Keeping Tabs: Pool Repairs at South Valley and New Literacy Campaign

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 , 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.”