During construction the old issue of parking around the high school came to a head, especially from residents on Palm Court and other surrounding streets. Because of the construction there was no longer any parking on the campus, pushing staff and visitors to park in nearby neighborhoods. Superintendent Alfonso Gamino said, “We now have plenty of parking spaces, so for our day-to-day parking that issue in my opinion has gone away.” He noted that there is now more parking on 5th Street, a parking lot adjacent to the new buildings and parking on Santa Paula Street in front of the tennis courts. The Santa Paula Unified School District (SPUSD) Board okayed using the baseball field during construction for parking in the hope this would satisfy the parking issues around the school.
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The new facility has four computer labs, two of which are designated for specific teachers and two open labs, teacher prep rooms, a satellite kitchen and more. Above Santa Paula High students work in one of the labs. |
SPHS Science/Tech buildings to be dedicated Saturday
The new Science/Technology buildings at Santa Paula High School will be open for public tours Saturday, following a 10:00 am dedication ceremony.
The new buildings were built on 5th Street, across from the baseball field. They are located where the old 500 buildings used to stand. A food services facility is still under construction and when completed it is expected to alleviate the sometimes long lines at the cafeteria.
Funding for the new buildings came from the 39 million dollar bond measure, approved by voters in 2008. Some of that money also went to the renovation of the SPHS football field and track. In addition, the district received almost 5 million dollars from the State under the Overcrowding Relief Grant program. The grant money will be used to augment funding for the new building and thereby free up Bond funds for other unfunded projects.
The new facility has four computer labs, two of which are designated for specific teachers and two open labs, teacher prep rooms, a satellite kitchen and more. Superintendent Alfonso Gamino said state-mandated tests are required to be done by computer and the labs will be very helpful for that use. He added, “We also have 10 science classrooms and they’re very spacious. “SPHS Assistant Principal Bianca Lopez-Spencer said it’s an amazing feeling to be on campus. She added, “Our teachers are excited about teaching in the classrooms and our students feel special because we’ve created this program for them. This building being dedicated to science and technology shows that the school and our school district is focusing on how much we care about our students’ learning and being able to meet the new Common Core standards and being able to be college and career ready.”
