During the school board’s last meeting, the question was why the board is trying to reconfigure the aquatic and tennis facilities when the school and town’s populations are shrinking. The answer given by Superintendent Viloria raised more unanswered confusing questions. It seems that he is supporting the project because he foresees a future when there will be more students and they will need bigger facilities to sustain the current high quality of the water polo program, a program that currently has produced very few graduating seniors with scholarships.
The question I have is, what are the facts that the Superintendent bases his rosy speculations of the future? Below is a partial list of conditions that would undermine his unrealistic educational policies:
1. Given the high cost of living in Laguna, its population in the future will be made up of wealthy seniors well beyond the age of active parenthood.
2. Given Laguna’s isolated topography, the aged residents feel protected by a semi-circle of hills and the ocean. It is like nature’s “gated community,” just right for a safe, secure retirement.
3. Permanent residents will have to pick up the loss of tax revenue and adapt to living on fixed retirement incomes.
4. For those parents who have children, they will look at the already declining test scores, having only one counselor for academic affairs, and the hiring of coaches who also teach academic courses and react by sending their students to private schools with the false notion that private is better than public. It is not likely that any of these conditions will change in the future. The exodus has already started. Already LBHS is the smallest high school in the district. At this point, its enrollment is around 900 and falling.
Considering all of the above conditions, LBHS will be smaller, not bigger. A bigger, expensive aquatic center will not enhance the LBHS diploma.
Gene Cooper, Laguna Beach resident and professor of art history
If one looks on the City of LB website the following information is available. As a community facility, in addition to weekday morning and afternoon recreation hours, the pool is available almost all day on weekends for lap and recreation swimming. [Our] pool is heated to 80 degrees year-round and has ten 25-yard lap lanes with an attached shallow kids’ pool. An ADA-accessible lift and stairway offer easy entry to the water. Changing rooms provide showers, restrooms with baby changing stations, and day-use lockers.
The Laguna Beach High School & Community Pool is jointly operated by the City of Laguna Beach and the Laguna Beach Unified School District.
More exercise for children, families and seniors means better physical fitness, mental health, and social opportunities. Studies show these factors not only lead to better quality of life but a better community as well.
I don’t use the pool currently but did when my children were little. I’d gladly spend my tax dollars to support the pool enhancements for our HS and community.