Willow Glen Resident

Education

Willow Glen High will remodel science labs thanks to Measure C

By Mayra Flores De Marcotte

Willow Glen High School was one of three San Jose Unified School District schools chosen to receive a new science building, but because the school lacks the space, its existing lab will be remodeled instead.

The other two schools, San Jose Academy and Lincoln High School, will receive new science buildings.

The school could have had a new building but there was no place for one on campus, said principal Elaine Farace. Space is tight as it is, and the school doesn't have enough parking, so the funding will go toward a remodel.

The remodel will cost about $5 million, and funding comes from Measure C, said San Jose Unified School District director of school construction Ty Williams. It will include the complete gutting of the "W" building, the former shop building, which now houses the existing labs.

The district will begin construction on the new facility in September. The classrooms should be ready by fall 2008. There will be four new chemistry labs with new casework, flooring, plumbing and technology.

"The science labs weren't functional," Williams said. "This will give them large enough rooms that can function both as labs and lecturing space."

The district will remodel the building and include green items to the extent that it can afford, Williams added. Solar panels and stained concrete instead of vinyl tiles or carpets will be used.

The district and school met over the past year to make sure the project would meet the needs of both the students and teachers.

Last spring, faculty and parents met with architects and toured schools in Burlingame, Los Gatos and Mountain View.

"We were trying to bring fresh ideas and completely different layout plans to the teachers," Williams said.

Along with the remodel, the school will undergo a modernization to improve the facade of the school's buildings as well as its landscaping as part of Measure F.

"Hopefully, this will be an opportunity to change the architecture of the school," Williams said.

Measure C is a $165 million bond approved by voters in 1997. An additional $100 million was also leveraged from the state. The funds were applied toward all the aging schools in the San Jose Unified School District and covered the basics, such as new paint on the buildings' exteriors, new roofs, paving of all blacktops, and electrical upgrades to accommodate technology needs for computer labs and Internet use.

Measure F is a $429 million bond approved by voters in 2003 to build new classroom buildings and new schools and repair multipurpose rooms. The funds are used to add new landscaping, replace irrigation systems, resod the athletic fields and improve the drainage systems.