Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Parents and community members press Garfield district on communication and facilities after winter evacuations
Loading...
Summary
Public commenters urged faster alerts and a clearer facilities timeline after two schools were evacuated during winter HVAC failures; the superintendent said the long-range facilities plan is due in May and described steps to improve communication and a bid for a concession shed.
Several community members used the public‑comment period to press the Garfield Public School District for clearer communication and faster action on facilities problems that disrupted schools during the winter.
"We need faster and more reliable communication," said Abdel Surdena, who identified himself as a candidate for the Garfield Board of Education, urging the district to pursue a city partnership or develop a low‑cost app for real‑time alerts. Administration responded that the district is expanding its social‑media work, using newsletters (S'more) and evaluating PowerSchool/PowerBuddy and an app to improve parent alerts.
Sean Rezzio praised the growth of the district’s esports and unified programs and then pressed officials for a timeline after HVAC problems that he said forced evacuations. "Over the winter, we saw 2 schools evacuated due to HVAC failures," Rezzio said, and asked for an update on the priority facilities list and the long‑range plan.
In response, Dr. Tomko said the long‑range facilities plan is due in May and that recent cost estimates for a School 8 repair came in higher than expected; he said the district is working with architects and awaiting county recommendations. On the topic of a small field structure listed in the agenda, administrators described a competitively bid purchase that will be retrofitted as a concession stand, not a kitchen.
Another commenter, Nate Descafani, raised a series of budget‑transparency questions — asking about an agenda item described as a "tough shed," whether the budget included a "slush fund," and requesting per‑pupil spending and charter cost comparisons. The superintendent declined to adopt the "slush fund" language and said some funding formulas for charter schools are set by state rule; he also described grant pass‑throughs to charter schools.
The board did not adopt new timelines during the meeting but kept the facilities plan on a May schedule and set the public budget hearing for next Monday, when additional budget details and checks called during the roll call may be clarified.
