Greetings!
 
As a means of keeping pace with the Cypress School District's facilities needs, the Board of Trustees annually reviews its Facilities Master Plan and identifies the next set of priority projects. Over the years, these projects have included school modernization, construction of classrooms to reduce class size for children in primary grades, and creation of new STEM labs and music classrooms on each school campus to support an enriched educational program for all students.
 
This issue of our e-Newsletter highlights some of the facilities work authorized by the Board of Trustees that is currently underway as well as what's coming up next. We hope you will spend a few moments to become more informed about these important efforts.

Sincerely, 
Anne Silavs, Superintendent
Relocation of Student Transportation Services

Through a Facilities Use Agreement with the City of Cypress, the district will be moving its bus fleet and bus maintenance operations to the City Maintenance Yard, located at 5285 Cypress Street, near the intersection of Lincoln and Walker. Currently, nine buses are housed at the District Office on the corner of Orange and Moody. There are a number of benefits that will be realized as a result of this relocation project.
  • First and foremost, the move will provide safer and more secure facilities for our transportation services employees as well as for our expensive bus equipment.
  • It will also enable the district to conserve resources by avoiding significant construction costs associated with rehabilitating the existing transportation facility, which no longer meets energy efficiency standards or current seismic, fire, and building codes.
  • Finally, parking and maintaining the buses in a commercial area of the city will reduce noise and enhance the residential neighborhoods surrounding the District Office.
  • All of this will be accomplished for as little as $1 plus reimbursement of one-time expenses incurred by the city to accommodate the district's bus fleet.
Relocation of Child Nutrition Services 

In an effort to increase operational efficiency, the administrative offices of the Child Nutrition Services department will be relocated to Margaret Landell Elementary School, which houses the district's central kitchen. This move is easily accommodated with existing school facilities and requires minimal alteration to the footprint of the campus. A 500-square foot walk-in freezer and a 200-square foot storage unit will be added next to the kitchen. Having the department director and support staff in closer proximity to the central kitchen will improve services, communication, and oversight of the student breakfast and lunch programs throughout the district. 
 
Relocation of Maintenance and Operations

In addition to Transportation and Child Nutrition Services, the district's Maintenance and Operations department is also currently housed at the District Office. The existing facility is at the end of its usable life and has become a district liability. In addition to not meeting energy efficiency standards and present-day safety codes, the security of our equipment is also a concern. To mitigate these problems, the district will construct a new maintenance facility on district property located at 5712 Camp Street, adjacent to the closed Swain campus. The new facility will house our maintenance and groundskeeping team that includes four gardeners, three maintenance workers, the department director, and clerical support staff. No buses will be housed or serviced at this location. The project will be fully paid for from our special reserve for capital outlay, which includes developer fees. 

District Headquarters

Our central offices located at Orange and Moody house a number of departments that provide essential services to our schools. These departments include Instructional Services, Student Support Services, Human Resources, Technology Services, Business Services, the Superintendent's Office, the Resource Center/Print Shop, and our warehouse.
 
While these buildings have served the district well for over 50 years, they no longer meet energy efficiency standards, are not ADA compliant, and do not meet required safety codes. Furthermore, our existing facilities are inadequate for evolving technology infrastructure demands and proper security of our servers. No one could have imagined 50 years ago the technology needs of an educational program in the 21st century and what it would take to provide internet access for almost 4,000 students in over 200 classrooms. Additionally, the current floor plans of these buildings do not maximize available space and limit our operations. For example, our district nurses are tripled-up in a single office space in the central office. The occupancy of the Board Room only accommodates 60 people according to the fire marshal, which limits student, parent, staff, and community participation in Board Meetings, district events, and teacher professional development.
 
If approved by voters in November, the district will consolidate its operations in a new facility built on a portion of the current site. The remaining land will be used to pay for the project at no cost to taxpayers through a property exchange similar to the Mackay School project approved by voters in 2014.

Margaret Landell Elementary School

To date, a number of modernization projects have been completed at Landell School including the new STEM lab and music classroom; student restrooms; technology infrastructure improvements; upgraded classroom SMART Boards; energy efficient lighting, heating, and air conditioning in all the original brick buildings; a new campus-wide security system; and exterior walkways, fencing, and lighting. It is anticipated that school modernization at Landell will be completed in 2021/22 when the district will have access to remaining funds from Measure M, the bond initiative passed by voters 2008.

Want to Learn More?

If you are interested in more information about our facilities and asset management, we invite you to check out our Facilities Master Plan in its entirety by visiting our district website. Should you have additional questions, we encourage you to contact Superintendent Anne Silavs or Assistant Superintendent Tim McLellan at (714) 220-6900.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Candi Kern   .  Sandra Lee   .  Donna McDougall   .  Brian Nakamura   .  Lydia Sondhi, Ph.D.