The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Scoping Meeting was held for the proposed South Region High School No. 15 (SRHS 15) project.
I would like to thank Dr. Richard Vladovic for consulting with Mr. John Anderson to extend the comment period to the Initial Study. Instead of the comment period ending on April 7, the period was increased to 60 days and now the end of the comment period has been moved to May 7, 2008.
This extension will allow the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council, in who area, the proposed new campus' site is located, sufficient time to have the Council's Board members learn about the Initial Study and hopefully, create and approve comments to the Initial Study.
It also allows more time for other organizations, associations, groups, and individuals to go through the Initial Study and provide comments to it.
The Scoping meeting was conducted to allow public comments on what should be studied for the Draft Environmental Impact Report, how significant items in the study should be rated, and what more could be studied, apart or in addition to what the Initial Study incorporated.
Comments concerning items to be studied were, for the most part, on point. Individuals spoke about what environmental factors should be studied and how in depth all studies should be.
There were many comments concerning the noise associated with a new campus, complete with outdoor recreational and athletic facilities and how noise travels across the Alma canyon and over the area.
I remember standing outside my grandparents home on Emily Street and being able to plainly hear children outside at White Point Elementary School.
Noise does travel differently in that area, in ways it doesn't normally travel in other areas of San Pedro and onshore winds bring added noises from farther distances than in other areas of San Pedro.
There were also comments about studying all lighting issues for the proposed campus, as it relates to the surrounding environment of homes, the Point Fermin Outdoor Experience Center, and other areas in the vicinity.
The environmental issue that building a new campus would not lower student sizes in classrooms at San Pedro High School and it was confirmed, yet again, that a new campus would not lower class size.
Traffic and access to the proposed site was clearly most on the minds of the audience and also so many of the speakers. We found this out by the clapping heard when poor access and traffic issues were commented on.
A resident who lives at the intersection of Alma and 37Th Street commented that her garage door has been replaced 17 times because of vehicles failing to make the turn off of Alma Street and on to 37Th Street. She also stated that there have been at least 6 injury collisions by vehicles slamming into her home.
Mr. Anderson, who fielded all environmental questions gave about the best answers he could, at this time. I was impressed because so many members of the public made comments and asked questions that Mr. Anderson could answer or take note of, for further study.
Dr. Vladovic, the area's Board of Education member was able to provide comments concerning the current and near future state of funding within LAUSD. Dr. Vladovic provided good comments about how important it is to find more room for students in San Pedro, especially the public high school.
There was also comments made and directed to Mr. Rod Hamilton of the Facilities Division of LAUSD. He is a manager who is on the construction end of the processes and works with the CEQA studies, too.
It was very unfortunate, however to be the bearer of bad news to some current San Pedro High School students who commented on how a new campus would lower class size at San Pedro High School. With Dr. Vladovic's confirmation, I had to comment that building any new high school campus in San Pedro would NOT lower class size at the main campus.
At best, a new campus would lower, for a period of time perhaps, the total student population at the main San Pedro High School campus. Unfortunately, it comes down to infrastructure issues at San Pedro High School and the campus' inability to provide decent sized hallways, cafeteria space, and other facilities used in common with all students. This is just my opinion, but I saw heads nodding approval of my comments concerning infrastructure by some folks in a position to know.
The evening's meeting left me where I started; I still feel that a new campus is probably needed in San Pedro, but not at what is commonly called, Angel's Gate.
We'll press on with constructive comments to the Initial Study, for the most part.
Thankfully, there was hardly any arguing between folks presenting the information and folks who commented on some very difficult issues.
No bruises were seen on anyone leaving the meeting site. That made the night a success.
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4 comments:
Simple question: How can an extra public high school in San Pedro not reduce the class size at the only public high school in San Pedro?
Simple comment: How can the utilization of an under-utilized resource such as Angel's gate not be a benefit to the over-all community of San Pedro?
There are no simple questions or simple answers, but I will make an attempt. An extra public high school will NOT reduce the class size because LAUSD (as their budget is reduced by 460 MILLION) cannot afford to hire new teachers for this campus. As it will be a satellite campus of San Pedro High School, they will simply move teachers from that campus to SRHS #15. The current principal will be pricipal to both campuses. This information has been confirmed by Dr. Vladovic, our board member.
The Angel's Gate center is not underutilized. It holds as a continuation high school for students who have difficulty in a a regular classroom setting, an early education center and speech therapy center for local preschoolers, some of whom suffer from developmental disabilities such as autism, a mommy and me facility five days a week, a testing facility for local preschoolers who may suffer from developmental disabilities. The field is used by San Pedro High School softball team, lived on by red and white foxes, and walked on by local families and their pets. Underutilized??? I think not. And as I close, I would like to share that not all the kids going to San Pedro High School are FROM San Pedro. So if you are hopeful that the land will be benefitting the community of San Pedro with a new high school, this is not true. San Pedro will once again have to be the caretaker of all its surrounding communities.
Won't lower class size, but will lower the number of classes. Instead of 3600 students on the campus built for 2000, there will be 2600. Instead of teachers having to move between rooms during the day, they can actually have their own room. Instead of students having to find places to even sit down and eat, they might actually find a table and chair.
Thanks Anonymous 9:58 PM
While I agree a new campus would not reduce class size, it could lower the number of students on the main campus, for a time.
I have been told that when there are classrooms that sit empty, charter schools have the right to move into those classrooms.
Let's suggest that the temporary classrooms on Alma, between 15Th and 14Th are vacated, wouldn't a charter school be able to come in with their program?
It is true that building a new campus would lower the number of students on San Pedro's main campus.
It must be pointed out that the infrastructure of the campus would have some relief. The halls might be less crowded, the cafeteria may have fewer customers, there would be more lockers available.
Do we want to spend $88 Million Dollars in what would essentially be infrastructure changes?
I still stick by my answer that we probably need a new high school campus to relieve overcrowding at San Pedro High School.
I believe strongly however, that an 810-seat or a 1,215-seat or greater high school must NOT be built at the preferred site.
If class size won't change, how could we be assured that the number of students attending classes at any new campus wouldn't be higher than expected at SRHS 15.
If the average class size today at San Pedro High School is 35, and I'm just guessing now, why wouldn't those 35-student classes move to a new campus.
If a new campus had 30 classrooms, all having 35 students in them each, the "810-seat" campus would instruct 1,050 students.
Taking the proposed new campus to 45 classrooms and using the average of 35 students per class, the student body population at that particular campus would be 1,575 and not the 1,215 the project proposes.
Now IF and I mean IF new teachers were hired to add to the faculty staff at the combined S.P.H.S. main campus and any campus built to relieve overcrowding at San Pedro High School, that WOULD BE another story. It still means I can support building such a campus at Angel's Gate, but it would be a great step towards lower class sizes everywhere.
I will publish my thoughts on alternatives to building a new campus at Angel's Gate. I hope everyone else thinks about alternatives, too.
We are all in this together and we need to find ways of helping students, all students, I strongly feel.
MW
P.S. folks, please remember there are 2,959 alumni who shared the halls of San Pedro High School, all together, when there were fewer bungalows, not two-story classroom building behind the auditorium, and a porprotionally more crowded environment, for just three grades, than there currently is now at San Pedro High School.
The period between Sept. 1971 and June 1972 was the most crowded period of time at S.P.H.S.
It would probably take a student body count of just over 3,900 students to equal what we went through. Why do you think Dr. Vladovic reminds all of us that there were plans for a new campus in 1974?
So I know what it is like to be in a very crowded high school. I didn't like it and that is one reason I am trying to find ways to ease the problems.
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