Amador Parents and Athletes demand gym improvements

By: Sarah Banholzer

As the school year quickly approaches, Pleasanton temperatures soar to nearly 100 degrees
and staff begin preparing the campus for the arrival of students. And per usual, the dilapidated
Amador gym remains in its normal state, sultry and unbearable without ventilation or a
functioning air conditioner. But unlike the past, AV parents and students are heated and no
longer willing to sit idly by.
On May 21, over 75 AV parents, coaches, and athletes gathered at the PUSD school board
meeting to publicly convey their disdain with the gym’s condition. Multiple speakers shared
concerns with the district for turning a blind eye to the gym’s dire conditions.
“We don’t want to wait for the ‘possibility’ of a new Bond to be passed or the ‘possibility’ of
land to be sold – we want the gym fixed now! The gym has needed these repairs for many years
and it is a shame that it has gone on this long. The Amador students and staff deserve better,”
said Amador parent ​Teri Banholzer​.
The AV community was outraged when on March 26th, the Pleasanton Weekly wrote of the
PUSD Board approval of the allocation of nearly $500,000 to help replace turf on the Foothill
football stadium. A petition was started by an AV parent with a cry for the district to take
immediate action to repair the gym. This petition has received nearly 600 signatures and plenty
of comments.
“​Can't agree more that our AVHS gym is a disaster. It feels like we are in the past and our
students and community deserve better. Peeling walls, floors, literally dark and sub-optimal
lighting, the hot temperature makes it extremely difficult for the athletes. [I] Hope the district
takes this seriously and takes the needed actions ASAP,” said Amador parent ​Prakash
Ramachandran​.
But for now, we wait to see if the community’s outrage will be enough for the PUSD
Superintendent and Board to finally correct an unhealthy situation for its students. Its time they
address the apparent inequity in funding another high school’s football stadium re-turf, an​d a
middle school’s grass field replacement, while denying AV students of a healthy gym
environment. I hope in the very near future, the PUSD school board will listen to the
community’s outcry and do ​what is right: approve the much-needed improvements to the
Amador gym.