CHULA VISTA (KGTV): Three schools in the Chula Vista Elementary School District will start the new year with brand new buildings and equipment as the district gets closer to wrapping up a decade-long modernization plan.
John J. Montgomery, Harborside and Kellogg Elementary Schools all got makeovers during the summer.
"I can't wait to see their faces on the first day of school," says Monica Ruiz, the Principal at Montgomery.
The district spent $38 million on the three schools over the summer, with the money coming from a 2012 bond proposition. Buildings were gutted and rebuilt, with new floors, ceilings, carpet and walls put in. The classrooms also got new desks, whiteboards, chairs and monitors.
At Montgomery, they also renovated the multi-purpose room and are building a new administrative center.
"We're really giving the kids an educational setting that is telling them they are valued, and they are important," says Ruiz.
Classes started on Tuesday, with a welcome back party for the students at Montgomery. Officers from the San Diego County Probation Department and employees from a nearby Sprouts were on campus to cheer the kids as they went back to class.
"To give them this at such a young age, it empowers them," says teacher Christine Perry. "It makes them feel like we're expecting a lot from them in life and that we believe in them and that they have a long way to go and we support that."
