PUSD Board of Education Meeting, Nov. 16, 2023 (Screengrab – KLRN)
Last night’s school board meeting was packed with public speakers, specifically Marshall students and staff.
By Rena Kurlander
The Board of Education was tasked with deciding how to spend Measure O funds.
At the September 28th board meeting, three sites were selected for preparation of bids for modernization – Muir High School, Madison Elementary, and Longfellow Elementary. Eliot and Sierra Madre Middle Schools and Willard Elementary were selected for various summer project upgrades, and Eliot, San Rafael, Willard, and Sierra Madre Elementary were selected for safety upgrades.
Members of the public have been concerned over the past two months regarding the non-inclusion of schools that have never received upgrading using Measure TT bonds. Marshall ranked #6 in line for prioritization of construction and Don Benito ranked #8. Neither of those schools are listed on the list for work to be done from 2023 to 2025. However, at last night’s meeting, possibly in response to the number of individuals present giving public comment, the board moved Marshall up higher on the list, although exactly where is uncertain. Don Benito parents presented a petition signed by over 400 individuals, asking for immediate safety upgrades, but the board was not persuaded, and the work at Don Benito will not begin until 2026.
The question remains as to whether there will be enough money from the current bond to include all schools for needed renovations.
> Watch the entire PUSD Board of Education Meeting, Nov. 16, 2023:
Thanks for covering the bond issue. What is the status of the citizen survey about willingness to support a new bond issue? How much would it be?