Funds, from $9bn bond approved by voters, includes $725m for destroyed Palisades and Marquez elementary schools

Less than a month after wildfires devastated southern California – destroying eight schools across the Los Angeles area – districts are taking steps to rebuild and recover.

On Tuesday, Los Angeles unified school district superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced the district will direct $2.2bn toward efforts to repair or rebuild three schools damaged in the Palisades wildfire, and renovate all the districts’ campuses to be more “natural disaster resilient”. The funding – which has been set aside from a $9bn bond that voters approved in November – includes $725m to reconstruct the almost entirely destroyed Palisades and Marquez elementary schools, and Palisades Charter high school, which was about 30% destroyed.