Jordan High School to Begin Construction in 2014

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Planning for the new $135.6 million Jordan High School is underway with design plans revealed at a Feb. 28 community meeting.

This will be the largest project funded by the 2008 voter-approved Measure K bond, which allocated $1.2 billion to the Long Beach Unified School District.

“This is a highly complex project because we will be building and renovating on campus while students are there,” said Carri Matsumoto, executive director of facilities, planning and development in a statement on the Measure K website. “All the changes planned are aimed at assuring the safety of students and staff, while converting the facilities to meet 21st century educational needs. The new campus will result in a more efficient and practical instructional environment that will serve the school well for years to come.”

The school is designed by NTD Architects, based in Visalia, Calif., and will be constructed by McCarthy Building Companies Inc, headquartered in St. Louis.

Construction is to begin on the 3,600-student school in January 2014 with the first of six phases. Phase I includes the installation of temporary classrooms on the school’s current practice field so that students may attend school with minimal disruption during construction.

Phase II is set to include the demolition of five buildings on the north campus, a new cafeteria and four new academy buildings.

Current facilities at the 26.9-acre school are aging and seismically outdated, according to school officials.

“Jordan High School had been built from the 1920s on, there are a number of buildings that are 60, 70, 80 years old,” said Vivien Hao, project community coordinator for LBUSD. “We don’t have modern facilities.”

Phases II though VI have yet to solidify a timeline for their projects, though they are set to include renovation of the media center, music building, gymnasium and auditorium.

With a commitment to small learning communities or academies, Jordan High School hopes to reinforce their dedication with up-to-date facilities for their architecture, construction and engineering academy, aspiration in medical services academy, travel, trade and tourism school, excellence through the arts program, media and communications learning community and technical studies program.

“We’re very committed to preparing students for jobs of the 21st century,” Hao said. “We understand the importance of having state-of-the-art facilities for those academies.”

Phases I and II are expected to take “several years,” according to Hao.