I find it disgusting reading through the PUSD Board minutes at how little the city was willing to work with PUSD and Amador to make this happen! The neighborhoods in the area could have allowed permitted parking on the streets (i.e. students would have to get a temporary permit to park there), but NOOOOO...the Ptown NIMBYism strikes again. It is because of this Flagship Pleasanton School (as well as the other outstanding schools in Pleasanton) that our house values are so high.

REALLY, Ptown City planning and council, you couldn't have tried to be more of a team player??!?! REALLY, residents in the immediate surrounding area (of which I am one), you couldn't be flexible for a few short months?!??

And REALLY AVHS families...you couldn't be more creative and willing to let/encourage your little darlings (who live close enough) either bike or walk? I've talked with more parents who are so tied up in knots about how this will inconvenience their little darling, that if these parents were to actually use this kind of energy and angst to help solve some of the REAL challenges facing AVHS and PUSD, we'd have no challenges to solve!!!

Such a first world problem...

Perhaps...just perhaps...if the district had thought this through in advance, this would not be a fire that needs to be extinguished immediately. Vendors already paid, etc. Really?

This is reminiscent of the million dollar laptop scenario...were families surveyed for interest or need before spending millions? No.

Please get it together, district. No additional bond money coming from my family.

If you voted for the bond, you voted for the computers. But I agree so far for no more bond money.

From this article: “A more recent idea is possibly parking on the blacktop between the gym and football field and using some of the tennis courts as on-site parking for primarily staff and possibly students," district facilities and construction director Nick Olsen said during a staff presentation that evening. . . . Superintendent David Haglund and the trustees liked the idea, but he said the district needs to make sure they can still facilitate games for the girls tennis team at Amador Valley in the fall.

We are solving one problem by creating others. How long before they realize the courts are damaged? Are they rated to have cars parked on them? Tire marks?

Ms. Arkin, most students can’t legally carpool.

Can someone please start questioning timelines and approving half baked ideas?

Limited parking? What's all the fuss about? All these high-school students successfully attended school without driving and parking for at least nine years (K-8). And now they can't deal with this for two months? We are too coddled.

Misdirection on the real issues.
- Why is HVAC at PMS, a project that should have bond funding approved, have to be paired with this project which apparently can't pass on its own merits (i.e. no real payback).

- Seems like the feel good feeling of being green is taking priority over using green dollars on infrastructure that is needed vs wanted. I fully believe and support investments in sustainable energy.....but unless those solar panels cover the holes in the buildings, we're misaligned on prioritization.

- Relative to parking, yes, give students a 2 month temporary pass for the neighborhood, give the neighborhood a direct line to the principal to report kids causing trouble....don't throw $80k at a problem that doesn't need to be created.

As for any sort of future funding, Pleasanton School District you're ensuring "no" on all future bond voting.

I find this solution absolutely ridiculous! We are going to spend money to fix the damage to the field, tennis court or wherever this parking on campus occurs! We need to get our children ready for REAL problems/adversity in life. There are so many schools all over this country that do NOT provide school parking and yet those kids get to school. Walk, ride bikes, carpool, take the bus, go in early at a time your parents are going to work. They can drop you and you can use the extra time to help out on campus, study or grab a cup of coffee downtown. This is not the end of the world Pleasanton residents. It will be ok if you can't park your overpriced 16th birthday gift in the parking lot. And shame on the city for not allowing street parking for 6 months if there is truly a hardship for some. It's 6 months folks. I know we live in a bubble here but come on... there are some common sense solutions and it won't do any undue damage to our little ones. I walked 2 miles to school twice a day growing up from k - 12th grade and I have survived just fine. Our kids will too.. Let's be rational. IF the project is truly worthwhile - we can get by this.

Pleasanton Taxpayer - you're point is taken, but let's not forget that many students could walk to their elementary school because there are so many more of them. BUt yes. if the student's managed to get to high school the week before they got their license, they should be able to manage to get their the day after they get their license even if there is not parking spot.

How about walk to school for extra PE credits?

The school board members are out of touch with simple laws regarding provisional driver's licenses and restrictions on passengers. I'm sure the weight of several tons of vehicles will do wonders for the tennis courts, that they'll then ask for a bond measure to re-construct, because they destroyed them.

Maybe if the PUSD was less concerned with their series of Twitter accounts, they would actually have more energy to focus on solving simple problems.

I don't understand why on earth the superintendent needs more than one Twitter account. With Web Link and Web Link and probably more, the self-described "Father, teacher, tribe leader, community builder, and lead learner in PUSD" you would think that a simple thing like a parking lot modification would not spawn meeting after meeting and newspaper article after newspaper article.

Leave it to PUSD to make a major mountain out of a mole hill because they can't solve a simple problem or come up with a simple solution, like close off a portion of the parking lot at a time or do it in phases over two summers when school is not in session. Or put the solar panels on the roof, for goodness sake.

Rolling eyes.

We are not talking about a 2 month inconvenience. The completion date is around December. Why is this just being thought through now? It will be a nightmare and the suggestion is for these new drivers to park on the school's blacktop and tennis courts? What happens if there is a school evacuation and the kids evacuate to the football field? Will they be weaving in and out of cars to get there? Good luck, Amador. You are going to need it!

Will the construction workers have background checks?

Michael, I am fairly certain that has been a requirement for quite some time.

Kathleen, lets hope so, and the back ground records are available upon request.
Trust and verify is good policy.

Kathleen, just to follow up.
I visit school campuses through out northern California.
A school district or college campus have never asked me to submit to back ground check.
I also visit Lawrence Livermore Lab, NASA Aims research often, these two organizations ask me to submit to seventy-hour background back ground check prior to every visit.

Michael, are you accessing school campuses? There should be a sign-in and badge issuance and some connection/reason you are there. Contractors with many employees at a site, in my experience, have had to provide proof of clearance.

Love the idea of walking to school, but there many kids that live farther than walking distance. There are many kids who have after school jobs and they need to have their car at school to get them to work on time in addition to the students who pick up their siblings from middle and elementary school. Obviously this has been in the works for a while "PUSD would also owe payment for several contractors and consultants working on the project, and another school would also be affected" so why is this just being talked about and why are they only now working on a solution for parking? This is very poor planning and will greatly affect parents and students. If the parking lot is going to be under construction, where is drop off/pick up going to take place for the students that live too far too bike or walk to school? Where are people going to park for sports and school events. We are not just talking about students, this will affect the entire community. I am extremely disappointed at the lack of transparency and planning. This has obviously been in the works for a while and the fact that it is just now being brought to the community's attention is BS. PUSD needs to figure out a better solution than closing the parking lot for months

Once again we find ourselves at the mercy of a “council or district” decision that has tremendous impact on the community with little to no communication in advance. The lack of consideration for AVHS faculty, parents & students/ athletes, residents surrounding Amador and so many others is mind boggling.

I am also saddened by several comments posted by community members above. The “inconvenience” will not only impact kids that drive to school, it will impact the parent that need to drive their kids to school. Parents and kids that have jobs that don’t have the flexabity to just “arrange” their schedules.....

There are kids that had the ability to walk to their elementary and middle schools but no longer have the ability to walk to their high school due the the distance.

If walking were an option, how safe do you think your child would be walking based on the number of drivers we constantly see running red lights, ignoring stop signs, making turns while kids are in the cross walk or even hitting kids with their car and “not even knowing it “and driving away!?!?!?

I hope before people post their thoughts, comments, and feedback, they take a moment to think about the community as a “whole”

Destruction of recently renovated tennis courts that were paid for by 100% private donation is not a good idea on so many levels. I can't even believe it was proposed. Black top use, good. AVHS and PUSD promotion of carpooling/doubling up rides for a few months....even better. come on PUSD, we can do better......do not destroy tennis courts!

The Santa Rita lot is far, far more than just student parking. It's the primary drop-off and pickup site for every activity taking place at the school. It's evening parking for every school activity. Heavy usage starts around 7 am when students arrive for early classes and before-school activities. 2800 students get to school and most aren't walking or biking, they're being dropped off in that parking area. The activity doesn't end until the last evening sport, theater or club activity is done. In between there are dozens of buses for teams heading to away matches, or visiting teams arriving. Hundreds of cars dropping off and picking up students.

So where will everyone park, get dropped off, or get picked up when there's a football game? Homecoming? All the other campus events?

P.S. Destroying tennis courts to provide temporary parking was tried in Berkeley and the courts still haven't been rebuilt. The rebuild cost is always higher than the initial estimate, there's currently no budget, and there's always a competing need for the money (gym cough gym).

Really?!
Those 4 / 83,0000 = 0.0001% after rounding. And the real number would use the school population walking and the number of drivers/trips which would push the odds even lower. Those are terrible events, but dont project them as common. You take away credibility from your other points

Just want to comment that the boys’ tennis team whose courts are now in jeopardy has made it to NCS finals - and earned a spot in the CIF NorCal State (Top 8) tournament next weekend. As for NCS, the match is going on right now and is an even battle with Redwood so far! Go Dons!

I love that I teach at Amador but have to read the Pleasanton Weekly to find out what's going on at my school.

If the administrators spent less time posting pictures and re-tweeting rants from every corner of the Earth on their Twitter feeds, perhaps they would take the time to inform people of what is going on.

What if the teachers can't even make it to Amador each morning because of the gridlocked traffic?

I wonder if the gridlock for the lines of cars stopped along Santa Rita forced to do drop off and pick up twice a day for thousands of students at Amador will cause those who live in the Jensen tract to be locked in the neighborhood and unable to get out.

And what about the diminished air quality of all those idling cars stopped along Santa Rita. How will that effect Alisal and the surrounding neighborhoods?

How are people supposed to park for the Las Positas College classes offered in the afternoon and evening at Amador? Has Las Positas College even been told about this?

Will Santa Rita come to a standstill twice a day? Has anyone thought about any of the ramifications this might cause?

Perhaps the students can solve the parking lot problem or hire a non-union contractor themselves that can get the job done in 4-6 weeks rather than several months.

Also maybe the students can hire the contractors to fix all of the roof leaks and structural problems and HVAC issues at all the school sites as well that are listed as structural deficiencies in all the SARCs the PUSD just published January 2019 here Web Link

This might be more of a learning experience than the curriculum department forcing students to watch autopsies being conducted on television and PUSD staff sending out and re-tweeting Twitter videos of students watching autopsy videos on April 26th Web Link