Hundreds of Salinas elementary students returned from winter break on Monday to new classrooms: the wooden, portable kind.

Four schools in the Alisal Union School District — Cesar E. Chavez, Creekside, Dr. Oscar F. Loya and John Steinbeck — will spend the rest of the school year undergoing mold removal work.

“The mold was found a couple of years ago, and we need to fix that,” said Alisal Union School District Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas on Monday. “Before the rains hit, it’s imperative we deal with some of the classrooms … (and) place students in areas away from these classrooms, so we can begin fixing them.”

The 960-square-foot portables were installed at Cesar E. Chavez shortly before Thanksgiving, relocating 16 classes. Creekside and Dr. Oscar F. Loya schools received 20 and 7 portables, respectively, in early December.

About 1,200 students at the three schools have been relocated to the portables, Zendejas said, and the district anticipates relocating some classrooms this spring at John E. Steinbeck school, as well.

While mold can’t be seen from within the classrooms, it has grown inside the walls and could lead to respiratory illnesses in staff, students and visitors.

On Monday morning, fourth grade teacher Ashley Ireland’s students at Creekside Elementary School said her students didn’t mind the change.

“(The students) are pretty excited to be in a new classroom,” Ireland said during the school’s recess, where children’s laughter and yells echoed off the sturdy-looking portables placed in the school’s cramped asphalt play area.

Creekside Elementary School Principal Julio Sierra said that other than a slight hitch with rewiring faculty equipment, the move to portable space has gone smoothly.

But it’s still not an ideal situation, Zendejas said.

“Anytime you have to move a classroom from one location to another … it impacts the students,” she said. “We’ve done everything to minimize that disruption.”

Zendejas said the 12-school district plans to apply for money from the state to help cover its mold removal costs, which could run into the millions of dollars. Bids for contractors could go out as soon as March, following completion of an environmental report. Workers must tear down the classroom walls to determine the extent of the mold growth.

“There’s no cost estimate yet,” said project manager Kent Munro of Rancho Cucamonga-based PCM3 Construction Management, which handled the installation of the portables. “Until the walls are opened up, we don’t know exactly what we’ll find.”

http://thecalifornian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080107/NEWS01/80107018/1002
 
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