The first day of school looked different this year for more than 4,000 of the students, parents, faculty and staff who attend and work at Snowline Joint Unified School District.

Phelan Elementary, Baldy Mesa Elementary, Pinon Hills Elementary, Chaparral High School and Serrano High School are all undergoing major renovations. Construction began at the end of the 2025-26 school year. Work at Pinon Hills Elementary and Chaparral High School is slated to be complete in the fall, however the renovations at the other schools include what Public Information Officer Robert Chacon called “phased projects” that are anticipated to last for multiple years.

“As classrooms, technology, and students’ needs have changed, so has the need to update and modernize the spaces where learning happens,” Chacon said in the first edition of Snowline in the Works, a YouTube video series dedicated to keep the public informed throughout the renovation process. The next video in the series is expected to be available by Aug. 23.

Perhaps the largest update currently in the works has to do with transportation. According to Chacon, the front parking lots of two schools, Serrano High School and Baldy Mesa Elementary, are under construction and will be unusable at the beginning of the school year. Visitors of Baldy Mesa Elementary will park in the general lot and walk to the front office. At Serrano, visitors will have to park in the lots on Sunnyslope, and pick-up and drop-off will occur in a counterclockwise pattern near the football field.

Phelan Elementary School has a new parking lot located next to the campus. Pick-up and drop-off will occur through it in a clockwise motion. Meanwhile, attendees and employees of Chaparral High School will find their parking lot freshly redesigned in the same location it was before.

Other resources are also impacted as the new school year is beginning. Several restrooms at Serrano High School, Chaparral High School, Baldy Mesa Elementary and Pinon Hills Elementary are under renovation and will be unavailable. Temporary restrooms have been brought in to each of the impacted schools and are available to staff and students.

At Serrano, the Student Resource Office, boys’ locker room, library, several 100’s classrooms and ASB have all been relocated to interim housing elsewhere on campus for this school year.

The playground at Baldy Mesa Elementary is temporarily out of commission. Students will still be able to use the black top area, Chacon said, however most outdoor activities will take place on the western field of grass.

Several smaller projects are also spread throughout these five schools.

Each of them will see upgraded PA and Fire systems. Phelan Elementary and Pinon Hills Elementary will have new fencing, and Pinon Hills Elementary and the two high schools have a fresh layer of concrete in various quads and amphitheaters. Pinon Hills Elementary and Chaparral both have new ADA-approved ramps throughout their campuses, Chacon said.

Some have expressed concern that some school resources will not be available to students, such as during the Snowline Joint Unified School District’s board meeting on March 10 when concerns were raised about the temporary location of Serrano’s library. As of August, Public Information Officer Chacon said that all student resources will be available throughout the construction process.

Serrano’s field may prove to be the exception. Modernization of the field is slated to begin in the coming months, and as of July’s board meeting, will likely not be finished by graduation. When asked if the district has plans for accommodating graduation, Chacon said:

“We are currently exploring alternative site options for the SHS Graduation. We hope to have a finalized decision in the coming weeks.”

The modernization efforts are supported and financed by state grants such as Funds 14 and 01, statewide education modernization plans, revenue from a Community Facilities District, and the local Measure J, which passed in 2024 to allot $70 million to Snowline JUSD’s schools. Also in 2024, the district released the Facilities Master Plan to guide renovation efforts through 2034, which points to potential future renovations at 10 additional Snowline JUSD locations, including schools and administrative spaces.

Snowline JUSD leaders refer to the renovations as an investment in the future of their students.

“We’re telling our students that education matters,” Superintendent Ryan Holman said in the second installment of Snowline in the Works. “Most importantly, they matter.”