After months of silence, the halls of Foothill Elementary School in Goleta were full of excited voices, first-time students and more as children were welcomed back to school.

Wednesday was the first day of school for the Goleta Union Elementary School District, which includes nine schools.

As Foothill Elementary opened, the students were greeted with a revamped school building that has seen multiple construction changes under Measure M, which granted schools $80 million.

“[We can’t say enough] how thankful we are to the voters and our board for allowing us to go out for a bond to make all these necessary fixes,” said Conrad Tedeschi, assistant superintendent of fiscal services.

Because of the bond, the school district has been making repairs to its school buildings, some of which have been around since the 1950s.

According to Tedeschi, there are about 3,400 kids in the district. Enrollment has dropped a bit in the past few years, but he believes that many families have moved out of the area since the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Tedeschi said he believes that enrollment will likely go up if Goleta manages to build more housing in the area. The city already has a few plans it is considering, and many would be in the school district.

The biggest change for kids is the newly paved blacktop, which was done over the summer. The pavement covers the playground, the parking lot and the basketball courts.  

Along with the new pavement are newly painted lines, games and circles for playing and lining up.

“Everything’s integrated into a teaching concept,” Tedeschi told Noozhawk. “Rather than just doing a white line and say, ‘Line up when the bell rings,’ kids can choose colors and then they can integrate learning their color concepts.”

Additionally, the playgrounds at Foothill will be upgraded later this year. One of the changes to the area will be the removal of the boards surrounding the jungle set and other areas.

Tedeschi said it will be done to allow students in wheelchairs or other equipment to play on the new equipment with their classmates. The new playsets also will be wide enough for kids to go on the structures with their equipment.

Inside the classrooms, the students also will see new desks and tables.

The district did a study a couple of years ago asking teachers what a modern classroom should look like and how functional it should be. One of the most requested things by teachers was the option to move furniture around.

To meet that desire, the new desks now feature wheels that will allow kids to move around as needed, form groups and use different parts of the classroom during the day. Younger classes will have tables instead of individual desks.

Teachers also have new kidney bean-shaped desks that can move around and allow kids to sit around the desk.

“It’s built to be kind of a community area,” Principal Felicia Roggero said. “So, if they’re doing morning meetings to build community, [or] welcomes, greetings. It also can be a great space for reading aloud. Students who want to have a softer space can then also sit there and do some of their academic work because of the [flexible] seating.”

Additionally, the school is working to improve its STEAM classes, which include science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The classes introduce students to science and engineering through different projects, such as coding.

The school is working with Dos Pueblos High School to bring over projects and equipment that are suitable for younger students but also allow them to get the full experience of the classes.

Besides the blacktop and new school equipment, the school also used some of the bond money to repair the roof of the building. Tedeschi said construction on the roof was done in the summer to avoid disrupting students’ education.

Another new is a handful of murals at the school. One of the murals was donated by the class of 2020, whose graduates did not get to have a traditional graduation. The class decided to use class funds that it had remaining to commission a mural and donated it to Foothill Elementary.

Mountain View

Not far away, students at Mountain View Elementary paid close attention as they met their new teachers and classmates.

The playground at Mountain View is an example of what the district is planning for its other schools.

In the past 12 months, the school has completely redone its blacktop and added new play areas that are more inclusive for all students. This includes a merry-go-round that is wide enough to allow kids with wheelchairs to ride it.

The school also has a new principal, who greeted new parents with a presentation to introduce herself and the goals the school hopes to meet over the next year.

Before arriving at Mountain View, Principal Paige Dupont worked as an administrator at San Marcos High School, was the dean of student engagement, and served as assistant principal for three years.

Coming into the role, Dupont said she is excited to see the progress the students make over the year and plans to learn all of their names. She also wants to get to learn more about the teachers at the school.

“I have a goal of inclusion and supporting all of our students and their identities,” Dupont said. “No matter where they’re coming from, knowing that every student comes with assets, comes with strengths, and [I plan to use] an asset-based and strength-based mindset in order to lead the school.”