Teacher Underrepresentation in Construction Decisions

Sabrina Pickett
Julia DiFiori

Costa students have benefitted significantly from the resources implemented in the new math and science building, however, the building could have been more advantageous to both students and teachers if teachers’ feedback was more valued throughout the planning process.

Measure BB, the bond that funded construction of the math and science building as well as the remainder of the upcoming renovations, went into effect in Jan. of 2011. Costa principal Dr. Ben Dale had the power to make all executive decisions regarding the furnishings, technology and layout of the buildings, on occasion going against teacher input.

Although the majority of the teaching faculty preferred traditional styled desks with connecting chairs, Dale opted for modern two-piece desks. Dale justified his decision against teachers’ opinions by claiming that the contemporary desks are more versatile and better for collaborative work. However, the large size of the desks inhibit mobility making them impractical for the small classrooms.

The initial plan for classroom size in the new building made the classrooms smaller than those in the old finger buildings, while the labs could hold upwards of 35 students. The majority of teachers were opposed to this design because if teachers have less than 35 students in their class the excessive size of the labs waste space that could be better harnessed in classrooms.

A main teacher concern was the lack of extra classrooms in the building to accommodate the growing size of the Manhattan Beach Unified School District. With all classrooms in use, science teacher Teresa Nielsen and math teacher Denise Webber have not been assigned a classroom in the math and science building. This issue could have been prevented if teacher suggestions had been adhered to on this subject, because teachers asked for smaller labs and extra classrooms.

The initial plan went into action despite teacher vocalization against it, but teacher concerns should have been more thoroughly addressed because teachers are the ones using the classrooms daily making their feedback extremely valuable. 10 out of 10 teachers with classrooms in the new building said that their opinions could have been more highly valued or were not valued at all.

Another teacher request that has repeatedly been ignored is the need for blinds in the new building. The building was designed to allow as much light into the classrooms as possible. The extra light exposure helps minimize electrical costs and provides a pleasant learning environment for students, however, the light causes a glare on the new eno boards, preventing many students from reading the information written on the board. A Costa biology teacher sent a photo of the excessive light directly interfering with the student’s line of sight to Dale, who gave no response. Despite this event and in-person discussions about the blinds, this issue, which could easily be resolved if blinds were installed into the building, still exists as a result of disregarding teacher perspectives.

Each teacher was provided with a new Macbook Pro courtesy of the Parent Teacher Student Association. This is beneficial for Costa because, according to Dale, Macs are more reliable than PCs. However, teachers that have been working with PCs, such as physics teacher Jon Lewis, felt that this conversion to Macs was unnecessary. Teachers should have been given the option between PCs and Macs.

The new building is a major improvement in technology and upgrades compared to the previous science facilities. While the labs are spacious and updated and the classrooms are modern, the building could have had an even greater impact on campus if teacher feedback had been taken into account with more major decisions.

The large desks are too big for the classrooms, and the over sized labs are an inefficient use of space. The lack of extra classrooms, as well as the absence of blinds and mandation of Macs over PCs poses unnecessary challenges to teachers. These problems could have been prevented if the administration had more thoroughly reviewed teacher advice during the planning process of the building.