KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — At our October school board meeting, our trustees agreed to put other projects on hold to fund new stadium lights at Kelseyville High School rather than letting the stadium go dark after this 2025-26 school year.
Why we need new lights
The lights were originally installed in the early 1990s through a partnership with PG&E and Kelseyville Boosters, but the final safety inspection was never completed. (Keep in mind, this was 30 years ago. Our current maintenance director is a stickler for final inspections.)
In 2022, when we pulled permits for other stadium renovations, we discovered this oversight. The Division of the State Architect then performed the required final "hammer test" in 2024, and two of the light poles failed to meet current safety standards. Now we are required by law to take them down at the end of the school year.
Stadium lights allow outdoor events to take place after the sun sets, not only high school football and soccer games and practices, but Kelseyville Chiefs Youth Football as well as other school and community events–including our high school graduation ceremony.
Funding challenges
Everyone I know supports new stadium lights until I ask them what they are willing to give up to purchase them. Much of the money school districts receive comes with strict rules about how it can be spent. The money available for significant repairs and maintenance generally comes from bond funding. Periodically, state and federal legislators allocate modernization funds to update school facilities.
Last year, Kelseyville Unified School District put Measure R on the ballot to fund new classrooms, repair leaky roofs, and update inadequate electrical systems, among other projects. Unfortunately, the measure didn’t pass. This broke my heart because kids deserve our community’s support. They shouldn’t have to choose between new heating and air conditioning systems to keep them comfortable, and stadium lights that contribute to their physical and social/emotional health.
The good news is that Kelseyville Unified School District is known for its careful and responsible use of financial resources. We plan ahead and squeeze every dollar for maximum impact as we use funding in accordance with state and federal requirements. The District also actively pursues grants and other funding sources when we can.
Hoping for the best
During the October school board meeting, a lot of thoughtful discussion centered around how we can do as much as possible as quickly as possible. Before we learned that our stadium lights would go dark, we had earmarked modernization funds to replace the half-dozen remaining HVAC systems that are 30+ years old. We know these will fail; we just don’t know when.
When you replace several HVAC systems at once, you can get discounted rates for materials and labor. Plus, you avoid the discomfort students would endure when a system stops working. Just like fire alarms and going into labor, HVAC systems don’t tend to break at a convenient time. Fire alarms and labor only seem to occur in the middle of the night. HVAC systems only go out in the dead of winter or during a blazing heat wave.
All that said, the upwelling of community support for new stadium lights let us know how much everyone values sports and other community gatherings under the lights. I think the school board made the right choice in funding the lights. Now, I’m hoping the HVAC systems will only go out one at a time and not all in the same year.
Support local schools
If you happen to see a school bond measure on a future ballot, please remember that this is how school districts raise funds to keep school facilities in good working order. Without bond funding, classrooms fall into disrepair and it becomes even more expensive to provide safe, modern spaces for kids to learn and grow.
Dr. Nicki Thomas is superintendent of the Kelseyville Unified School District.