Bus Tour Highlights Salinas Schools' Needs Trustees ponder $93M bond measure to repair campuses

Bus Tour Highlights Salinas Schools' Needs Trustees ponder $93M bond measure to repair campuses

Alisal Union School District Trustee Jose Castaneda stepped off the short bus and onto the parking lot of his alma mater, Frank Paul Elementary School, late Wednesday afternoon.

Looking over his left shoulder and past the rows of pink portable classrooms with brown wooden shingles, Castaneda marveled at how little had changed.

"That baseball field looks the same as it did 25 years ago," he chuckled to himself.

The same could be said of the school, which was built in 1981. There is only one permanent building on its campus. The building is a multi-purpose room, not a classroom.

Castaneda's visit was part of a special board meeting in which trustees rode for almost three hours around East Salinas, examining eight elementary schools in need of repair or new facilities. The trip culminated with a discussion on whether to place a general obligation bond on the November ballot, possibly asking for as much as $93 million in funds to start much-needed repairs and construction as well as improve the schools' safety and create fine arts buildings.

Half of that request -- $45 million -- includes the cost of completely building new schools at Virginia Rocca Barton, Frank Paul and in the new Monte Bella developments.

"The bond would be to ensure a safe and adequate learning environment," said Superintendent Ruben Pulido before the trip.

The proposed bond, which has not yet been affirmed by the board, would be the first for the district in 10 years.

"We want every school site to benefit in one way or another," Pulido said.

A draft of facility needs, put together by district staff members and a blue ribbon committee, addresses everything from improved fences and security cameras on each campus to additional desks, drinking fountains and computer labs. Some needs are more specific, such as roof and water damage repairs, and even site specific, like at Fremont and Alisal Community schools, which are nearly 50 years old.

A preliminary survey of voters found that the bare minimum -- 55 percent -- support the bond. That number, trustees and consultants say, needs to improve if the district takes the bond to the ballot.

At Wednesday night's meeting, board members expressed their support for the bond, though they have to officially vote to place it on the ballot at their Aug. 2 meeting.

"Some things I'm a little concerned about, but the existing sites need upgrades and modernization improvement," said Trustee Gary Karnes.

"We need some sort of funding to bring our schools up to par, or in some cases, replace the school. Something needs to be done now," said Trustee Jesse Velasquez.

During the board's tour of Frank Paul Elementary, Pulido and John Lorensen, the district's director of maintenance and transportation, showed the board water damage on the portable classrooms that has only gotten worse with neglect over time. The flat roofs, Velasquez noted, only make matters worse.

When asked for the exact number of portable classrooms on site, Deputy Superintendent Robert Guillen said: "It's all portables except one building. That's not good."

Sitting on 12 acres, Frank Paul is one of the district's largest sites.

"This school, from the ground on up, needs to be redone," Castaneda said as the group moved back toward the bus and eventually to Virginia Rocca Barton, another elementary school mainly constructed out of portables and situated at the base of a flood plain.