Dublin Elementary Parents To Rally For School Improvements

DUBLIN, CA — Families pushing for improvements at Dublin Elementary School plan to rally Tuesday evening ahead of the school board meeting.

The rally will begin at 5 p.m. at 7471 Larkdale Ave.

Dublin Elementary parents argue that the Dublin Unified School District should scale back its future plans for the new Emerald High School in order to make much-needed improvements at the elementary school, which opened in 1961.

The school board is slated to vote that night on a plan to implement the district's facilities master plan, which seeks to accommodate a growing student body amid soaring enrollment numbers in aging facilities.

"The [Dublin Elementary] facility does not match the level of education our children and staff deserve," said Kristin Speck, who co-chairs Dublin Elementary's site council, in the caption of a YouTube video that outlines some of the school community's concerns.

The nine-minute video takes viewers on a tour of various issues around campus, including dry rot, potential tripping hazards, a multipurpose room that the narrator claimed is frequently pushed beyond capacity limits, a wall segment that can be pushed away to reveal daylight, and ceiling tiles stained with water from leaks.

The damage was shocking and horrifying to Christina Mordoff, a longtime Dublin resident who said she enthusiastically voted for school bond measures to support her community in years past. Mordoff said her family is new to the school district and had yet to step foot inside the campus due to COVID-19 safety protocols but assumed the school was in better condition given its well-maintained exterior.

"As a parent, I'm already terrified of sending my kid to school right now due to [COVID-19]," she said in an email. "I didn't think I had to worry about the campus being a danger to my kid as well."

The school board approved a $33 million budget for the modernization of Dublin Elementary in December 2019, though the total cost for the outlined project is expected to be closer to $43 million. Then-Superintendent Daniel Moirao announced the discrepancy in February when he told the school board that the district was facing a shortfall of at least $184 million in seven of its highest-priority facilities projects.

"Once work is completed, Dublin Elementary will be on par with any new elementary school in the Tri-Valley," the district said on its website. "Emergency repair work is also being conducted at Dublin Elementary to help address short-term needs at the site while long-term projects are planned and implemented."

Board members on Tuesday night will consider six plans outlined by the district.

Five of those plans — including the one recommended by district staff — would fully fund the approved $33 million for Dublin Elementary modernization, but one plan would provide $12 million for the project's first phase. The district would have to figure out later where it would get the rest of the $21 million needed to complete the approved project.

"Staff feels it's critical to address the facilities issues at Dublin Elementary School and as such has continued to advocate for funding of that project," district spokesperson Chip Dehnert said in an email.

On Tuesday night, school officials will also discuss whether sixth graders should be kept in elementary or middle school, among other matters.