Campus improvements at Visalia Unified School District ahead of first day

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Nearly 30,000 students and 2,900 staff are gearing up for the 2024-2025 school year at Visalia Unified School District.

It's the largest in the South Valley.

District leaders addressed thousands of parents during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

The main topic was improvements across their 42-plus campuses.

"Our work on the HVAC systems. Being able to do that at El Diamante, at La Joya Middle School, those schools have historically struggled with those systems and now, they won't have to do that," says Erik Kehrer, Chief Operations Officer at the Visalia Unified School District.

The event was held at Crowley Elementary School in North Visalia.

The campus saw $6 million in upgrades this summer.

It's a prime example of the district's efforts toward modernization. -- improved bathrooms, new HVAC units and technology in classrooms.

A water refill station and an updated bus stop are a few additions that Principal Bo Yang is excited about.

"When we are improving our campus, we are setting conditions for our students so when they come, they feel welcome, secure, happy and it's a great place to be at and it's welcoming," says Yang.

Superintendent Kirk Shrum agrees. He looks forward to the changes coming soon.

That includes the consolidation of two campuses that make up Visalia Charter Independent Studies, an updated website, social media and an app for parents to track students who ride the bus.

"Transparency is the way to go. It's important that people feel confident in what's happening so that they have the information they need to be informed," explains Shrum.

Renovations over the past 10 years have reached $300 million.

Shrum says he is very proud of what's already been done in recent times, such as the Family and Community Resource Center, where students can pick up clothing and school supplies ahead of the first day.

"All those things are important because they contribute to self-esteem and a family feeling confident when they walk in on that first day. That they are prepared and are ready, that they are on time," mentions Shrum.

The district also wants to remind people to pack their patience as there will be more traffic than usual on the first couple of days of school.

Elementary students can be walked to their classroom by their parents on the first day back.

Parents and students will find out the names of their teachers on Thursday.

More details can be found on the VUSD official website here.

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