10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY september 5-11, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com There are 24 school districts within Monterey County, and 12 of them are asking voters to approve 14 different bonds in the Nov. 5 election. While 14 may seem high, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh isn’t surprised. He notes that beyond MPUSD—which is asking voters to approve Measure A for $340 million—districts have aging infrastructure. “We are now training kids for 21st-century challenges with facilities that were built in the 1900s,” he says. That is not exclusive to classrooms and technology; for example, the Monterey High School pool was built in the 1920s. “Unfortunately in California, there isn’t a dedicated funding stream for school facilities,” Diffenbaugh notes. In February, attorneys representing several groups including Building Healthy Communities - Monterey County, wrote to Gov. Gavin Newsom demanding changes to how school are funded, seeking greater equity. “We have been extremely disappointed by the state’s response to what is a very straightforward case of educational inequality. Given the lack of progress, we are actively considering next steps, which may include litigation,” counsel write by email. The local school bond measures are concurrent with Proposition 2, a statewide measure that, if approved, would provide $10 billion for school facilities; $8.5 billion would be for K-12. Diffenbaugh notes that might look like double dipping, but that if approved, larger school districts get the biggest pieces of the pie. “It’s not a system that benefits smaller districts,” he says. If approved, qualifying districts can apply for matching funds. MPUSD recently spent $9 million from Measure I, approved by voters in 2018, to renovate Crumpton Elementary in Marina; it’s on the district’s list to seek matching funds if Prop. 2 passes. MPUSD’s measure also calls for building staff housing, which administrators hope improves employee retention. On average, the district loses about 100 teachers every year. Salinas Union High School District voters will decide on Measure G, a $115 million measure. This comes four years after voters approved Measure W, which SUHSD used in part to develop 50 units of employee housing that opened in 2023. Pacific Grove Unified is asking voters to approve Measure B for $78 million to renovate and expand facilities. All of the 14 measures require 55-percent voter approval to pass. Capt. Mathias Roth likens the U.S. Navy’s previous computer system in Monterey that predicts the weather and ocean patterns to that of an iPhone 8. It still can do the job, but it’s about 6 years old, which in technology terms, might as well be from the stone age. On Aug. 28, the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC), based in Monterey, celebrated the arrival of a new supercomputer after a three-year process from planning to implementation, and a partnership officials say will put the Navy on the cutting edge of technology to support its mission. FNMOC joined forces with Hewlett Packard Enterprise and M2 Technology to add a supercomputer known as an HPE Cray to its operations, which predicts weather conditions from the depth of the ocean to the tip of the atmosphere. Roth, who is the commanding officer of FNMOC, says the agreement between the Navy and the tech companies does away with the old model of procurement, where the Navy would buy new systems as it was able, often struggling to maintain older computers as well as making sure mismatched systems were compatible with each other. Now, the Navy can leverage its partnership with HPE and M2 to update its computers on a more frequent basis, Roth says, adding that they are all under one system, increasing efficiency and aiding staff. Sensors from around the world feed data into the supercomputers, which then create models that predict everything from wave heights in the ocean to water temperature, humidity and countless other variables. These models are shared across the entire Department of Defense, and used for global humanitarian assistance efforts, natural disaster relief, war-fighting and other purposes, such as for searchand-rescue operations in the Monterey Bay. “This is such a game-changer for us,” Roth says of the new supercomputer. “It’s huge for the Navy.” Bake Sale Local school districts are asking voters to approve 14 bond measures for upgrades. By Celia Jiménez news Government in Action Seaside City Council meets and accepts public comment. Let your elected officials know what issues you want them to address. 5pm Thursday, Sept. 5. Seaside City Hall, 440 Harcourt Ave., Seaside. Free. 899-6700, ci.seaside.ca.us. Human Needs The Monterey County Health, Housing and Human Services Committee meets to conduct regular business, as well as receive an update from the Department of Social Services on the Aging and Adult Services programs. 1pm Friday, Sept. 6. County of Monterey Government Center, Monterey Room, 168 West Alisal St., second floor, Salinas; District 3 Office, 599 El Camino Real, Greenfield; or via Zoom. Free. countyofmonterey.gov. Clean out the Closet The City of Soledad hosts its fourth annual City Wide Garage Sale from Sept. 14-15, and registration to be added on the map is approaching. Monday, Sept. 9 is the deadline to be added on the map; registration is not required to host a garage sale. Free. 223-5000, cityofsoledad.com. Coffee with the Boss The public is invited to coffee with Sand City Manager Vibeke Norgaard to discuss the latest happenings in the city. 10-11am Tuesday, Sept. 10. Sweet Elena’s, 465 Olympia Ave., Sand City. Free. 394-3054, sandcity.org. measure for measure Monterey voters will decide on three ballot measures this November to amend the city’s charter. Learn more about measures V, W, X and Y at this informational meeting. 6-7pm Wed, Sept. 11. Conference Center, 1 Portola Plaza, Monterey. Free. 646-3799, monterey.gov. Donate Blood Vitalant urges eligible donors to give blood at upcoming drives for National Preparedness Month. 1-5pm Thursday, Sept. 12 at Montage Health, Hartnell Professional Center, 576 Hartnell St., Monterey. 1-5pm Monday, Sept. 16 at Del Monte Shopping Center, Monterey. Free. Make an appointment at vitalant.org or 877258-4825. Turn it in Monterey County Sheriff’s Office partnered with the Inmar Intelligence Consumer Drug TakeBack Program to place containers for the public to safely dispose of unused or expired medications. Bins are located in the lobby of Sheriff’s Office locations at 1414 Natividad Road, Salinas; 1200 Aguajito Road, Monterey; 250 Franciscan Way, King City. Free. 755-3700, countyofmonterey.gov/sheriff. From Sea to Stars A new supercomputer in Monterey boosts the Navy’s ability to predict the weather. By Erik Chalhoub Work is still underway on MPUSD campuses such as Monterey High School, shown above, using funds approved from previous bonds in 2010 and 2018. e-mail: toolbox@montereycountynow.com TOOLBOX “Unfortunately, there isn’t a dedicated funding stream.” Daniel Dreifuss
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