School Days:
Gilroy Unified School District
Reordering Measure E Priorities
By Melanie Corona, Public Information Officer, Gilroy Unified School District
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
Chief Business Officer and Assistant Superintendent of Office
Services Alvaro Mesa, Maintenance and Operations Manager
Dan McAuliffe, and Director of Technology, Maribel Guizar.
GUSD Facilities Team: Construction Manager, Jenny Derry;
Facilities Director, James Bombaci; and Construction Manager,
Mike Rice.
giving students the opportunity to learn in state-of-the-art facilities
at the very critical middle school age.” She added that because of
the community’s continued faith in our schools, “our students will
now have access to modern technology and facilities, and the best
education possible, to prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow.”
JUNE/JULY 2018
gmhtoday.com
n 2016, Gilroy voters passed Measure E to upgrade
our campus facilities, especially the two oldest middle
schools, South Valley and Brownell, and to build a
new elementary school. While a district wide increase
in student population had been expected based on earlier
demographic trends, current County birth data indicates
a decline in the number of school-aged children over the
next several years. This changing trend means our existing
elementary schools will be able to accommodate the
projected student population for the foreseeable future, and
it has enabled us to reorder our Measure E priorities.
In 2008, voters passed Measure P, a $150 million General
Obligation Bond that the District was able to leverage
into $200 million with matching funds from the State of
California. These funds were invested at every school site in
the District. Highlights include: improved security safeguards
at South Valley, Brownell, and Solorsano Middle Schools;
safety fencing at Glen View, Luigi Aprea, and El Roble
Elementary Schools; a new computer lab and library at Rod
Kelley Elementary; a new multipurpose facility, library and
other renovations at Rucker Elementary; extensive improve-
ments at Mt. Madonna Continuation High School; campus
expansion and reconfiguration at the Dr. Owens Gilroy
Early College Academy (GECA); an extensive campus wide
upgrade of Gilroy High School, including a new two-story,
20 classroom math building; and Phase II construction at
Christopher High School. These projects would not have
been possible without the support of the Gilroy community.
Currently, the District’s priorities are our two oldest school
sites: South Valley and Brownell Middle Schools. Many
current Gilroy residents attended Brownell (circa 1940s) and
South Valley (circa 1930s) during their youth. These facilities
have remained largely unchanged in the intervening years.
The Board of Education has directed Staff to modernize
these schools. Work on the Brownell campus has begun with
the hiring of architects. Every building, except for the gym-
nasium and multi-purpose room, will be rebuilt and recon-
figured. Project completion is targeted for 2020. The South
Valley project will be even more extensive. The entire campus
will be relocated to the Murray Avenue side of the existing
property, redesigned, and rebuilt. We anticipate completion
of this project in 2023.
Dr. Deborah A. Flores, GUSD Superintendent, expressed the
District’s gratitude to the voters who voted to pass Measure P on
behalf of our students.
“I am excited to see how the modernization of the two schools
that need it the most will positively impact our students’ educational
opportunities,” Flores said. “We are investing in the future of Gilroy,