Monrovia Unified board directs staff to pursue quick repairs for high school pool after students and parents plead for action

Parents, students and community groups pressed the Monrovia Unified School District board on Sept. 24 to fix Monrovia High School’s pool now rather than waiting for a costly new aquatic center, and the board directed staff to explore using capital outlay funds as seed money and to bring a proposal back to the board.

Michelle Sarapin, a parent, told the board the district is spending thousands to rent pools and bus athletes while the pool at Monrovia High remains unusable. “All we need is enough money for some solid repairs,” she said, urging trustees to set aside funds so students “have a place to be proud of.”

Several other parents and students described the strain of long drives, missed homework time and lost home contests. Jeff Wester, a parent, said Measure MM bond language supported pool repairs and asked trustees to use bond funds appropriately. Student speakers including Ezekiel West and Joshua Bolton appealed directly to the board’s duty to serve students; West called the plea “our last cry for help.”

Karen Dlue, a community member who reviewed previous presentations, asked for clearer next steps and an official cost analysis comparing a targeted repair to full replacement. She noted that publicly shared estimates had ranged from “a couple hundred thousand to a couple million” and requested the board agendaize a firm timeline and the feasibility of interim fixes.

After public comment, Board President Hammond said new information gathered by staff and conversations with the county make limited repairs feasible. He asked the board to direct staff to investigate using funds from Fund 40 (capital outlay) as seed money, to open dialogue with the city for possible partnership, and to return with a plan. He said the amount to be placed on the next agenda should be “an amount of money not to exceed $200,000.” The board gave an informal thumbs-up to that direction.

District officials and trustees emphasized that any work discussed is temporary and would not restore full CIF competition compliance; the board noted the measure is intended to address immediate safety and access while a longer-term solution is developed. Staff and consultants said a phased approach (sectional replastering and limited deck repairs) could meet health-department requirements and allow students back into the water sooner than a full replacement.

The board did not vote on a formal appropriation that night; instead trustees instructed staff to return with a detailed proposal and a clear timeline to be placed on an upcoming agenda. The next procedural step is a staff report and an agenda item, currently expected in early October, that will outline proposed funding sources, exact scope, and projected timelines for temporary repairs and follow-up planning.

What’s next: Staff will develop a plan, including estimated costs and permitting steps, and present it to the board for formal action. Community members asked the board to include a written cost-benefit comparison showing how much would be required to restore the pool to minimum safe use vs. building a new facility.