Students, families urge Central Unified to prioritize a pool for Central High amid equity concerns
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Summary
Dozens of students and community members told the Central Unified Board of Trustees the district’s lack of a pool at Central High is an equity issue, citing travel burdens and lost practice time; Superintendent Dr. Marshall said Central High is being considered early in the facilities plan but building a pool will require multimillion-dollar funding and community engagement.
Dozens of students, parents and community members urged the Central Unified School District Board of Trustees on Jan. 27 to build a pool at Central High, describing the lack of an on‑campus aquatic facility as an urgent equity and safety problem.
Students and parents testified that Central High’s championship water‑polo team and PE students regularly travel long distances for practices and meets, lose instruction time and face logistical burdens that other schools in the district with pools do not. “We lose practice time, travel long distances, and sacrifice time with our family just to have the chance to train,” said Malachi Suarez, a Central High water‑polo player. “This is not equitable, and it is completely within the district’s power to fix it.”
The testimony tied the facility gap to broader concerns about district planning and prioritization. Community members cited earlier promises and said the district’s resource choices — including reserve growth and spending on professional services — have left some campus programs deferred. Aileen Reed, who said she worked in the district, told trustees she was “surprised that the award‑winning boys’ water polo team at Central West does not have a pool” and urged the board to follow through on commitments.
Superintendent Dr. Marshall responded that the district has advanced a master facilities plan and that Central High had been proposed to be among the first schools engaged in implementation. He emphasized the cost and complexity of constructing a pool: “It’s a multimillion‑dollar project, and you have to have multimillion dollars to do that,” he said, adding that community engagement sessions will follow the board‑approved facilities plan and that staff are proposing Central High be an early site in that process.
What happens next: Superintendent Marshall said the district will hold community engagement sessions tied to the master plan and that the board and administration will report back on timelines and funding options. He urged the community to participate when the district schedules site‑level meetings.
Why it matters: Pool construction requires capital funding, design and environmental and accessibility approvals; community members said the district’s current sequencing of projects has left long‑standing needs unaddressed and asked the board to prioritize student access to athletics and PE programs.
Quotes from the meeting are drawn from public comment and the superintendent’s remarks to the board during the Jan. 27 meeting.