Here is the call to action from the Santa Monica Conservancy to protect our historic resources.  A sample email relating to the flawed historic preservation policy and upcoming construction projects is below the Conservancy message. 

“Tell the SMMUSD Board to Adopt New Historic Preservation Policies

For months, the Conservancy and many community members have been asking the SMMUSD Board and staff to reconsider their plans to replace the History Building at Samohi with new construction. We have asked unsuccessfully for an evaluation of the options for rehabilitation of the historic structure by preservation professionals. However, they have agreed to develop historic preservation policies and procedures for the other campuses. At the January 14, 2021 school board meeting, a first draft of a historic preservation policy will be discussed (click here to see agenda item).

The two basic elements of a viable historic preservation policy are:

A commitment to conduct a complete historic resources inventory of every school campus site;
A commitment to utilize the nation’s universal standards to preserve them: the Secretary of the Interior’s Guidelines for the Rehabilitation of Historic Properties.
 

Fundamental is the identification of historic resources at each site, which must be done ASAP – recent campus assessments calling for new construction and other improvements have already been formulated. The resources should be evaluated based not only on national and state designation standards as suggested in the draft, but also on the City of Santa Monica’s local designation criteria, which apply to our unique history and built environment. This will provide certainty and clarity about which buildings should be treated with sensitivity, and which may be altered or demolished. The inventory should be done in a public process to allow for input from stakeholders and interested parties citywide.

Once the full historic resources inventory of Santa Monica schools is completed, it should be adopted by the school board, and also sent to the California State Historic Preservation Office for their files. This would not mean designation of the resources but would ensure that when California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review of projects takes place in the future, the right resources are flagged.

Then the school district should commit to proper stewardship through appropriate policies. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards should be applied to all work on listed structures. If demolition or significant alterations are proposed, the CEQA environmental review process involves analysis of alternatives, such as adaptive reuse, or project changes that avoid adverse impacts.

Please help the Conservancy convince the SMMUSD Board to adopt new historic preservation policies which:

Create a district-wide inventory of historic resources which they adopt;
Agree to utilize the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards to preserve them as much as possible;
Conduct an adaptive reuse study or evaluate alternatives to demolition if conflict arises between preserving a historic resource and educational program needs.

The Conservancy is currently working with district staff on this policy. Please show your support for our efforts by writing to the SMMUSD Board before 4 p.m. on January 14.”

SAMPLE EMAIL:

To:  brd@smmusd.org, bdrati@smmusd.org, samohialumni@gmail.com, advocacy@smconservancy.org, fixsmmusd@gmail.com, council@smgov.net, senator.allen@senate.ca.gov

Re:  January 14, 2021 School Board Meeting - Item I.1 Historic Resources and Related Future Agenda Items

Dear School Board and Superintendent Drati, 

The SM Conservancy and Santa Monica residents and parents have demanded a full historic resources audit and creation of historic preservation policy before moving forward with capital improvement projects on Samohi or the other campus.  In addition, thousands of parents, alumni and Neighborhood Organizations have asked the District to pause, study adaptive reuse of Samohi’s History Building and related cost savings, and change course with respect to demolishing the History building before allocating what’s left of our bond funds.  The District ignored these requests since September, resulting in months of wasted staff time and additional consultant costs to plan for an overpriced building at the expense of tearing down cultural history. The District also continues to move forward on projects at other campuses that do not reflect community priorities.

We do not want our public funds used to destroy our cultural resources. We have already witnessed the District’s unnecessary destruction of the Muir Woods and Cesar Chavez Murals, as well as the demolition of the historic JAMS Auditorium.  The historic preservation policy presented by staff is not enough. It fails to conform to established standards for these policies, and makes no commitment to revisit the demolition of the Samohi History Building. 

I urge the Board to adopt new historic preservation policies that:

Create a district-wide inventory of historic resources which the Board adopts;
Agree to utilize the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards to preserve our historic resources as much as possible; and
Conduct an adaptive reuse study or evaluate alternatives to demolition if conflict arises between preserving a historic resource and educational program needs.

This agenda item is part of the piecemealing of capital improvement projects to spend remaining bond funds without a master plan, without consideration for community priorities, and without a public process.  The Board needs to take a holistic approach. To that end, I ask you to halt construction, as well as program planning that requires new construction, and take the actions requested below. Specifically, I request that the Board press pause and do the following:

Reject the Campus Assessments and start over.  The Campus Assessment Project List, presented by staff in December and coming back for Board approval at one of the next few meetings, does not align with previously stated community priorities or what was promised to residents during the bond campaign.  We need a master plan that meets community goals (such as increasing open space) and brings campuses into compliance with the toilet and HVAC requirements. 
Halt planning for Samohi Phase 3.  According to the District's own memo, it would be cheaper for taxpayers to rehab and retrofit the History Building. Saving the History Building is also the more sustainable option, provides an opportunity for teaching sustainability, honors the past as we modernize for the future, and gives context and value to the study of history and culture. 
Halt planning the Career Academies.  Until there is a master plan and we know that we have enough bond funds to meet current priorities and bond campaign promises, the District should not create new programs that require more construction. 
Redo the Ed Specs to include all planning requirements, including HVAC, bathrooms, playgrounds, sports fields, courts, and open space, and create a master plan for each school site.
Update the Sustainability Plan to include adaptive reuse.
Require transparency from the COO and Bond Consultant.  They must produce a publicly accessible database of all bond contract documents, and a report of all spending for the past three bonds, each organized by project at each school site.  No project should be approved without presenting the full scope of construction, a complete operational plan for the use of the new construction, and the total cost of construction, maintenance, and operations (both for the building and the programs).
Increase engagement with both parents and taxpayers. 
Agendize the matters listed here so the Board can take action and vote on the record.  The Board can no longer approve big ticket items as consent items with no discussion, or as “directions” given to staff at study sessions.    
Thank you,

[Your name]

[Santa Monica Resident and SMMUSD Parent]

Please include this in the public comments for the 1/14/2021 School Board meeting.