Mill Valley district progresses on elementary school upgrades

Bond-funded upgrades at two elementary schools in the Mill Valley School District are mostly complete, while work at three others is expected soon, according to a district consultant.

The work is in addition to the ongoing renovation at Mill Valley Middle School, the consultant, Gordon Rogers, told district trustees at their meeting on Thursday.

The funding for the elementary school projects is from Measure G, the $194 million bond measure passed in 2022. Rogers said work is mostly finished at the Tam Valley and Strawberry Point campuses. Design approvals and other preliminary work are pending at the Park, Old Mill and Edna Maguire schools, he said.

Lisa Lamar, the principal at Tam Valley, said its students and staff are already benefiting from the work.

“Measure G allowed us to complete significant upgrades, including a full renovation of our playground with a dedicated transitional kindergarten area for our youngest students,” Lamar said. “The improvements, along with resurfaced and restriped campus asphalt and fresh paint inside and out, have made our campus safer, more functional and more welcoming for students and staff.”

The Measure G budgets for the five elementary schools total approximately $22.25 million, according to a chart Rogers presented to the board. That includes about $5 million for Tam Valley, $4.3 million for Strawberry Point, $6.25 million for Park, $5.2 million for Old Mill and $1.5 million for Edna Maguire.

“We’re proud of the progress being made to modernize Mill Valley’s elementary schools — many of which are decades old — through funding from the Measure G bond,” said Natalie Katz, president of the board of trustees. “These improvements are focused on creating safe and inspiring learning environments that will serve students now and in the future.”

Elizabeth Kaufman, the district superintendent, said “learning environments matter.”

“Research consistently shows that students perform better when they learn in safe, comfortable, well-designed spaces,” she said.

Construction on Old Mill and Park school improvements is estimated to start in June, according to Rogers. Construction at Edna Maguire is estimated for summer 2027.

For the middle school renovation, the budget estimate is about $167.5 million, according to Rogers. The figure includes $96.5 million for construction, $19 million for soil mitigation and $19 million in contingency fees. The district has budgeted about $20 million for interim student classrooms for use while construction is in progress.

The project is in the design phase. The trustees approved the final environmental impact report and selected the renovation option last month. The design phase and approval process from the Division of the State Architect are expected to last through 2026, with construction due to start in early 2027, according to Rogers.

Rogers also listed a $10 million “program cost” for all the bond projects. The category includes expenses such as funding consultants, legal costs and construction management fees.

“Generally speaking, costs that are spread across the entire bond,” he said.

Rogers’ summary also included $24.2 million in potential funding from the state.