In 2022 the PVPUSD school district granted Palos Verdes High School and Palos Verdes Peninsula High School $250,000 each to upgrade campus bathrooms, splitting $500,000. 

California State Assembly member Al Muratsuchi, representing the 66th district of California that encompasses the South Bay and Palos Verdes Peninsula, granted the district the money. 

Renovations will be starting winter of this year and are predicted to end spring 2024. 

“PVPUSD Fiscal Services received the check from the State Treasury the first week of June and this restricted revenue was carried over in the adopted budget for 2023/24,” Brenna Terrones, the Assistant Superintendent who oversees facilities, said.

The agreement between The State of California Office of Public School Construction and PVPUSD allows for many types of upgrades.   

“[The agreement] … specifies bathroom improvements for 25-30 bathrooms that include paint, updated energy efficient lighting, new sink fixtures, new exhaust fan systems, and new partitions, including architectural fees and related costs necessary to obtain approval from the Division of the State Architect (DSA),” Terrones said. 

The PVHS Student Board representative was also able to have a voice in this issue.

“[We] do get a report on what the OAC has approved and decided on, and then we get to talk about those issues,” PVHS Student Board representative Alaina Wong, senior, said.

But even though the two schools received money to upgrade bathrooms, there are some things that they aren’t able to do. 

“Plumbing is much more of a deeper problem that we didn’t get enough money for,” Wong said. 

Despite a few things that weren’t able to be upgraded, staff and students alike are still looking forward to possible upgrades.

“I am very excited about this opportunity to update our bathrooms at PVHS. It is such an important project for our school community, and I am so proud of the students who spoke up about this concern to our state legislators and district leadership,” said Palos Verdes High School Principal Dr. Trista Ramirez.  

“Their voices helped to enact this needed critical change for our campus.”