The Willow Glen Resident

Officials hammer out plan for bond money

A unique proposal suggests using the Old Hoover site in lieu of portables

By Cecily Barnes

Five months after voters approved the $165 million school-facilities bond for San Jose Unified School District last June, the school district is still sifting through mounds of bureaucratic paperwork, developing a master plan for the money's use. Repairs won't likely begin until summer, facilities director Rod Sprecher said.

"We're in the midst of a really accelerated planning program," Sprecher said, "but the actual work won't begin until June."

The first step toward construction is completing the master plan, which the district promises to have ready by January. This plan will outline the specific repairs to each school, the order in which the schools will be repaired and the cost of each project. Kitchell, the firm SJUSD hired to oversee the planning process, is in charge of compiling this list. The consultants are basing their decisions on "need" lists submitted by each school before the bond election.

"Right now we're going through and making sure we meet all of the Americans With Disabilities standards and Life Safety requirements," Sprecher said. "We're taking care of all of those issues first, and then we'll get into all of those cosmetic-type things."

Priority items include handicapped-accessible bathrooms, ramping and drinking fountains, fire alarm systems, electrical upgrades, roofing, and infrastructure to support technology and fire alarm and intercom systems.

One preliminary plan includes using some of the money specifically earmarked for leasing portables to retrofit Old Hoover School. The district would then use the school to temporarily house students from the northern end of the district as their schools are modernized. "If we invest it in the Hoover building--an asset that belongs to the district--we are able to maintain our investment," Sprecher said. If the district spent the money on leasing portables as the repairs were under way, Sprecher explained, there would be no return on the investment for the district.

But the plan is in its nascent stages, Sprecher stressed, and must be approved by the bond oversight committee and the school board before action is taken. A public hearing regarding the proposal will be held Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. in the Willow Glen Educational Park Media Center on Cottle Avenue.

The plan could save Old Hoover School, which the district attempted to sell more than two years ago without first consulting the community. The neighbors in the area sued and the district lost. In years following, parents throughout the district, including Willow Glen, cited Old Hoover School as an example of the district's poor record of communicating with the public.

The plan to use Hoover would save the district $2 to $3 million in portable costs, Sprecher said. However, it would cost the district $4.5 to $5 million to bring the building up to Field Act code. Sprecher said the district would not take that money from the bond, but would solicit it from private sources or the city.

"We won't use bond money to restore Old Hoover. We are not taking any money away from any other operating school to fix up a closed school," he said.

At the same time that the SJUSD prepares to use voter-approved local bond money, district officials are also vying for a chunk of the $4 billion facilities bond the state of California will place on the ballot this June. According to Sprecher, school districts that secured local bond money are eligible for matching funds from the state. Since so many other districts have bonds, the SJUSD wants to make sure the district gets a piece of the state pie before it's gone.

"We're really concerned that we move along quickly and get all of our plans up to the state [ahead of] L.A. Unified," Sprecher said. "They passed a $2.5 million bond and are competing for the same money that we are from the state. It's important that we get our application in before they do, so we can be in the right place in the stack of paperwork."

However, if something goes awry and the district receives no state money, the school district is prepared to begin spending the local money this summer. Already, six schools (none of which are in Willow Glen) have had their playgrounds revamped with new, safer equipment.

Board member Carol Myers said she's thrilled by how quickly the district has moved forward with using the bond money to fix school facilities.

"I think Rod and his staff and the project managers have done a wonderful job getting this much stuff done," Myers said.

Members of the bond oversight committee agree that Sprecher and staff have made significant progress. Bond committee member Marilyn Dion says she is pleased that the district is hurrying to finish the paperwork for the state.

"The most important thing is to maximize the money that was raised by the bond election, and we do that by focusing on getting the paperwork done," Dion said. "I think they are doing the right thing by applying for the funds as quickly as possible."

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