Summary of Projects

Measure Y projects are now completed and proceeds are expended. Approved by voters in 2002, this bond helped our schools in the following ways:

In the four short years since the community’s overwhelming approval of Measure Y, 22 schools have been modernized and three additional schools are scheduled for modernization this coming summer.

Under the state matching grant formula districts receive dollars to modernize schools that are 25 years or older. The PYLUSD had 22 schools that met this criteria. These schools, which are the district’s oldest schools, were in dire need of repair.

“For the first time in a long time, the physical buildings match the sense of pride that we have always had in our schools,” stated teacher Don Gebler. “We give our students the best teachers, best education, best materials, and now we are giving them the best educational environment.”

Many of the newer schools (Bryant Ranch, Parkview and Travis Ranch) are receiving other improvements such as additional parking, a multipurpose room, playground equipment, or new classrooms. Another project being considered for construction is a district music hall to be located on the El Dorado High School campus. The district has increased the budget for this project to $4 million and is working with architects, the community and staff to determine if this amount will be sufficient to reach the quality standards needed for our district’s outstanding music students.

The school district is also building a two-story fine arts and women’s locker room building at Valencia High, the district’s oldest school which opened in 1933.

Thanks to Measure Y, the school district opened four new schools to ease overcrowding.

Placentia’s newest school, Melrose Elementary, opened its doors to students in 2004. The school was instrumental in relieving overcrowding at Rio Vista Elementary and bringing another neighborhood school to Placentia.

In Yorba Linda, Lakeview Elementary welcomed students in September 2005. The school is located in the Vista del Verde community.

Valadez Middle School Academy, situated in the southwest area of Placentia, open in the fall of 2008. In addition to providing a neighborhood school for the surrounding community, the new school alleviated overcrowding at Kraemer Middle School, reducing student enrollment from 1,600 to an anticipated 800.

Valadez Middle School’s enrollment is approximately at 800 students. This new sixth-through-eighth-grade school is named for beloved pioneer educator Señor Gualberto J. Valadez who taught in Placentia schools from 1939 until 1983 and is fondly remembered for his inspirational teaching, founding after-school sports programs and providing adult education classes for parents.

Yorba Linda High School opened in 2009. The new high school helped reduce student enrollment at the high schools.

The Mediterranean/Spanish-style Yorba Linda High School welcomed students, staff and visitors with its dramatic landmark entry and tower. School features include administration offices, and a two-story academic building housing 44 classrooms interconnected with technology pods. The campus also includes a theatre, library, two gymnasiums, athletic fields and adjacent joint use area. The 170,000 square-foot high school is the newest addition to an award-winning school district where every high school is a California Distinguished or state model school.

The new school was made possible thanks to the community’s overwhelming support of the Measure Y and Measure A school bond in 2002 and 2008, state-matching construction dollars, Yorba Linda Redevelopment Agency funds, and a $13.5 million gift from Shapell Industries. The generous donation is believed to be the largest single donation to a K-12 school district in Southern California.

Modernizing our schools included more than just carpet replacement and new paint.

School interiors underwent extensive demolition and remodeling which included state-of-the-art technology infrastructure, new heating and air conditioning systems, new fire alarms and other safety features, as well as improvements that met Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.

Classroom interiors were rebuilt with more efficient lighting, built-in desks, and teaching walls with ample storage to allow for more spacious classrooms. In order to provide students closer proximity to computer areas, technology pods were also added, as appropriate, between every four to six classrooms.

At the elementary schools, new playground equipment replaced decades-old structures, ensuring greater safety for our students. Parking lots at many schools were added or expanded. Middle schools now feature “synergy labs,” which are expansive classrooms surrounded by physics, engineering or technology-related stations, and high schools were provided state-of-the-art science labs.

While the primary focus of the district’s modernization efforts has been on classroom interiors, projects also included school health offices, libraries, teacher workrooms, and lunch shelters—all possible thanks to Measure Y!