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Case study

San Gabriel Unified School District: Bond Program Management

Bond program management partnership with San Gabriel USD since 2003. Superintendent James Symonds: "School Leaders has been ... excellent."

Overview

School Leaders has served as San Gabriel Unified School District's bond program management partner since 2003 — a partnership now spanning more than two decades and multiple bond cycles. The engagement covers the full discipline of bond program execution: scheduling, budgeting, document control, and the Board, Independent Citizens' Oversight Committee, and community engagement that earns and protects public trust. Per Superintendent James Symonds, our team understands the difference between a project that builds a building and a project that builds public trust — and treats both as essential.

Scope of work

  • Disciplined scheduling, budgeting, and document control across the bond program lifecycle.
  • Board of Education engagement — preparation, materials, and presentations that let the Superintendent and Board lead with confidence.
  • Independent Citizens' Oversight Committee (CBOC) support — professional, transparent reporting and meeting facilitation.
  • Community communication — calm, well-prepared engagement when stakes are high.
  • Project execution oversight — protecting the District's interests on every project while maintaining accountable taxpayer relationships.
  • Cross-program continuity — sustained partnership across multiple bond cycles since 2003.

Successes

  • Two decades of partnership — bond program management continuity since 2003, spanning multiple bond cycles and changes in District leadership.
  • Board and CBOC trust — interactions described as professional, transparent, and calm under pressure.
  • Administration freed to focus on instruction — School Leaders handles the bond execution work that would otherwise pull cabinet attention from teaching and learning.
  • Public trust earned and protected — every project treated as both a building project and a public-trust project.

Highlights

  • Recommended without hesitation by Superintendent James Symonds in a formal letter to any district seeking an experienced, district-centered partner.
  • Joe Dixon's leadership — including his work on the Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH) and decades of California K-12 facilities experience.
  • Reputation across the California school facility community — known and earned through sustained delivery.

Reference for this work

Larry Ferchaw

Chief Business Official

San Gabriel USD

FIT assessments and infrastructure project management across multiple sites — modernized, energy-efficient, safer learning environments aligned with educational priorities.

Contact information available on request for active prospects under NDA.

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