$136 million identified in the latest GUSD facilities master
plan
The school district’s facilities ship is at long last slowly being righted, and though there are no cast-in-concrete answers to the bulk of the $136 million in identified needs for the district, progress is being made.
Superintendent Deborah Flores has jumped into this pressing community problem and, while Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services Steve Brinkman put together the nuts and bolts of the master plan, she has been talking to developers and learning the all-important ins and outs of how this became a community crisis.
Clearly, she understands that learning from past mistakes is the key to avoiding future disaster. The dialogue with developers is crucial as is a continuing discussion with city council members.
Without the city’s firm support, the school district will not be able to negotiate reasonable pacts with home-building and commercial developers. The schools should no longer be viewed by the city as a poor stepchild to be shunned and dismissed. Rather, City Hall should welcome the Gilroy Unified School District as a partner in community development to be assisted, supported and linked in the effort to build a better community. And the city can no longer be greedy, grabbing at developer’s pockets for only the city’s needs. There are no NON-STARTERS between the city and the school district when it comes to negotiating and discussing school facility needs.
It’s an opportune time, really, to reverse the tart, finger-pointing relationship that has existed (at least in the background) between the city and school district. City Administrator Jay Baksa is retiring in early January and, hopefully, the school district will be invited to have a voice in the hiring of his replacement.
Beyond forging new relationships with developers and the city, the school district has a major mea culpa to perform before going to voters with another bond.
In passing Measure I, the community expected Christopher High School’s first phase to be completed soon. But only the dirt’s been turned thus far, and the cost estimates were disturbingly low.
Better estimating and a strict adherence to a voter-approved project list will be instrumental when the district comes to the public with another bond.
GUSD should approach that decision methodically, and the board should ask for numerous options regarding bond amounts, projects, etc. There’s a lot to consider before going to voters, and the public should be accorded due diligence before being asked for more money.
Good school facilities – like good parks – should be a hallmark of our community. Working together to make that the case is vitally important for a better Gilroy.
