A volunteer coach points out that providing good physical education is a vital part of teaching the whole child.
I challenge anyone to take a good look at the conditions that the children, coaches and educators have to deal with every day in the Tracy High School athletic department. We’re putting these individuals in unsafe, unhealthy and, at times, dangerous conditions.
In California, all kids are required to take physical education as part of their curriculum. The physical education teachers have to work there. Imagine going to your job in these conditions. I thank all the Tracy High P.E. teachers for the great job they do, because they truly believe in providing a well-rounded education and improving the health of their students. I can’t imagine any other reason why they would return, year in and year out.
Our taxes go to maintaining all of the schools, public parks and recreational facilities. What we’ve found out is that the money we voted to spend on schools in Measure E was not being put to use in the areas we were told it would.
Have we forgotten that all district employees, public officials and government officials work for us? They are our employees. We entrust these individuals to carry out our goals and to spend our money where we want it spent. We still live in a country that is based upon citizens running the government.
The board’s response in reaction to our concerns was to inform us that they are proposing a joint venture with the city of Tracy to build a new gymnasium, along with locker and other specialty rooms. If this is truly is going to be a reality, then why are funds from the Measure E bond being earmarked on such expensive items such as heating and air conditioning equipment for the existing gym? And why would any school need four gyms?
Additionally, the district proposes to use deferred maintenance funds to address some of the critical health and safety issues at Tracy High. These funds are for the use of the entire district. If we deplete these funds, where will the money come from to address issues at the other schools?
A better use of these funds would be to develop a more effective and efficient maintenance program so that the money we spend to build facilities will not go to waste. Many of these conditions are a direct result of neglect and lack of proper maintenance. Most could have been avoided if proper care and maintenance had been performed. Reduction of waste and full use of our resources is a better tool than reactionary spending.
Also, having qualified, responsible and knowledgeable individuals in place to manage the millions of dollars in assets that are part of the district would extend the life of these facilities. Providing a safe and healthy environment for our children and the teachers we empower with the task of educating them should be a priority.
We need to educate the whole child. The lessons we learn in athletics and extracurricular activities cannot be learned in a classroom.
On Tuesday, the board will vote on using district maintenance money to address some of these issues. I call to you, the citizens of Tracy, to write letters, make phone calls or go to the meeting and let yourself be heard. We need to make sure that we hold the district accountable when spending money on capital improvements.
There needs to be a master plan in place that addresses all the district needs for capital spending. The district and the board need to come up with a plan to address the athletic facilities at Tracy High. They need to be included as part of the renovation project at Tracy High. Only by doing this can they have an idea of what it is going to cost and then to plan accordingly to come up with the funds to complete this project.
The repairs in these facilities require more than just a few Band-Aid fixes.
• Oscar Gutierrez is a volunteer assistant football coach at Tracy High School. He’s a parent of Tracy High students, and he works in computer consulting.
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