PMA still generating excitement
Upgrades at other sites scheduled to end, start this year
Porterville Unified School District has plenty to look forward to in 2018, as the projects scheduled for completion will create an entirely new school and Pathway, new classroom space, and modernize existing sites.
The project that continues to generate the most excitement in the community is the creation of the Porterville Military Academy and a corresponding PMA Pathway choice for PUSD students. The school will be built on the same site as Butterfield Charter High School, and is scheduled for completion in time for the 201819 school year next Fall.
One of the military academies that PUSD looked to for inspiration is the Oakland Military Institute, which was founded by Governor Jerry Brown when he was the mayor of. Governor Gray Davis helped secure the charter after local school boards rejected it. It was the first charter ever sponsored by the state, the first public military school and the first school sponsored by the National Guard.
Like the Oakland Military Institute, the PMA will focus on leadership, character development and citizenship skills using military principles and disciplines.
The initial class will focus on incoming ninth-grade students, and will expand by adding additional grade levels in subsequent years.
When fully operational, the PMA will be the first PUSD school to instruct grades 7-12. If all goes according to PUSD’S vision, the academy will produce its first graduating class in 2022.
Construction of the project was given a major boost with the release of Brown’s 201819 budget this week, which allotted $2.4 million from the state’s general fund for the academy’s implementation. The extra state funding will help with the $11.3 million cost of the academy, and will free up district funds for future projects.
PUSD’S governing board continues to express interest in seeking community input to name the academy after a local military hero, and are also considering
naming individual wings of the academy after community members as well.
In their ongoing effort to replace over 100 portable classrooms throughout the district with permanent structures, new classroom buildings at Porterville and Monache high schools will be completed this year.
The 16 classroom building at Porterville High was recently completed, and according to district representatives, Monache’s 13 classroom building is scheduled for completion in late February or early March. Construction at the Monache site was slowed down by
soil problems that arose as a result of last year’s heavy rainfall.
PUSD is also set to begin a $4 million modernization project this month at Los Robles Elementary School. The school will receive major upgrades to HVAC, lighting, flooring and cabinetry, as well as grounds updates.
The district had planned to do the renovation project for some time, but it was put on hold due to lack of a state bond for funding. As a result, the district must begin renovation by Jan. 22 or they will exceed the project’s timeline and will need to begin the approval process again.