Quick Take
With the state's approval of renovation plans for Pajaro Middle School, district officials say they're confident the school will reopen in fall 2024. About 450 Pajaro Middle School students were relocated to nearby schools after the levee breach damaged their campus in March.
Pajaro Middle School families are still facing a range of uncertainties after the Pajaro River levee breach flooded their homes, community and school – rendering the school unusable until it gets needed repairs.
Last week, Pajaro Valley Unified School District announced that the state had approved plans to rebuild the middle school – a crucial step toward the district’s goal of welcoming students back to campus by the fall of 2024. Construction is scheduled to start in early February and to finish by June 30, 2024.
“I feel thrilled,” said Principal Katie Kriscunas. “[Because] without it having been approved officially, there was still uncertainty and so the students, staff and families have been living in uncertainty since March, so it feels great.”
After the levee breach on March 11, the district relocated the approximately 450 Pajaro Middle School students to three different schools – Lakeview Middle School and Ohlone and E.A. Hall elementary schools.
The district assessed the damage, cleaned and carried out initial repairs of the school. In addition to the smaller repairs, the school needs to carry out larger renovations that include fixing structural damage, replacing damaged equipment and furniture and dealing with electrical and plumbing issues.
PVUSD spokesperson Alicia Jimenez said the district estimates that the renovations will cost $10-$15 million, with the majority covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and through the district’s insurance. She added that the district will likely have to find funding, potentially from the general fund, to cover about 10% of the costs.
To cover the costs of installing a new $2 million turf field, the district might have to use general funds. The district tried to get the money for the turf field from the $20 million that the state gave Monterey County for Pajaro’s recovery, but district officials say the Monterey County Board of Supervisors decided against using those funds for school repairs.
PVUSD Interim Superintendent Murry Schekman said he was disappointed in the board’s Dec. 5 decision.
“In visiting students at Pajaro Middle School, Hall District and Ohlone, the No. 1 priority I heard when I asked what they hoped to see when they returned to their school was clear – build our athletic fields,” he said in a release.
He added that the district is not yet certain where it will get the money for the field, but is pursuing resources with state representatives: “A well-constructed playing field would not just serve PVUSD students, but it will be for the whole community of Pajaro to enjoy for generations to come.”
The state’s Division of the State Architect approved the district’s plans Dec. 7. Now that the district has the approval, it can start seeking bids for the project.
PVUSD will hold a bid opening at 2 p.m. on Jan. 16 at at the district’s maintenance and facilities office at 205 Blackburn St. in Watsonville, and plans to present the bids to the governing board Jan. 24 for a vote.
Jimenez said the district has yet to assign a principal to Pajaro Middle School for fall 2025.
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