Students, parents, and LAUSD officials gathered on Tuesday, April 1, at John F. Kennedy High School in Granada Hills to celebrate a major step forward in the campus modernization project.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the opening of a new two-story classroom building. This building is the first phase of a larger campus renovation plan designed to improve seismic safety, provide better learning environments, and upgrade outdated classroom facilities.
Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho spoke before the ribbon was cut.
“This was an idea that began its implementation back in 2023, and today we have the delivery on the very first phase–this beautiful building behind me with classrooms, laboratories, science classrooms, even a little space for the youngest among us,” Carvalho said.
The building features science labs, general classrooms, workrooms, special education spaces, and an early childhood development room with an outdoor playground. It also includes an outdoor classroom.
Junior Akshita Islam, 16, said she hopes to attend classes in the new building next year.
“Hopefully, three of my classes will be here,” Islam said. “I am very excited. I didn’t even get to go on the tour, so I am so excited for my first day to even go inside.”
Islam noted how much of an upgrade the new building is.
“So in my old science labs and my old science classes, the water was barely functioning as it is,” she said. “I mean the water was not clean, but it’s a very old lab station, so the fact that we’ll have something new is just very nice.”
The building is part of a $274 million modernization project funded through LAUSD bond programs. Most of the money comes from Measure Q, with additional support from Measure RR, according to Krisztina Tokes, the district’s Chief Facilities Executive.
“This high school was identified as a school that would benefit from seismic strengthening at a number of its buildings, just due to the time when these buildings were built, there were deficiencies that we wanted to make sure that we addressed,” Tokes said.
The district worked with architects and engineers to identify seismic weaknesses and reinforce buildings with steel to improve earthquake safety. Tokes said the team also removed aging portable classrooms and replaced them with modern, specialized learning spaces.
“There was an opportunity to take those portables out that were way past their useful life, and replace them with classroom buildings,” she said. “When we do those classroom buildings, we have a chance to really provide state-of-the-art classroom buildings that are specialized.”
Oscar Vazquez, the school’s principal, said this new building marks the first of three phases in the project. Most of the work is happening on the north side of campus.
Construction began in the first quarter of 2023 and is expected to finish in the third quarter of 2028.
LAUSD Board President Scott Schmerelson, who represents District 3, attended the event.
“I want the students to know we do this for you. This is all for you. This is all for public education in the Los Angeles Unified School District,” he said.
