$9.7M TK Campus Breaks Ground

Pleasanton Unified School District has started construction tied to a transitional kindergarten expansion at Walnut Grove Elementary School, adding another campus project to the district’s Measure I bond program. Patch reported this week that the Walnut Grove work carries a $9.7 million price tag and includes two classrooms and a new outdoor play yard. (patch.com) District records show the work is being built on the existing Walnut Grove campus in Pleasanton rather than at a separate school site. (ceqanet.lci.ca.gov) A state environmental filing posted March 18, 2025, described the project as two new classroom buildings totaling about 3,600 square feet, modernization of one transitional kindergarten classroom and two kindergarten classrooms, and playground improvements across a total work area of about 38,000 square feet. (resources.finalsite.net) Pleasanton voters approved the district’s Measure I bond in November 2022, authorizing $395 million for facility upgrades. The Walnut Grove transitional kindergarten project appears on the district’s Measure I project list as one of the sites under construction or planning, according to the district’s facilities pages. (patch.com) ### Why is Walnut Grove adding new transitional kindergarten space now? California’s universal transitional kindergarten rollout is the main driver in the district’s planning documents. A Walnut Grove community presentation from May 14, 2024, said the state program would provide early childhood education to all 4-year-olds and “add an additional grade level to all elementary schools.” (ceqanet.lci.ca.gov) That same presentation said Walnut Grove had one current transitional kindergarten classroom with 24 students and planned for three total new classrooms, a net addition of two classrooms. District staff told residents the new buildings were needed in part because transitional kindergarten rooms require larger classrooms, restrooms and specialty playground equipment. (pleasantonusd.net) ### What exactly is being built at the Walnut Grove campus? The state filing gives the clearest project description now publicly available. It says Pleasanton Unified will construct two new classroom buildings on an existing landscaped and playground area at Walnut Grove Elementary and replace or reconstruct playground space on the site. (resources.finalsite.net) Patch’s item this week said the project adds two classrooms and an outdoor play yard. Read together with the district’s 2024 outreach materials, that indicates the district is creating dedicated space for transitional kindergarten while also reworking existing early-grade classrooms on the campus. That is an inference based on the state filing and district presentation. (resources.finalsite.net) ### How does this fit into Pleasanton Unified’s larger bond program? Measure I is the district’s main funding source for the work. The district says voters passed the bond by 57.2% on Nov. 8, 2022, above the 55% threshold, and authorized $395 million in borrowing for school facility upgrades. (ceqanet.lci.ca.gov) Walnut Grove is not the only elementary campus in the district’s transitional kindergarten buildout. The district’s transitional kindergarten projects page lists Walnut Grove alongside Donlon, Fairlands, Valley View, Mohr and other elementary sites, reflecting a districtwide facilities response to the new grade level. (patch.com) The district’s purchasing page also lists a “Walnut Grove ES Transitional Kindergarten Expansion Project” among its bid opportunities for the 2025-26 cycle. That posting shows the project moved beyond concept planning and into procurement. (pleasantonusd.net) ### What did the district tell neighbors before construction? Pleasanton Unified held at least two community meetings on the Walnut Grove project, according to its facilities page. One of those outreach presentations, dated May 14, 2024, identified district facilities officials John Chwastyk and Aaron Kael, bond program manager Van Pelt Construction Services, and architect HED as participants. (pleasantonusd.net) The 2024 presentation told neighbors the district expected to complete design and submit for Division of the State Architect approval in spring 2025, then start construction after another outreach meeting in fall 2025. The district also said at the time that tentative construction completion was targeted for fall 2026. (pleasantonusd.net) ### What happens next for families and the district? The next public milestone is completion of the Walnut Grove work, which district planning materials targeted for fall 2026. The district’s state filing says construction was anticipated to commence in 2026, and the project remains listed within Pleasanton Unified’s Measure I facilities program. (pleasantonusd.net) (ceqanet.lci.ca.gov) (resources.finalsite.net)