Lynwood, Calif. – The Lynwood Unified community came together this month to celebrate the completion of two long-awaited construction projects – new, state-of-the-art classroom facilities at Washington and Lincoln elementary schools, partly funded by the voter-approved Measure K Bond.

Parents, students and community members joined the LUSD Board of Education and administration for ribbon cutting ceremonies to celebrate the milestone construction projects at Lincoln on Sept. 3 and at Washington on Sept. 10. In addition, representatives from Congresswoman Janice Hahn’s Office, State Sen. Ricardo Lara’s Office, Assemblyman Anthony Rendon’s Office and the city of Lynwood were in attendance to present resolutions in recognition of the District’s work to improve the quality of education for its students.

“It’s been a long time coming for the students and staff at Washington and Lincoln elementary schools, but the moment has finally arrived and it’s so great to see our community’s dream come to fruition,” said LUSD Board of Education President Briseida Gonzalez. “These new classroom facilities have completely transformed these campuses and will provide our students with the quality learning environments that they deserve.”

In May 2013, construction crews began the work to remove 29 portable classrooms at Washington Elementary and replaced them with two, two-story buildings, each featuring eight classrooms. At Lincoln Elementary, 17 portable classrooms were replaced with one, two-story building with 14 classrooms. The Lincoln campus has a new playground and swing set, an automatic maintenance entry gate and a baseball backstop.

Both sites include new parking lots for staff and guests, and the new buildings are equipped with elevators, staff and student restrooms and security cameras. Classrooms are installed with marker boards, projector mounts, ceiling tile, vinyl tile flooring and cabinetry. The campuses also include landscaping, exterior fencing, asphalt play and pavement areas and new concrete disability ramps.

Utilizing funds from the voter-approved $93 million Measure K bond, the combined cost of both projects is approximately $28 million, with about half of the cost being funded with state matching funds.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with these new buildings and what they mean to future generations of Lynwood students, who will learn in safe environments that are equipped to meet the needs of 21^st century education,” said LUSD Superintendent Paul Gothold. “I would like to thank our parents and the community for their support in helping us in our efforts to make that happen.”