The San Diego Unified School District kicked off major campus work Tuesday at 62-year-old Holmes Elementary School, part of a district-wide push for site modernizations.
Students at the two-time California Distinguished School joined Board of Education President Shana Hazan, Vice President Cody Petterson, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and others Tuesday to mark the groundbreaking on the construction, funded by local school bonds.
"Holmes Elementary staff have been devoted to students and the neighboring community for more than six decades, contributing to high test scores and academic success," Hazan said. "With local voters approving our bond measures, we can match that success with high-quality, modern facilities, like the ones we will see here."
Once completed, the project is slated to add an upper-grade classroom facility, a student services facility, a Universal Transitional Kindergarten classroom building, two kindergarten classrooms, a joint-use grass play field and other improvements, according to the district.
Existing upper-grade and kindergarten classrooms will be modernized to include new paint, flooring, finishes and white boards.
"With new housing underway down the street, now is the time to re- invigorate our campus so that it is ready to serve all neighborhood students," Holmes Principal Jonathan Saipe said.
According to the district, additional improvements include the modernization of three classroom buildings, expansion of the food services kitchen, conversion of the student services facility into educational spaces, creation of a new parking lot with a student drop-off and pick-up area and enhancements to safety, security and exterior hard court areas.
The joint-use grass play field will feature a walking and running track, a drinking fountain, new trees, fencing and gates to separate the field from the main campus. As part of a partnership with the city, the field will be accessible to the community as a neighborhood park after school hours and during school breaks.
Construction on the project is estimated to be completed in late 2026.
