LAUSD officials provide new details on rebuilding Palisades schools lost in fire
A year after the Palisades fire, Los Angeles Unified School District officials provided an update Tuesday on efforts to rebuild three schools damaged by the fire.
Marquez Charter Elementary and Palisades Charter Elementary Schools were burned to the ground in the fire, while Palisades Charter High School suffered severe damage to part of the campus.
LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced the district will invest $604 million to rebuild the two elementary schools and the high school.
Palisades Charter High School will reopen in a few weeks. For both elementary schools, the goal is to rebuild them by fall 2028 or earlier — and hopefully within budget.
“We originally promised fall 2028,” Carvalho said during a news conference at Marquez Charter Elementary School in Pacific Palisades. “We will do our best, not only for Marquez, but also for Pali Elementary, to reduce this delay by taking advantage of all the flexibilities and support offered to us by the State of California, including Governor (Gavin) Newsom. They promised that red tape would be cut, and they are keeping that promise.
“…I want to reassure our community that we will deliver on our promises. These projects will arrive on or ahead of schedule. These projects will be completed on or under budget. And these projects will honor the resilience, determination, courage and, yes, suffering and sacrifice of the Palisades community.”
LA Unified was able to go through the state to quickly obtain the necessary permits to begin rebuilding.
Where does the $604 million come from? Voter-approved bond Measure America, insurance – and the district will seek federal aid to help fund the rebuild.
Marquez students are taking classes in temporary facilities on campus while reconstruction work continues.
Palisades Charter High School students have been taking classes since August in the former Sears building on Fourth Street in downtown Santa Monica. This facility has been affectionately nicknamed “South Pali”.
Classes at the fire-damaged campus, known as “Pali Main,” are scheduled to resume on January 27. Students will begin LAUSD’s second semester next Tuesday at Pali South, giving them more time to complete environmental testing on the main campus before returning.
Palisades Charter Elementary School students are taking classes at Brentwood Science Magnet School while they wait for the main campus to be rebuilt.
City News Service contributed to this report.
