Redondo Beach homebuilders and commercial developers could soon pay higher school facility fees after the Redondo Beach Unified School District announced a proposed increase for 2026-27.

Dr. Nick Stephany, deputy superintendent of administrative services, posted a public hearing notice on Monday, Aug. 24, inviting residents to weigh in before the Board of Education votes. The hearing is set for Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 5:30 p.m. at the RBUSD District Office, 1401 Inglewood Ave.

The board plans to vote immediately after the hearing closes.

RBUSD charges residential developers $4.08 per square foot and commercial or industrial developers $0.66 per square foot, according to the district's Statutory School Facility Fees Report for fiscal year 2024-25. The district has not publicly disclosed the proposed new rates.

The state sets the ceiling. On Jan. 28, the California State Allocation Board raised the maximum Level 1 fee to $5.38 per square foot for residential and $0.87 for commercial construction, a 4.06% bump, according to AALRR. RBUSD's rates sit well below those caps.

In fiscal year 2024-25, the district collected $593,876 in developer fees and spent $334,504 on site preparation and outfitting school buildings across its 14 campuses, which serve roughly 9,470 students. The fee account ended the year at about $4.5 million.

The district's own report acknowledges that the fees only partially offset the impact of new development because the amounts do not adequately fund resulting facility needs.

Recent board agendas show developer fee dollars have funded modular building replacements at Lincoln, Madison and Jefferson elementary schools, plus material testing at Madison and Washington elementary schools.

Under California law, any new fee schedule takes effect 60 days after board approval.

Residents who want more information can contact Stephany at (310) 379-5449, ext. 1241. The hearing notice is posted on the district website.