Seismic upgrades

Starting in 2014, the District began building all new schools as essential Risk Category IV facilities, meaning those schools are equipped with seismic bracing and other features that are not only designed to withstand an earthquake but will allow the buildings to serve as emergency shelters for the surrounding community in case of a natural disaster.

Many older district buildings have little or no earthquake resistance built into their original designs. A seismic evaluation of all district facilities was completed in 2019 and provided scores indicating how each facility would likely perform in an earthquake. Thirteen of the district's 53 schools currently meet or nearly meet the district's goal for damage control, leaving 40 schools that don't meet the district's standards for earthquake readiness. Please see the links to the Seismic Assessment Report on this webpage.

The bond will fund seismic upgrades at schools which received some of the lowest scores: Cedar Park, Five Oaks, Highland Park, Meadow Park, Mountain View and Whitford Middle Schools. These schools would comprise Phase One of the seismic upgrades with more schools to follow in subsequent bonds.

Seismic Assessment Report