Pomona to moderernize school campuses after $235 million bond measure passes
With the approval of a $235 million bond measure last week, Pomona Unified School District officials can now begin moving forward with plans to modernized campuses.
Members of the district's board of trustees will be meeting in a special study session Saturday to prepare for what will be many construction projects, Superintendent Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana said late last week.
At that same meeting district leaders will also work on establishing new grade configurations leading to campuses where students could go from pre-school to eighth grade on one campus in addition to the traditional kindergarten to sixth, she said.
With the bond, school modernization, grade reconfiguration and the concept of academies, or schools within schools, will be able to move forward, giving parents and students greater academic options, the superintendent said.
Members of the district's board of trustees will be meeting in a special study session Saturday to prepare for what will be many construction projects, Superintendent Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana said late last week.
At that same meeting district leaders will also work on establishing new grade configurations leading to campuses where students could go from pre-school to eighth grade on one campus in addition to the traditional kindergarten to sixth, she said.
With the bond, school modernization, grade reconfiguration and the concept of academies, or schools within schools, will be able to move forward, giving parents and students greater academic options, the superintendent said.
Pomona High School Principal Roger Fasting said the bond also will
help students who enrolled in the school's medical academy this fall.
On top of taking the academic courses to graduate high school, about 250 students are taking courses tied to health careers, Fasting said.
Part of their education takes place in a medical classroom equipped with materials and equipment students will encounter in a medical setting, he said.
More resources are needed, however, such as additional computers for research purposes that would also be available to students that aren't enrolled in the academy, he said.
Before any of that can be done, the school's electrical system must be upgraded to support the additional energy needs without overloading the system, he said.
As it is now, "we've had situations were fuses have blown," Fasting said.
The bond also is expected to provide some funds to spruce up the campus, and maybe even do something about the tired fence surrounding the school, which parents and others have expressed a concern about, he said.
Replacing the fence alone "gives a general curb appeal upgrade," Fasting said.
Melendez de Santa Ana said improving the look of schools is "like a homeowner's pride of ownership," and that too has an impact on students.
The things that Pomona Unified is seeking to do are not new, said Guilbert Hentschke, Richard and Mary Cooper chair in Public School Administration at USC's Rossier School of Education.
Seeing the connection between their schoolwork and something outside of the school grounds will at times spark an academic interest in students, he said.
Hentschke also pointed out that the reconfiguring of grade levels allows students to work in a comfortable environment until they reach a certain level of maturity and can transition to a new campus with older students, he said.
Around the country, school districts large and small are using these means to both capture the interest of students and get them hooked on education.
"Pomona is in no way alone," Hentschke said. "I would say it's in good company."
monica.rodriguez@inlandnewspapers.com
On top of taking the academic courses to graduate high school, about 250 students are taking courses tied to health careers, Fasting said.
Part of their education takes place in a medical classroom equipped with materials and equipment students will encounter in a medical setting, he said.
More resources are needed, however, such as additional computers for research purposes that would also be available to students that aren't enrolled in the academy, he said.
Before any of that can be done, the school's electrical system must be upgraded to support the additional energy needs without overloading the system, he said.
As it is now, "we've had situations were fuses have blown," Fasting said.
The bond also is expected to provide some funds to spruce up the campus, and maybe even do something about the tired fence surrounding the school, which parents and others have expressed a concern about, he said.
Replacing the fence alone "gives a general curb appeal upgrade," Fasting said.
Melendez de Santa Ana said improving the look of schools is "like a homeowner's pride of ownership," and that too has an impact on students.
The things that Pomona Unified is seeking to do are not new, said Guilbert Hentschke, Richard and Mary Cooper chair in Public School Administration at USC's Rossier School of Education.
Seeing the connection between their schoolwork and something outside of the school grounds will at times spark an academic interest in students, he said.
Hentschke also pointed out that the reconfiguring of grade levels allows students to work in a comfortable environment until they reach a certain level of maturity and can transition to a new campus with older students, he said.
Around the country, school districts large and small are using these means to both capture the interest of students and get them hooked on education.
"Pomona is in no way alone," Hentschke said. "I would say it's in good company."
monica.rodriguez@inlandnewspapers.com
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