Why was the money spent on the football field lights (which seems to me non-essential), when the actual playing field is more than adequate for the team, while (for one example), the swimming and water polo teams are forced to practice in unsafe, reportedly unpleasant, and inadequate facilities?

The Gunn Swimming pool definitely needs to be improved. It does not meet the standards that are expected for aquatic programs.

The biggest issue with a pool is the cost of the project. From what I have heard the Gunn Administration and Sports Boosters fully support a new pool and are looking at different ways it can be accomplished.

The Sports Boosters supported the lights as a way of bringing the community together for events and from last night's turnout it looked like that was a success. There was an even an ad in the game program explaining why a new pool was needed for Gunn.

Trace your ire back to the school board, Mr/Ms Wondering. Though the board originally promised, under then-president Cathy Kroymann, not to let a pool be built at Paly until one was also built at Gunn, as soon as a big donor stepped forward for Paly they changed their minds. Result? Gunn has an orphaned, ineffective fundraising effort for its pool while Paly has a sparkling new one.

Vague promises of redress under a future school bond seem particularly ephemeral given the uproar about Mandarin Immersion and its likely deleterious effect on a bond measure if passed.

But while you're thinking about Gunn, ask the school board about the average comparative age of all the computers at Paly and Jordan (where the PTAs can afford to give hundreds of thousands for technology support) versus the south Palo Alto secondary schools (where the PTAs can't). (Don't ask about district funding of technology, though, as the district budget doesn't even have a line item for technology.) Ask them about institutions like Camp Anytown, fully funded by private donations at Paly and struggling at Gunn. Ask them about facilities equality overall, in fact.

Palo Alto needs more board members from south of Oregon Expressway to ensure that proper attention is paid to inequities. During the last election, no one from the south part of Palo Alto even ran. Let's hope more civic minded folks turn up from south Palo Alto during the next board election cycle.

I agree that we should have School Board representation from all over our city. Do we really need to tear down accomplishments, however, that hard working volunteers and/or donors make happen? When a funder steps up in this district we should all be appreciative. Completing one project allows more energies to be focussed on other projects. Paly has lights because a funder stepped forward. Gunn now has lights because volunteers spent countless hours fundraising and lobbying the district. Let's celebrate! Now it is time to put time and effort into finding funding for a Gunn pool. Who will step up to lead the charge?