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The Ravenswood City School District is making progress toward designing a new community health center at Belle Haven Elementary School through a partnership with the Ravenswood Family Health Network. The district’s school board also unanimously approved the design and budget for its new office building.
During a school board meeting on May 9, Louisa Buada, RFHN’s director of capital projects presented the board with the proposed services the Belle Haven Community Health Center would provide.
The health center is expected to be built on the northeast corner of the campus as a part of the redesign of the school, located at 415 Ivy Drive, that’s expected to be completed in 2026. The district is investing in this health clinic by offering RFHN a “no rent” lease, charging some rent but giving rent credit for services provided, explained Chief Business Officer Will Eger.
“The net effect of that is no rent, but it does highlight the significant financial benefit that our students will be healthier, more prepared for school, better screened, (have) better teeth as well as generally healthier,” said Eger at the start of the presentation.
The health center will be open to the entire community. Buada proposed various services including dental care, pediatrics, women’s health, prenatal care, behavioral health counseling, laboratory services and more.
Eger highlighted that access to health resources will allow students to stay in school longer and receive support for healthier lifestyles. Through community engagement and outreach, the district received an outpouring of support from the community of Belle Haven to build a health clinic in the neighborhood, said Eger.
“In 2023, we served 1,289 residents of Belle Haven in our East Palo Alto site,” said Buada during the presentation.
The organization also focuses on dental health, asthma care, vaccinations and hearing and vision screenings specifically for elementary school children. Their dental care services include cleanings, fluoride varnishes, sealants and X-rays.
Architect Scott Peterson said the project is currently in the design phase. The district hopes to open the health center by 2026. Over the next three months, project planners will be doing community outreach to hear directly from the people they will be serving as well as the district.
Moving forward, Peterson also said they will be fundraising approximately $6 million to $8 million and will receive a permit from the Division of the State Architect which provides construction oversight for K-12 schools.
“Our goal is working to that point to be ready to proceed with construction as soon as the site is available to move forward to open in 2026,” said Peterson. The site is expected to be open in fall 2025 as the district is demolishing buildings and constructing new classrooms in phases.
Design and budget for new district office
During the meeting, the board approved the budget and design for the new district office to be constructed off of Bay Road adjacent to Cesar Chavez Ravenswood Middle School. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $17 million, which will be funded through bonds, reserves and grants. In 2022, the school board voted to lease the current district office at 2120 Euclid Ave. in East Palo Alto to bring in more funds to the district.
For a total of $11 million, the district office will be 10,000 square feet with non-load bearing walls that will allow for the interior spaces to be adjusted if needed. The building will have 15 offices, 30 workstations, five conference rooms and four phone rooms.
In addition to the district office, Eger presented the design plans to also include a transportation yard with electric vehicle charging and storage building for maintenance, technology and teaching. Two large modular special education classrooms are also part of the design to be used for special education preschool classes. Both will amount to a total of about $6 million.
“We have tried to design the cheapest possible district office that meets all of our needs for today and for the future,” said Eger.
The district’s preliminary budget was set at $111 million but current calculations show the district is about $10 million over their predicted budget. Eger said that he isn’t worried about this as there are various state bonds that can cover the costs.
Watch a video of the meeting here:
Guest Opinion: Has the Sequoia Union High School District Board of Trustees lost its way?February 1, 2026 1:50 pm
