Grossmont High Tennis Teams Seek ‘Equal’ Love from the School District

Grossmont High School’s tennis teams aren’t being served fairly by the school district, the school board was told Thursday night.

The is not giving “equal attention” to all of its students, said a half-dozen speakers in El Cajon.

Hannah Mussey, a Grossmont junior, was among the six parents and students who spoke on behalf of the school’s tennis teams. For the past two years, teams have traveled to other schools for practice and “home games” because the Foothiller courts aren’t usable, she said.

“It’s obvious to us that we’re not a priority, which is unfair because we all deserve equal attention and funds,” Hannah said. “We’re asking for a fair share of attention, a creative solution to be able to fit 12 new courts at Grossmont in a location where they will be kept in a better condition, and a definite answer of what we’re getting and when we will be getting them.”

In the end, board President Robert Shield asked staff to report back to the board in the next few weeks regarding interim and long-term solutions for the high school’s tennis teams.

Speakers noted that transportation to and from other campuses costs time and money.

Hannah said many of her teammates arrive to school at 7 a.m. and return to campus on game days at 7 p.m. or later. The schedule is rigorous for the students, she said, because roughly 90 percent of the team is enrolled in at least one honors or Advanced Placement course.

“It’s only October, and all of us on the team are beat and totally worn down, just tired because we have so much going on,” she said. “If we had our own home courts, we would have several more hours of time for homework and other family activities. It would just be an all around better experience for everyone.”

Krista Mussey, Hannah’s mother, pointed out that athletic facilities are being built and renovated at other schools as part of the Proposition H and U bond discretionary funds and deferred maintenance programs.

New basketball and tennis courts will be completed by November at Granite Hills in El Cajon. In addition, a new 50-meter pool, the first on-site pool for the school, and a pool complex are being constructed and set to be done in March 2012.

This is one of three new aquatic centers—valued at about $11 million—that are under way in the district, including new 25-meter pools at Steele Canyon and West Hills high schools.

Grossmont High School completed its pool renovation last year.

The $515,000 —like the other district projects—was largely funded by Proposition H and U funds. The Neighborhood Reinvestment Program also contributed $100,000.

“I want to make sure that this tennis team has a voice and not a whisper,” Krista Mussey said.

Another parent expressed concern that some of the district's projects, such as the 6,200-square-foot child development center being built at Grossmont High School, are “being put ahead of the needs of students.”

“We are aware that there have been constriction delays as a result of the current economy, but we feel that this tennis team has been more than patient and accommodating for the past seven years, at least,” she said.

Speakers argued that no progress has been made on the tennis courts even though the courts were earmarked for repairs and/or replacement when Proposition U—a $417 million bond to help complete the modernization of all district schools—passed in November 2008. 

Scott Patterson, a deputy superintendent, explained the construction projects are contributing to the “logistical problem” at the school. He said Grossmont High School is experiencing “cramped campus syndrome.”

“I’m very sensitive to the impacts and sacrifices that the parents and players are having to make,” said Patterson, who met with administrators and the facilities team earlier in the day to develop ideas. “We are looking for types of solutions to see how we can mitigate those in the short-term.”