Will Your School Get an Earthquake Safety Review?

The school district's new bond program director for moving forward on Measure J school construction project projects. Second on his list was hiring structural engineers to evaluate the safety of schools on the state's AB300 list, a list of public school buildings that may be unsafe in the event of an earthquake.

Last year, in public schools and found that seven South San Francisco public schools have languished on the AB300 list for close to a decade. They are:

Along with 7,500 buildings or projects statewide, these seven schools have structures which have been identified by the state as potentially, though not definitely, risky in the event of an earthquake. If a school is on the list, it means that the state hasn't received certification that the school district has made seismic improvements.

Why have these seven schools gone without upgrades for so long?

"Lack of funding," according to Jonathan Barth, former assistant superintendent of business services.

Measure J, a $162 million bond passed by voters to fund school improvement projects, is a chance for the school district to make safety improvements. Of the schools on the AB300 list list, Alta Loma Middle School, Parkway Heights Middle School and South San Francisco High School were identified for major renovation in the Measure J ballot language.