LGUSD inches closer to bond election decision
By Rebecca Ray
The Los Gatos Union School district at its meeting on Oct. 24, came close to, but did not say that it would definitely ask the community to support a bond measure to repair and improve its aging facilities.
The board met to discuss the district's Long Range Facilities Master Plan, which outlines the schools' need for safe, upgraded facilities. The only way to get sufficient funds, board members said, is through a bond.
Board members predict they will need $80.3 million to upgrade the district's four elementary and one middle school.
The district finds itself in more precarious shape this year than in past years because, for the first time, the district will share developer fees with the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, which exercised its option for the first time last year to receive the fees. The high school district did not have a steep enough enrollment growth until this year, when the enrollment is expected to increase by 3 and 4 percent over the next eight years.
The district is not sure if it will get the approximate amount of $450,000 in developer fees it originally anticipated. Some $177,106 is expected for deferred maintenance that can be used for roofing and plumbing, heating and air conditioning.
In order for schools to do better, said board of trustees member Tom O'Donnell, the community must be behind them.
The LGUSD identifies its top priorities in the master plan as health, safety and infrastructure upgrades. Although heating and plumbing systems are well-maintained, they are between 39 and 51 years old, and running and repairing these aging systems cost more than installing new ones. In addition, the board identifies parking and traffic problems, and the need for outside lighting and facilities that are more earthquake-safe and energy-efficient.
The schools cannot accommodate today's technology, teaching style and student population, according to the master plan. Many classrooms have only one plug for overhead projectors, TVs, VCRs and computers. If the district is to achieve its ideal of placing five to eight computers in each classroom, it needs more outlets.
Classrooms were also designed for a "face-forward-sit-still-and-be-quiet" teaching style that has been relegated to the history books in favor of today's more participatory style that highlights small-group instruction and student/teacher interaction. The district is trying to increase student/teacher ratios by adding more teachers and classrooms.
More classrooms are also needed to accommodate the growing student population. In the early 1980s, the district had fewer than 2,000 students. Now, it has 2,772 students, more than 200 students above the amount the schools were designed to accommodate. Board members predict the elementary school population will increase by about 500 students, and the middle school population will increase by about 800 students, by 2009.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
