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The Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District is conducting maintenance work at Junction Avenue TK-8 School this summer, following concerns by Junction families expressed earlier this year regarding the site’s health and safety conditions.
Completed or in-progress tasks — set to be ready for the start of the school year next Wednesday (Aug. 13) — includes the replacement of damaged or stained ceiling tiles, replacement of all porcelain drinking fountains with stainless steel fountains as well as the installation of new latches on bathroom stalls. The number of ceiling tiles and latches replaced was not immediately available, but “needs in those areas were identified and are being thoroughly addressed,” district officials said.
LVJUSD also hired an outside inspector to conduct an air quality and mold survey inside portable classrooms, which revealed no issues, according to district officials.
“We have devoted a large amount of time and attention to address the concerns brought forward in the spring of last (school) year,” LVJUSD spokesperson Michelle Dawson told Livermore Vine.
During an LVJUSD Board of Education meeting May 20, Junction students and parents raised concerns about the campus conditions.
“Our concerns are rooted in the safety and well-being of our children,” parents wrote in a May 13 letter submitted to the board.
The letter highlighted a number of upgrades the district has made at Junction, including a new HVAC system, fire protection system updates, roofing repairs, a new marquee, library improvements, gas line upgrades and the addition of overhead projectors in every classroom.
“These efforts, though appreciated, have mostly addressed individual systems or surface-level needs,” the letter states.
Attached to the letter signed by 148 individuals, including community members and parents of former Junction students, was parents’ report to document what they describe as “deplorable conditions”.
Reported issues included a lack of maintenance to bathrooms and drinking fountains as well as water stains on ceiling panels that parents said may signal a mold problem.
Almost all of the issues were addressed between the time of the report’s submission and the May 20 board meeting, LVJUSD director of maintenance, operations and facilities Glenn Sherman said at the meeting.
LVJUSD Superintendent Torie Gibson also conducted a full-site visit prior to the start of summer vacation with Junction parents, principal Jeannette Garza and maintenance staff. The visit resulted in a task list of concerns to look into or address.
Throughout the summer, the maintenance team has been addressing the list, according to district officials.
“Our maintenance team is working diligently to clean and make needed repairs at all schools, including Junction,” Dawson said.
Junction parents are scheduled to tour the campus this Friday (Aug. 8), parent Tara Boyce confirmed.
“While deep cleaning and repairs that are more likely to cause disruption to the school day are prioritized for non-student days and breaks, the work to clean and keep our facilities in good repair does not stop on the first day of school,” Dawson said. “That work continues year round, day in and day out!”
Any major capital improvement projects at LVJUSD campuses in the future will require the passage of a new school bond, since Measure J funding obtained in 2016 has been exhausted, officials stated.
The district is preparing to pursue a bond in June 2026, pending the results of community polling and board authorization.
The subsequent projects and improvements would be determined with direction from the board in consultation with staff, district officials said. But a common improvement is replacing portables — of which Junction has several — with permanent classrooms.
The Junction parents’ full statement is: “Although the parents have received no direct communication this summer from our District Office, we have just within the last week received an Air Quality report through our site Administration that we were promised after the June 9th walkthrough of the campus with Superintendent Gibson. Our final walk through prior to the start of the school year is in the process of being scheduled (update: Aug 8th). We are cautiously optimistic that our concerns have finally been heard and look forward to seeing progress on our identified issues that have been festering for so long. The parents of Junction would like to invite all Community members to come on campus to work alongside us during Livermore’s Community Service Day. You will see first-hand our aging campus that needs significant improvements to buildings, recreation structures, and grounds that only a bond passage can provide while helping beautify a piece of our campus to be used today.”
This comment was provided at the request of the author but not included despite it having been received prior to the update on the meeting on August 8th.