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Some parents and community members in the Eastside neighborhood of Riverside are concerned that North High School is the short end of the stick when it comes to renovation money.
The concerns come as the Riverside Unified School District has partnered with UC Riverside to build a new STEM high school, called STEM Education Center, on the college campus.
The group accused the district of discriminating against its predominantly minority neighborhood, saying school leaders have made STEM school a higher priority – while the aging northern campus is “in urgent need” of repair.
“North has always been seen as a ghetto school,” said Rich Davis, a North High graduate who worked for the district for 35 years and served 20 years as North’s administrator.
But district officials deny the allegations, saying they have treated North the same as other schools and stress they are listening to the community. A district-sponsored community workshop in September will address STEM school and related concerns.
Riverside School Board Chairman Tom Hunt said school trustees are aware of growing concerns about inequity.
“It’s upsetting that some in Eastside are using fear to get more people against STEM school at UCR,” Hunt said over the phone. “For people to say that (STEM school) is going to hurt North High is unfair to the community. Yes, there are challenges, and we need to do more to communicate. So many opportunities come from this school.
Riverside Unified Schools receive money for renovations through Measure O, a $ 392 million bond approved by voters in 2016. The purpose of the measure is to modernize campuses and build new schools and facilities district officials said.
Mark Mathews of the Eastside Task Force said North – built in 1965 – was “in need of major repairs.”
“The classrooms are run down,” he says. “The library is completely insufficient. Basically the school needs to be gutted and rebuilt.
In May, a visionary North High School design committee identified $ 157.1 million in campus renovation needs, including improvements to the library, theater, gymnasium, cafeteria and classrooms. .
Mathews said the O measure was sold to the public as a way to raise dollars for school renovations. With that in mind, he said, a significant amount of bond money is expected to be spent on repairs in North – where people currently have to exit the gym to use a restroom.
It seems North’s needs are not a priority, said Mathews, a North 1970 graduate.
“We believe in the school,” he said. “We got through. It got us to where we are today. “
Riverside Schools Superintendent Renee Hill said by email that the Measure O funds “provide essential upgrades, modernizations and projects for schools across the RUSD.”
“The reality of updating schools is that almost always the needs exceed the funding available,” Hill said. “While we all want each of the projects to be done immediately, we also want to make sure that each is done in a fair, equitable, safe manner and provides excellent learning environments for years to come.
North, as well as Arlington High, received $ 26 million in O measure money, according to Deputy Superintendent Tim Walker. Poly High received $ 24 million, Ramona High $ 20 million, and Martin Luther King High received $ 34 million.
“It is critical to understand that each of RUSD’s campuses, depending on their age, are eligible for varying amounts of state funding to go along with local funding for Measure O,” Walker said in an email. , “that’s why (25 years old) Martin Luther King High School has a bigger ‘bucket’ to support local funding.”
But some residents, like Yolanda Esquivel, a parent of three North High graduates, don’t buy it.
“This is a clear case of systemic neglect and discrimination,” said Esquivel, former president of the Riverside Council of the League of Latin American Citizens United, who added that North was “in urgent need” of help. renovations.
Jacqueline Perez, deputy superintendent for equity, access and community engagement, said via email that the district is focused on equity and creating “an inclusive and supportive environment for all students.”
“We promote open lines of communication to help every student feel heard, accepted and supported by the district,” said Perez. “Any other accusation is misleading, offensive and false. “
As for the district’s partnership with the UCR for the STEM Education Center, the project is moving forward. At its July 15 meeting, the Riverside School Board approved an amendment to a 50-year lease with the university for the school’s final location, which has already been moved several times, on campus. The council voted to begin an environmental review earlier this year.
North High School Principal Dale Kinnear is seen on May 19, 2011 with members of the Blue Star Regiment. Kinnear, who retired in 2011, now sits on the Riverside School Board. (File photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise / SCNG)
Members of the Eastside task force said they were not opposed to STEM school or improvements to other high school campuses. But they argue that North – because of its long backlog of repairs – should go first and receive a larger share of the O Measure money.
Newly elected school board trustee Dale Kinnear, who has led North as principal for 19 years, said the complex issue is “a matter of priorities.”
Kinnear, who voted alone against the district’s UCR STEM school earlier in July, said the school should be located in North because of its proximity to the UCR. He agreed that North needed “major renovations”.
“How do you choose between replacing aging laptops or expanding or building a new gymnasium, when North Gymnasium may be the only one in America where students have to go outside to get to the locker room or the washroom?” How do you decide to renovate the science labs rather than the library or the theater? “
Kinnear said the issue involved race and economics, but it was not discrimination.
“While I don’t think the issues discussed are based on race, there are some people in the Eastside who think they are,” he said. “I am very convinced that their beliefs cannot be ignored. I have known many of these alumni, colleagues and community members for a long time. Their feelings are real and deserve our attention.
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Sources 2/ https://www.pe.com/2021/07/30/eastside-residents-allege-riversides-north-high-in-dire-need-of-repairs-is-being-forgotten/ The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
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