Category Archives: School facilities

Solano Widenmann Leadership Academy name proposed to school board – Times-Herald

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By John Glidden

A special citizen advisory committee is recommending the Vallejo City Unified School District board consider renaming Solano Middle School to the Solano Widenmann Leadership Academy.

The school board received information about the new name during its meeting Wednesday afternoon. Trustees appointed the special committee in April after the district moved Widenmann Elementary School to the middle school site for the start of the 2019-20 school year.

“By keeping a portion of both schools in the name, we can continue to acknowledge the history of our region, the different cultures that make up our schools, and the contributions of both individuals to our community,” wrote Victoria Grace, committee spokesperson, in a letter to the school board.

Source: Solano Widenmann Leadership Academy name proposed to school board – Times-Herald

Vallejo board to head recommendation on new name for school facility – Times-Herald

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By John Glidden

A citizen advisory committee will present its recommendation on renaming the Solano Middle School facility during Wednesday’s Vallejo school board meeting.

The five-person committee was convened by the board to find a suitable name for the facility which is combination of two schools: Solano Middle School and Widenmann Elementary School.

Due to a request from Ramona Bishop’s ELITE Chater school for a suitable school site in Vallejo, the district decided to provide the Widenmann school to fulfill the request.

Source: Vallejo board to head recommendation on new name for school facility – Times-Herald

Suisun Elementary to Receive Two New Playground Structures – Daily Republic

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By Tim Goree

Suisun Elementary School students are looking forward to their next recess even more than usual! REM Construction began mobilizing at Suisun Elementary on Monday, April 13th to start construction of two new playground structures. Manufactured by Gametime, the new structures will be placed on the lower grade and the upper grade playgrounds.

The equipment is designed to promote physical activity and fitness through active play, which includes six key elements: spinning, sliding, swinging, climbing, brachiating, and balancing. The lower grade structure will include multiple slides, a climbing wall, and gizmo panels; the upper grade structure will include multiple slides, a climbing wall, and swings. Playground construction, which is part of a larger project at Suisun Elementary School, was originally scheduled to start June 15th and end in October. Due to school building closures the project has started early and is anticipated to finish in August.

Source: Press Release: Suisun Elementary to Receive Two New Playground Structures

VUSD issues final series of Measure A bonds from initial authorization – The Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

Campuses may be closed for the remainder of the academic year, but Vacaville Unified School District officials are still working to move the progress of Measure A projects along.

Last week, VUSD was able to price its Series D bonds, which will be the fourth and final series of bonds from the 2014 election where Measure A was approved, officials wrote in a news release.

The bonds were approved by the school board at its March 19 meeting.

Source: VUSD issues final series of Measure A bonds from initial authorization – The Reporter

FSUSD Announces School Building Closures for 2019-2020 School Year – Daily Republic

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By Tim Goree

Superintendent Kris Corey announced last night during the meeting of the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District’s Governing Board, that FSUSD will continue distance learning for students through the end of the 2019-2020 school year.

“I had hoped we would be able to allow students to come back to their schools in person during the last week or two of the school calendar, since our school year ends on June 12th, a bit later than most districts. This would have been a wonderful opportunity for students to reconnect and celebrate some of their school’s end-of-year activities. Unfortunately, it seems this won’t be possible,” Superintendent Corey stated.

Source: Press Release: FSUSD Announces School Building Closures for 2019-2020 School Year

Vacaville High’s Tom Zunino Stadium upgrade on target – The Reporter

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By Matt Sieger

Vacaville High’s gridiron has borne the name of its legendary football coach Tom Zunino since 2004. After 16 years, the field was due for a makeover and it’s getting a good one, to the tune of $6.7 million.

The stadium project began after the homecoming football game in September and is scheduled for completion by May 18.

That date was set originally to ensure the new field would be ready in time for June graduation. Now, if graduation is set back due to the coronavirus, the grand opening for the updated stadium could come for a delayed graduation ceremony. Or it could be held on any given day unattached to an actual event. Or it could be held at the Bulldog football team’s home opener on September 4.

Source: Vacaville High’s Tom Zunino Stadium upgrade on target – The Reporter

Senate Passes Coronavirus Bill With $13.5 Billion for Schools, DeVos Waiver Power – Education Week

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By Andrew Ujifusa

Senators have passed a $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package that includes $13.5 billion in dedicated funding to shore up K-12 education budgets, as well as additional aid for student nutrition and child-care services. It also gives U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos new waiver power to grant states and schools flexibility under the main federal K-12 law.

The $13.5 billion earmarked for K-12 schools is included in the bill’s Education Stabilization Fund, which also contains $14.25 billion for higher education, and $3 billion for governors to use at their discretion to assist K-12 and higher education as they deal with the fallout from the virus. The legislation also states that any state or school district getting money from the stabilization fund “shall to the greatest extent practicable, continue to pay its employees and contractors during the period of any disruptions or closures related to coronavirus.”

Source: Senate Passes Coronavirus Bill With $13.5 Billion for Schools, DeVos Waiver Power – Politics K-12 – Education Week

Markham celebrates opening of new classrooms – The Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

The weather might have been freezing and the winds might have been blowing heavily, but none of that could dampen Edwin Markham Elementary’s school spirit Monday morning.

After all, this was no ordinary day at Markham but a day to celebrate a set of newly opened classrooms that were financed through Measure A.

Measure A is a $194 million general obligation bond that was approved by voters in 2014 aimed at providing technology upgrades, building renovation and new construction at Vacaville Unified School District schools.

Source: Markham celebrates opening of new classrooms – The Reporter

Changes coming for Corbus Field in Vallejo – Times-Herald

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By Matt O’Donnell

Corbus Field has given Vallejo and Jesse Bethel high school athletes plenty of thrills over the years.

Now the old stadium will receive some much-needed upgrades in the next few years.

The Vallejo Unified School Board approved a contract between the district and the Napa-based Chaudhary and Associates for a site survey of Corbus Field and Casper Oval refurbishment project at last week’s meeting. The contract is worth $16,240 and will be paid through Measure S funds, according to the district.

The district has scheduled construction of phase one, which includes the turf and track, following high school graduations in June. Phase two of the makeover is not expected to happen until 2024 and will be much more involved. That will include demolishing the bleachers on both sides, the press box, bathrooms and locker rooms.

Source: Changes coming for Corbus Field in Vallejo – Times-Herald

Volunteers beautify Fairfield High campus on MLK Day – The Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

As was typical for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, no classes were held at Fairfield High School Monday. Nonetheless, the campus was alive with activity as close to 100 volunteers worked to pick up litter, paint classrooms and construct garden boxes for the school’s culinary program.

In the words of Rebuilding Together Solano County, it was “a day on, not a day off.”

For the 11th year in a row, Rebuilding Together joined forces with local agencies and volunteers who demonstrated hearts full of grace to help spruce up Fairfield High’s 56-year-old campus as it has for other Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District schools. The work began at 8:30 a.m. and continued until about 4 p.m.

The day drew in efforts from everybody from Fairfield High students and faculty, elected officials and volunteers from such agencies as Travis Air Force Base, Medic Ambulance, Liberty Church, the Matt Garcia Foundation, Vallejo Executive Lions Club, California State University, Maritime Academy, Fairfield Public Safety Academy, Home Depot and Kaiser Permanente, the latter two of whom donated substantial amounts of money to fund the event.

Source: Volunteers beautify Fairfield High campus on MLK Day – The Reporter

Vallejo Superintendent Adam Clark recommending Lincoln remain open – Times-Herald

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By John Glidden

It appears the oldest public school in the city of Vallejo won’t close anytime soon.

Vallejo school district Superintendent Adam Clark sent notice Friday afternoon, shortly before the school board’s Wednesday agenda was released to the public, that his office is recommending Lincoln Elementary School remain open.

However, three other school sites — Beverly Hills Elementary School, Franklin Middle School and the Farragut Academy — are being recommended to be closed or consolidated for the 2020-21 school year.

Source: Vallejo Superintendent Adam Clark recommending Lincoln remain open – Times-Herald

Vallejo school board asked to approve project labor agreement – Times-Herald

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By John Glidden

A year after Vallejo voters overwhelmingly approved Measure S — a $194 million bond to repair local schools — the school board will be asked to approve a project labor agreement (PLA) with numerous trade organizations and unions.

The Vallejo City Unified School District Board of Education will meet at 6 p.m., Wednesday, inside the Governing Board Room, at 665 Walnut Avenue on Mare Island in Vallejo.

The PLA will apply to construction projects of $1.5 million or more in the school district using Measure S bond monies. PLAs are pre-hire collective bargaining agreements establishing terms and conditions of employment for certain projects.

Source: Vallejo school board asked to approve project labor agreement – Times-Herald

Vallejo committee recommending Lincoln and Beverly Hills schools be closed – Times-Herald

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By John Glidden

Pleas from local parents and students last month apparently didn’t sway a special Vallejo school district committee from recommending the closure of Beverly Hills and Lincoln elementary schools.

The Vallejo school board will receive a final report on Wednesday from the District Property Advisory Committee, which is recommending students from both schools be relocated, freeing up the property for sale or re-use as another district facility.

The board is expected to make a final decision on whether to implement the recommendations at a future meeting.

Source: Vallejo committee recommending Lincoln and Beverly Hills schools be closed – Times-Herald

Committee recommends renaming Vallejo middle school in honor of John Finney – Times-Herald

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By John Glidden

A special advisory committee is recommending that Vallejo Middle School be renamed in honor of longtime educator John Finney — however, not everyone agrees.

Committee members presented their ideas during Wednesday’s Vallejo school board meeting of renaming the former middle school site to the John W. Finney Education Complex. The complex would be home to a professional development center, independent study, the Everest Academy, and the continuation school named in Finney’s honor.

“John W. Finney had a long illustrious career in education as an administrator in this district,” said committee spokesperson Elissa Shanks Stewart.

Source: Committee recommends renaming Vallejo middle school in honor of John Finney – Times-Herald

District eyeing possible closure of schools; public hearing Dec. 17 – Times-Herald

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By John Glidden

Eight different Vallejo school district properties – including the home of the oldest public school in the city of Vallejo – are up for possible closure.

A special Vallejo City Unified School District committee will hold a public hearing Dec. 17 to discuss the sale or leasing of the properties as the district continues to face financial challenges.

The list includes active school sites like Lincoln Elementary, Franklin Middle, Beverly Hills Elementary, and Farragut Academy, while the district’s main office building on Mare Island is also up for possible closure.

The former home of John Finney High School on Colusa Street and the shuttered Grant Elementary and Crest Center on Gateway Drive are the other district properties being considered.

Source: District eyeing possible closure of schools; public hearing Dec. 17 – Times-Herald

Dixon school board selects John Knight as new middle school namesake – The Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

When Dixon middle schoolers return at the end of summer, they will not only be stepping onto a new campus but one with a new name.

The Dixon school board voted unanimously Thursday to rename CA Jacobs Middle School after longtime principal and educator John Knight when the school relocates to East A Street.

A committee of staff, students and parents was tasked with choosing a new name, mascot and school colors to signify a new beginning when CA Jacobs moves to the refurbished former Dixon High School campus at the start of the 2020-21 school year. The committee chose burgundy and gray as the new colors and Mavericks as the new mascot.

Source: Dixon school board selects John Knight as new middle school namesake – The Reporter

California Middle School Debuts New Student Center – School Construction News

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By Lisa Kopochinski

The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District (FSUSD) recently celebrated the grand opening and ribbon cutting of Grange Middle School’s $7.5-million new student center in Fairfield, California.

HMC Architects’ Michael Rath, members of the Fairfield community, and representatives from FSUSD and Grange Middle School attended this event for this expansion that made possible by the Measure J Bond passed in June 2016. Clark/Sullivan Construction was the general contractor on this project.

The $249 million bond aims to improve the quality of education and provide safe, modern schools for all FSUSD students. The new center now features a safe space for students and staff to eat meals, a cafeteria, innovation lab, and a college and career center. Along with the new student center, the design team modernized and expanded the school’s library, converted a multi-purpose building into science labs, and added a locker room to the gymnasium. The school is now prepared to be a resource to current and future generations of students.

Source: California Middle School Debuts New Student Center – School Construction News

Dixon school board to consider new names for middle school – The Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

Two potential names for Dixon’s relocated middle school will go before the Governing Board of the Dixon Unified School District at Thursday’s meeting.

One of the largest projects to be funded by Measure Q — a $30.4 million initiative passed by Dixon voters in 2016 to fund district construction and renovation projects — is the remodel of the old Dixon High School campus to house the district’s new middle school. The campus has sat mostly vacant since 2007 when Dixon High moved operations to a new campus on College Way, but will be open once again at the start of the 2020-21 year when sixth through eighth-graders will move to the old building at 455 East A St.

However, the new campus will not be just a relocated CA Jacobs Middle School. It will feature a new identity, as well.

Source: Dixon school board to consider new names for middle school – The Reporter

VUSD to consider new proposal for Country High School – The Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

Vacaville Unified School District has decided not to move forward with a plan to create two smaller credit recovery campuses at the Will C. Wood and Vacaville high school campuses.

Instead, the school board will be considering a new proposal to move Country High School to the Buckingham Charter Magnet High School campus, move Buckingham to the current Country High campus and merge Country High with the Ernest Kimme Charter Academy for Independent Learning, which will move into the building across the way, the district announced in a Facebook post.

The goal is for both programs to work together to bring more resources to students.

In September, the district announced that it was considering establishing smaller continuation campuses on the general education high school campuses for Country High students to take classes in self-contained classrooms. However, Country High students, parents and staff expressed concerns about this proposal — namely that Country High students benefited from being in a smaller campus away from the larger comprehensive campuses — at the Sept. 28 school board meeting and on social media.

Source: VUSD to consider new proposal for Country High School – The Reporter

Dozens of Bay Area schools cancel classes; Oakland scales back closures [San Francisco Chronicle]

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Schools across the Bay Area are bracing for a power outage, with many district officials warning classes will be canceled during the power outage announced by PG&E Tuesday.

U.C. Berkeley said that “most of the core campus will be without power starting at approximately 8 a.m.,” prompting the university to cancel classes Wednesday.

“The campus, however, will remain open, though services will be limited. Most student-serving offices will be open, however the Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Union and Eshelman Hall will be closed,” it said in a statement.

Source: Dozens of Bay Area schools — including U.C. Berkeley — cancel classes; Oakland scales back closures [San Francisco Chronicle]