SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — It’s the first day of school at Mesa College. Students are hitting the books and connecting with friends. But if you take a closer look, you'll see they’re dealing with outdated facilities and technology.
I took a walk through campus with Mesa’s Associated Student Government President Zora Williams. Williams says some buildings, like the performing arts center and the gym, are more than 60 years old.
“The floors are so thin that you can’t sand them anymore, we don’t have any ac in here, and there’s also asbestos in the wall, so we just need a whole new building in general,” Williams said.
The San Diego Community College District approved a $3.5 billion bond for the November ballot. It's the first of its kind in almost twenty years.
“We need to fix outdated infrastructure that is not energy efficient and we need to modernize a lot of classrooms to meet the local demand that employers have,” Chancellor Gregory Smith said.
Chancellor Gregory Smith says the bond would help schools rebuild after the January flooding ruined some facilities, especially at the College of Continuing Education. The money would also be used to upgrade old buildings, bring virtual reality tech into the classroom, and create affordable student housing.
“We can’t wait because the cost of construction will go up, facilities will continue to deteriorate," Smith said. "If we’re going to meet the needs of our local employers and students. We need to do this now.”
“It’s going to help students prepare and feel more confident when they go out to their new opportunities,” Williams said.
The funding would come from a property owner tax over the next fifty years. It would cost a typical homeowner around $250 a year.
