Funds were approved for a new student wellness center on the L.A. High School campus. (Beverly Press/Park La Brea News file photo)

The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education approved more than $195.7 million in bond-funded projects to provide upgraded, state-of-the-art facilities.

The board approved $45 million for the development of wellness centers at Los Angeles High School and Wilmington Middle School STEAM Magnet. Wellness centers are LAUSD-built facilities operated by independent medical providers and partners who focus on prevention, education, early intervention and screening. The wellness centers will offer free and low-cost comprehensive medical, dental and mental health services for students, families and community members.

The 32nd Street USC Magnets School was also approved for a $108 million major modernization project. The multi-phase project will construct 23 new general and specialty classrooms including media, filmmaking, engineering and graphic design spaces, as well as a chemistry lab.

Four classroom upgrade projects were approved at Samuel Gompers Middle School, Los Angeles Academy Middle School, Palms Middle School and Pacoima Middle School, with a combined budget of $36.5 million. The projects will transform existing classrooms with new upgrades.

The Board also approved a $4.8 million project at John Marshall High School to provide approximately 80,000 square feet of new synthetic turf on the football field, including new perimeter drainage and field cooling system. The track will be repaired, and ADA accessibility upgrades will be added to the bleachers.

Three Sustainable Environment Enhancement Developments for Schools projects, with a combined budget of $350,000, were approved at Burbank Boulevard Elementary School, Clifford Math and Technology Magnet Elementary School and Trinity Elementary School. Additionally, the Board approved nearly $13 million in construction contracts for previously approved projects at Locke and Normont Early Education Centers, State Street EEC, Palms Middle School and Manual Arts High School. The Board also approved an updated 10-year labor agreement between the LAUSD and the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building Trades Council to construct district projects.

“Part of becoming the district of choice for families across Los Angeles Unified means having world-class facilities that provide a state-of-the-art experience for everyone,” LAUSD Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said. “This district and this board have shown the willingness to invest in our school communities by not only building and upgrading campuses, but by doing so in a sustainable manner that will reduce our carbon footprint and mitigate our role in climate change.”

For information, visit LAUSD.net