Santa Barbara pitches school campus improvements

Santa Barbara Unified School District campuses look beautiful on the outside, but it doesn’t look that way up close.

The district invited Reporter Vicky Nguyen to tour two of its campuses to show the public why they’re asking voters to approve millions for school improvements.

The district’s board of trustees placed two measures on the November 8, 2016 ballot to support $193 million worth of upgrades and improvements to more than 20 schools.

Measure J and Measure I would replace old portables with new permanent classrooms, repair outdated underground utilities, repair playground surfaces and outdoor paving, modernize classrooms and ventilation systems, repair roofs and modernize old bathrooms.

The district is asking voters for help because it says the state won’t provide extra funding.

“As a parent, we often sacrifice because we want our children to have better than what we had. As a principal, I want the same for my students,” said Amy Alzina, principal at Adams Elementary School.

Check back later for additional content.