SMMUSD Plans To Replace Will Rogers Learning Community Ceiling Tiles

SANTA MONICA, CA — Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District officials said there has been a gradual failure of ceiling tiles installed at Will Rogers Learning Community campus in 1948, and plans are in place to begin replacing them.

Recent heavy rains in Santa Monica have also caused water damage to larger ceiling tiles at the school and fell due to waterlogging, SMMUSD said. Facilities teams are working to remedy the issues as they arise, officials said.

Despite the two issues occurring at similar times, district officials insisted they were not related to each other.

While the newer, larger tiles can be easily and quickly replaced, the older tiles were glued to paper surfaces which would make replacement of them incredibly difficult as there would be no surface to reattach the tiles to, officials said.

"After 75 years, the glue is failing, causing the tiles to sporadically fall," SMMUSD said in a statement. "WRLC benefited by being the first school to receive the bond-funded window, paint, and floor modernization project. At that time, ceilings were not in the project’s scope of work."

Before the ceiling tile replacement project can start, the district said it needs to complete a project that would build a one-story building to house transitional kindergarten and kindergarten classes at WRLC. The building will replace six portable classrooms that are currently being used and is expected to be finished in spring 2025.

The vacated portables will be used as a temporary swing space during the ceiling tile replacement. Additionally, more space is expected to open up as students from John Muir Elementary School will return to their campus after construction is finished there in fall 2025.

The substantial ceiling tile replacement project at the Santa Monica school is not scheduled to start until 2025 or 2026. The district said the project would likely be coupled with a courtyard improvement project that would make area between the finger buildings more usable.

"The safety of our students and staff is our top priority. The old ceiling tile failure may be an occasional distraction, but is not a significant safety hazard," SMMUSD officials said.

Because the ceiling tile replacement project will proceed in phases, students will reamin on campus during its duration. Tasks to be completed during the project include:

• Removing most or much of the furniture and materials in each room
• Removing all of the lighting, fire alarms, technology and other fixtures attached to the ceiling
• Abatement and demolition of current ceiling tiles
• Installation of a new structure to which the new tiles can be attached
• Consideration by DSA if a full seismic upgrade is required, based on the scope of the project for each building
• Installation of the new ceiling tiles
• Reattaching the fixtures / safety devices to the ceiling
• Returning furniture and materials to the rooms

On top of the other projects in the works, the upcoming campus modernization project will add a new, centrally-located track and playfields on the 16th Street side of the campus.