Keeping Tabs: Pool Repairs at South Valley and New Literacy Campaign
A weekly look at what’s going on with the Gilroy Unified School District.
Gilroy Unified School District officials have a couple new items to tackle, and one of them is going to cost them big.
According to a district staff report, the 17-year-old pool at South Valley Middle School is in need of one-time repairs. The pool, which is used for physical education and as a public pool for Gilroy families during the summer, should cost the district about $85,000 to repair, district staff said.
Board President Rhoda Bress said the district won’t know if they’ll have the needed funds until Governor Jerry Brown's May budget revision is released. Bress also said that the district is required to pay for the maintenance out of their general fund, and not the district’s facilities fund, according to the California Department of Education.
“Right now, we are not in a position to where we can make a financial commitment,” she said. “We have to prioritize our needs and will have to wait until May to see what the numbers look like.”
In an attempt to solve the district’s ever-growing budget woes, staff reached out to the City of Gilroy during a joint meeting on Wednesday. Council members said they’d help the district look for funding options, Bress said.
Another new item the district has on its plate entails a new city-wide literacy campaign that will be led by the district, city and local businesses. The campaign is still in its early stages, but aims to promote reading and celebrate the opening of the new public library, which should be operating by the spring.
“This is just an idea at this point, but the idea has been gaining attraction in the community,” Bress said. “Right now we are trying to figure out what model would work and [we’re] trying to get everyone on board.”
Michelle Fitzsimmons
12:21 pm on Friday, February 10, 2012
Although I know school's all over the state are experiencing budget cuts, it seems that getting this pool fixed for overall community usage will be great for the city going into the spring and summer months.
Brian
12:56 pm on Friday, February 10, 2012
There is the new Pool area at Christopher High, and the HUGE Aquatics center in MH. When they are talking about making the school day shorter, I say put off the pool repair.. UNLESS that will cost more (Not repairing the pool, means emptying the water out, which I believe can damage it) Any pool people know the answer?
Michelle Fitzsimmons
2:12 pm on Friday, February 10, 2012
Great questions and comments Brian, thanks for sharing. Hopefully we can get some answers....and fingers crossed we don't get a shorter school day or more teacher layoffs.