Story by Maxine Messineo
Staff Writer

Illustration by Shyla Drake
Staff Illustrator

SPHS underwent several renovations after the class of 2026 graduation. Renovations included replacing the HVAC, or the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, fixing the bathrooms to meet Americans with Disabilities requirements, and redoing the concrete from around the middle of the quad to the 500s building. 

The construction company mainly used by the school is Southland Industries. They handle renovations such as the HVAC system, but for smaller renovations such as replacing the turf or doors on campus, the district hire smaller, more specialized companies. 

These renovations were made to fix issues around campus and to meet ADA requirements, which protect people with disabilities from discrimination and, in this case, required several changes to be made to the school. Some changes included creating bigger handicapped stalls in the bathrooms and concrete walkways that meet classroom entryways precisely. The new concrete around the 500s building was installed due to a half-inch gap between the walkway and entryway of the classroom, where there was a little metal strip closing the gap. That metal strip was not allowed, so the renovations were made to raise the walkway to be perfectly flat with the classroom, in order to be compliant with ADA regulations. 

The school also had to take out one of the stalls in the boys’ bathroom to make room for a bigger stall for wheelchair users. 

“Part of the huge bond measure from 2016 was replacing the most of [the school’s] HVAC units, which are around 30 years old. When they get about that old, they start to go out. They’re unrepairable. And sometimes you can’t get parts. So a big part of our bond project was actually replacing the HVAC district wide. So a big part of our bond project was actually replacing the HVAC district wide. But you can’t do it all at once. You have to do project by project ” said Assistant Superintendent Dave Lubs. 

Another bond project was passed this year by the community and there was still some money left over from the old bond. This money was used to renovate four buildings around the campus such as the cafeteria, the SAC room, the little theater, and the dance room during spring break due to concerns of not having enough time over summer break. 

Before doing any renovations on campus, the school has to get an engineer to create architectural plans for each building. This is necessary since the Department of State Architects (DSA) has laws and rules that dictate that employees, such as the principal or superintendent, are not allowed decide on certain larger renovations. 

There are also a set of laws and rules surrounding when you reconstruct a school campus. Even if the school was already to code when it was built, the school still has to meet the new codes if the codes change

“So we’re basically taking a building that is almost one hundred years old and has not been upgraded in a really long time … So, imagine you take a one hundred year old building that was built before there was an Americans with Disabilities Act, decades before that law even existed. There’s a lot that needs to be done,” SPHS principal John Eldred said. 

Those plans are submitted to the state, and reviewed by the DSA before either being approved or denied. Schools and the DSA typically have to go back and forth ahead of time, before they hire companies to do the renovations. 

Along with the HVAC units being replaced, the ducts were also either replaced or cleaned, if they were harder to replace entirely. The controls for the systems were also updated, due to them being fifty to sixty years old. The campus now has an automatic system with an implemented graphics system that alerts staff when a unit breaks down, if a fuse blows, or if another issue occurs. 

The total cost of renovations this summer is around $3.2 million of the $9 million dollar bond. The cost includes paying inspectors to inspect the construction process, paying for the labor to make the construction happen, and paying for individual HVAC units.

Lubs is incredibly proud of how the SPHS campus has been upgraded and becoming better for students over the past 10 years. 

“I will put our campuses up against any K through 12 district in the state of California as far as the quality of our buildings,our grounds,our grass, and our bushes. I’m just super proud of this district and how we create an atmosphere for kids that is conducive to learning,” Lubs said.