by Garth Meyer
A modernization project under consideration, to be paid for with 2024 bond funds, would convert some restrooms at Redondo Unified School District middle schools and the high-school into single-stalls, with open sinks out front. The only doors would be to the stalls.
“Tonight is starting the conversation,” said Superintendent Nicole Wesley to the school board Feb. 10.
She reported that she discussed this with her student advisory committee and middle school principals.
Each stall would be for both males and females.
Annette Alpern, deputy superintendent, administrative services, said the RBUSD administration would get more input from students and staff, and consult with other area districts that have done this, including Long Beach.
Modernization projects are eligible for state matching funds.
The floor-to-ceiling doors on the stalls would show “secure” or “insecure” above the handle to let a student know if it is occupied.
These types of restrooms are deemed safer, because the sink areas are open, rather than enclosed.
“It’d be like walking by groups in the hallway,” Alpern said.
Discussion of the single-stall restrooms includes potentially having them at Sea Hawk Bowl. Supt. Wesley said the new restrooms would be more efficient, and have fewer issues with vaping, bullying and fights.
Alpern said the new format takes less space than separate male restrooms and female restrooms.
“If anything, there would probably be more stalls,” she said.
“We would explore that with an architect and get estimates on costs before anything happened,” Wesley said.
The board gave approval for the superintendent to engage an architect.
“It may not be a matter of changing out every restroom at every school, it may just be a couple at each,” said Alpern.
The single-stall restrooms would be paid for by RBUSD’s $278 million bond passed last year.
“There may be reasons not to pursue this,” Board President Dan Elder told Easy Reader. “It could turn out it costs too much, or doesn’t solve enough problems… But it does seem like a good solution. I look forward to hearing more.”
Retirement incentive program tapped
The Redondo Beach Unified School District will begin a retirement incentive program for 27 teachers and classified staff who signed up, costing the district $1.8 million in total.
The program is run through California’s Public Agency Retirement Services. RBUSD has tapped it to save money in the longer term. The board approved the plan Feb. 10.
“From a financial standpoint, I struggle with it, but the last thing we would ever want to do is consider layoffs,” said Dan Elder, school board president. “This is a way of right-sizing things as well.”
“In the long run, our intent is, we will at least save something,” said Boardmember Rachel Silverman Nemeth.
The participating teachers and staff will retire at the end of the school year.
“In a time of declining enrollment, senior teachers cost a lot more than new teachers,” Elder said.
“…There are no talks of layoffs at this point. We are not in a position of having to look at layoffs right now.” ER
