged or destroyed by the fires can immediately receive a 180-day permit allowing them to relocate and operate anywhere in the city. They might need to reopen in a nontraditional, less-than-ideal location, such as an office building.

If operators wish to remain in the location longer than 180 days, the application will receive “an expedited review process that eliminates hearings and appeals,” according to the order.

The city knows of five preschools that were damaged. Other preschools in L.A. are allowed to increase their capacity by 20% to accept the displaced children.

Bass’ action applies only to day cares in the city of L.A. Those affected by the Eaton fire are outside her jurisdiction.

Jenny Gold reports for The Times’ early childhood education initiative, focusing on the learning and development of California children from birth to age 5. For more information about the initiative and its philanthropic funders, go to latimes.com/earlyed.