‘Hold developers accountable.’ Hundreds rally for schools ahead of Patterson meeting
Hundreds of people rallied in support of Patterson schools at the downtown plaza Tuesday evening, asking city officials to listen to concerns about how multiple residential developments could affect the community.
School employees, students and families held signs with slogans including “No to overcrowded classrooms,” “Salve Nuestras Escuelas,” and “We care about Patterson do you?” They chanted “Save our schools” as honking cars cycled through the roundabout at the center of town.
Educators organized the “Save Our Schools Rally” through the ad hoc Patterson Education Advocacy Committee, which formed in February. The rally was held before a City Council meeting to show Patterson officials that school employees, students and families want them to account for new schools when approving homes for new residents, said PEAC steering committee chair Cathy Aumoeualogo.
“A plan for our schools is a plan for our community,” she said.
If the city approves two pending projects, four residential developments would be happening simultaneously in Patterson. These projects would add more than 9,000 homes and apartments to the city of near 24,000, according to school district officials.
Patterson Joint Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Jeff Menge, who attended the rally, has said these new residents could nearly double the district’s student population, though the exact number of added students is difficult to anticipate.
Superintendent Phil Alfano, Menge and members of the school board have said in interviews with The Bee, at school board meetings and at City Council meetings that city officials and developers are not working with the district to plan to finance schools to accommodate this growth.
New schools in response to residential development are typically funded through a combination of fees paid by the developer to the school district, local taxes and state matching funds.
Fee shortfall could mean what?
If developers don’t pay the school district higher fees than required by state law, PJUSD officials say, residents will face higher taxes to make up the difference. And if developers don’t commit to paying a portion of their fees upfront, there would be longer lag times between students moving into Patterson and classrooms being available.
That would force the district to use multi-track year-round schedules, which are widely opposed by educators and families, Alfano said. Those schedules allow districts to phase students and teachers in and out at different times throughout the year, increasing a school’s capacity by almost a third.
But that still might not provide enough space, Menge said at a school board meeting Monday. The district would then have to pay to bus students to surrounding schools, he said.
District leaders and several teachers said in interviews with The Bee that they recognize growth is inevitable for Patterson, and they don’t oppose it. Rather, they said they want the city and developers to slow down the pace of residential development so that schools have time to secure funds and plans for new schools to accommodate the influx of students homebuyers are expected to bring.
Aumoeualogo, who is principal of Creekside Middle School, said the committee hoped the rally Tuesday would show City Council members that the school district needed a seat at the table with city officials and developers.
“We want them to know that the students and the families and the community stands behind us,” Aumoeualogo said. “We need to work together to find a resolution.”
Grayson Elementary School Principal Sandra Villaseñor, who is vice chair of the PEAC, spoke on behalf of the committee at the City Council meeting that followed the rally.
She urged city leaders to “hold developers accountable for their fair share” of financing new schools.
“We are not against growth of our community, but believe it should be done responsibly,” Villaseñor said. “Four simultaneous development projects is not an example of responsible growth, and our entire community will pay the price in many ways if these projects continue as currently proposed.”
City manager Ken Irwin said by email Tuesday night that the city was drafting a written statement but did not have it ready by The Bee’s deadline.
History students made signs
The rally was called for 5:30 p.m. but people gathered about 45 minutes early. The crowd neared 400 people at its peak, according to district spokesman Johnny Padilla. Padilla said rally organizers brought 100 signs for people to use. All were claimed by the rally’s scheduled start time.
Patterson High School teacher Jayne Lobao stood by a stack of signs made by her U.S. history students. She said she talked about the rally in class, tying it into lessons about the 1960s and peaceful protest.
“I figured it’s a good teaching moment,” Lobao said.
Patterson High School baseball players came over after practice. If the district needs to finance new buildings to accommodate growth, the baseball program and other sports and extracurricular activities could become a lower priority, history teacher and coach Benji Lozano said.
“It impacts more than just the actual classrooms,” he said.
Reyes Gauna, who was approved as Patterson’s next superintendent at a school board meeting Monday, faced City Hall and carried a sign that read “Can you hear us now?”
“The goal is for them to hear us,” Gauna said. “They have a responsibility to listen.”
He said he would love to partner with the city when he steps into the superintendent position in July.
Patterson High School senior Adolfo Virgen said he’s very concerned that overcrowded schools would decrease quality of education for students and increase burdens on staff.
“Honestly, it’s heartbreaking,” he said.
Virgen wore a Patterson High School T-shirt. His sign read “Honk 4 schools!” He attended the rally with a cousin in elementary school, who would be impacted by the city’s growth after Virgen graduates.
“As students, we’re severely disappointed with the fact that our city and our school district have failed to work together,” Virgen said.
Patterson High School junior Navora Toran held a neon pink sign that said “Be heard / be strong / be proud.”
“As a community, we should all be heard,” Toran said.
She said she’s worried that growth-related issues would prevent students from getting a typical school experience as they already missed out on so much because of the pandemic.
PEAC member Valerie Benavides said she’s “extremely concerned” to not see collaboration between elected city officials and the school district, especially as a new resident to Patterson.
Benavides moved to Patterson more than a year ago. She has a daughter in kindergarten and a daughter in middle school, she said.
“I think that the city needs to absolutely keep in mind the safety of our students, and their education, and the impact on families,” she said.
Benavides said she worries how overcrowded schools could impact school programs, resources and staffing.
“It’s kind of mind-boggling to me that the city wouldn’t think about these things,” she said. “Or maybe they have, but it just doesn’t feel like they’ve acted responsibly.”
This story was originally published April 6, 2022 at 9:05 AM.
