Del Mar and Rancho Santa Fe property owners could face a new school bond on the November 2028 ballot after the San Dieguito Union High School District completes its first facilities master plan update since 2011.
The district is about to launch an interactive digital survey asking residents to rate proposed construction and renovation projects at each campus, including Torrey Pines High School and Canyon Crest Academy. The survey had not gone live as of Monday, Aug. 17, but district officials described it as imminent during a board presentation on Thursday, Aug. 6.
"This is really an opportunity for the community at large to provide feedback on what's important to them on each campus," DLR Group principal Ryan Leonard told the board at that meeting, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The district hired DLR Group, an architectural firm led by Encinitas native Leonard, in December 2025 to guide the 30-year master plan. Leonard was part of La Costa Canyon High School's first graduating class in 1997.
What the firm found
DLR Group walked every campus and identified repairs needed to HVAC systems, roofing and retaining walls, along with student spaces due for a refresh. Leonard illustrated the age of some facilities at the Aug. 6 meeting: "The Oak Crest Middle School locker room is the same as when I went there."
The firm held well-attended community outreach sessions in May at San Dieguito Academy and Pacific Trails Middle School, drawing feedback from parents, staff and students. Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Stephen Dickinson told the board DLR Group has been "extremely busy" since its contract began.
What's on the project list
At a 2025 facilities workshop, the board reviewed a draft partial list of projects totaling an estimated $387.25 million. That figure is preliminary. DLR Group is still defining projects and estimating costs for the final master plan document.
Districtwide proposals include new gyms at Torrey Pines and San Dieguito Academy, campus safety and security upgrades, EV charging infrastructure, pedestrian and e-bike pathways, and career technical education spaces for robotics, engineering and culinary arts. For La Costa Canyon, the survey will show proposed projects including an aquatics center, modernized science labs, a new classroom building, locker room upgrades, an artificial turf field and a sports medicine field house.
The money
Funds from the district's last general obligation bond are nearly gone. That $449 million measure, approved by voters in November 2012, paid for Torrey Pines' performing arts center, Canyon Crest Academy's athletic fields, the rebuild of Earl Warren Middle School and the new Pacific Trails Middle School, among other projects.
A new bond would be repaid through property taxes across the district. The earliest it could appear on a ballot is November 2028, with the first major projects completed by 2032, according to the district.
The master plan and an accompanying public website at sduhsdplan.com will also satisfy California Proposition 2, which voters approved in November 2024 with 58.7% support. Prop 2 requires districts to submit a five-year facilities master plan to qualify for a share of $8.5 billion in state K-12 construction funds.
No bond dollar amount has been announced. Residents can watch for the survey at sduhsdplan.com, which was password-protected as of Aug. 17.
