SONOMA COUNTY—Alongside elementary students, teachers, and neighbors, Senator Mike McGuire (D-North Coast) announced yesterday that $1.2 million in state funding will help complete a long-planned modernization project at West Side School, including a new state-of-the-art library, new classrooms, a modern HVAC system, and two new playgrounds.

The school improvement plan dates back to 2020, when local voters overwhelmingly approved a school bond to modernize aging infrastructure on campus. Yet due to escalating construction costs and additional state requirements to install enhanced wildfire prevention resources, the project fell over a million dollars short of completing the planned renovations. 

As a result, the new library and student resource center, both key features of the community’s vision, were on the chopping block until Senator McGuire answered the call and secured $1.2 million to complete each of the promised improvements. 

The additional funding will also build a 50,000-gallon water storage tank to help protect the school and surrounding homes from wildfire.

“West Side School is a special place, and the community did everything right to fight for their students' needs in passing a school bond. We had to get this modernization project across the finish line—and build-in the much-needed wildfire protection measures to keep the school and neighbors safe,” said Senator McGuire. “The State of California is proud to see this project through to the very last library book on the shelf, and I’m grateful to the hardworking teachers, staff, school board and Superintendent Meechan, who pour their hearts into this incredible school every day.”

“Our school is small but mighty, and this support from Sen. McGuire means everything to our students and West Side families,” Superintendent Meechan said. “Since passing the bond in 2020, we have been determined to honor the community’s vision, and this state funding ensures we can finally build the library and a space for essential services like the resource specialist program, speech therapy, and reading intervention. And our campus and community will now be more wildfire safe with a new 50,000-gallon water tank that will serve our whole West Side community. Senator McGuire stepped in at such a critical moment, and we are deeply grateful for his dedication to West Side School!”

With the project now fully funded, the school district will break ground on the new library and student resource center next spring. The two new playgrounds have recently been completed. All campus renovations are anticipated to be brought online by the end of 2026.