The San Dieguito Union High School District (SDUHSD) board recently approved a new facilities master plan as they take the initial steps to prepare for a potential general obligation bond on the ballot in November 2028.
The facilities master plan is a 30-year road map for the district, identifying $1.7 billion in overall project costs for needs across the district’s 10 high schools and middle school campuses and San Dieguito Sports Complex in Carlsbad.
According to Associate Superintendent Stephen Dickinson, the major actions next year would include sizing the bond and refining the batch of projects the district would take on, balancing the tax impact with how much can be accomplished. Should the board decide to take action to pursue a bond, a vote would likely be made by June 2028 to get on that year’s ballot.
“We are very excited to be at this point,” Dickinson said of the master plan effort set into motion a year ago. With the board’s direction at the Sept. 24 facilities workshop, the district will begin to assemble a bond finance team and begin early planning and communication for a future general obligation bond.
An updated master plan is additionally required by the state in order to stay eligible for matching funds. Since 2020, San Dieguito has received $66 million from the state in reimbursements for projects like the construction of Pacific Trails Middle School in 2015, culinary arts classrooms at La Costa Canyon High School, and the new humanities classroom building at San Dieguito Academy. The district will be eligible for over $75 million in additional funding by 2028, Dickinson said.
SDUHSD last updated its master plan in 2011, ahead of its last general obligation bond, the $449 million Prop AA, funds which have nearly all been spent. The architectural firm DLR Group has been guiding the district through the master plan process, which has included site tours, assessments of facilities conditions and public outreach.
An online survey was conducted last month to help shape what the projects and improvements should be like. Brian Leonard of DLR Group said the survey participation was impressive with 2,141 responses—San Dieguito Academy was the highest participating school with 657 respondents, and the district even managed to get 350 responses from future parents whose children aren’t even in the district yet. Per the survey, the highest priorities were teaching spaces and classrooms, science and Career Technical Education, and site improvements—the lowest priority projects were administrative and safety, parking and drop-off, and food service.
“As we’ve gone through the process, it is important to note the consistency in proposed costs between each of the high schools and middle schools,” Leonard said. “It’s a good thing because all of your campuses are aging and it’s good to have parity.”
The district’s “newest” school, Earl Warren Middle School which was completely rebuilt in 2017, will be 10 years old next year.
The detailed master plan includes projects across the district such as heavy classroom modernization and a gym upgrade at La Costa Canyon, and a new performance-focused multi-purpose room at Pacific Trails Middle School. Proposed projects for Carmel Valley Middle School include modernizing the front entrance to the school, rehabbing the central quad and outdoor breezeways to create enhanced outdoor learning environments, a new Career Technical Education building and improvements to the athletic fields.
The master plan is online at sduhsdplan.com and includes lots of valuable information for the district and for the public to inform decision-making and priority setting, Leonard said. Each site can be viewed with all proposed projects and estimated costs— a “scenario builder” tool takes into account the years to construction, annual escalation and contingency fees. Users can play around and see how sliding the scale from three years to five years raises the construction costs.
During the community engagement, Leonard said sustainability was a strong interest expressed by community members and passionate students. As a result, the plan incorporates sustainability standards and a checklist for each project that addresses issues such as materials and waste, water conservation, climate resilience and energy, and carbon performance. Each project will meet a minimum sustainability standard with the goal to create schools that are “healthier, safer, more efficient, resilient, and environmentally responsible.”
“It’s an extraordinary tool and I’m just really glad the district will have that,” said SDUHSD Vice President Rimga Viskanta of the plan’s sustainability focus.
District staff will now move ahead with planning for a potential general obligation bond. In 2026-27, the average general obligation bond rate for high school districts in San Diego County was $32.37 per $100,000 in assessed value—the district’s current Prop AA bond tax rate is $18.56.
The district will evaluate multiple bond scenarios up to a maximum of $30 per $100,000 in assessed value, capped at a 25-year term.