San Jacinto, CA – New brightly-colored messages are shining day and night along San Jacinto Avenue and along Ramona Boulevard, thanks to two new light-emitting diode (LED) signs recently installed by San Jacinto Unified School District. One sign replaced an older-style reader board outside of San Jacinto High School at the corner of Ramona Boulevard and Tiger Lane, and the other sign is located between the District’s administrative office complex and the San Jacinto Walmart Superstore.
“Even as soon as the first few hours either sign was activated, we starting receiving supportive feedback,” said Michael Collins, SJUSD’s Director of Facilities & Operations. “The great visibility from the chosen locations are just what we had planned for,” continued Collins, “and you can feel the excitement in our community.”
SJUSD has been planning for these electronic signs for a few years, as an outcome from the stakeholder input collection required by the State of California. The Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) public schools are required to submit each year for state funding must feature goals and objectives that support local priorities. In 2015, the District’s LCAP Goal #7, “Implement a comprehensive communications plan that focuses on student, family, community engagement and partnerships, reflects innovation, accessibility, and connectivity, and cultivates excellence in a caring and safe, student-centered environment” carried an action item for additional signs to create visibility and efficiency in delivering messages of events, alerts and services.
“We started working with a non-profit group that specializes in community signs quite a while ago,” stated Seth Heeren, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services for SJUSD. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t reach an agreement so we started developing our own plans and tightened our budgets so we could finance the cost of two new signs without impacting other projects or student services,” continued Heeren.
As the second largest employer in San Jacinto, SJUSD recognizes their importance in the community and understands their impact on families throughout the valley. “Our 2016 LCAP Goal #4, similar to last year’s Goal #7, remains steadfast in promoting home/school/community partnerships,” said Diane Perez, SJUSD Superintendent. “We have already been promoting several community events on our new signs and have plans to increase our outreach with businesses and service organizations—we believe in collaboration and meaningful relationships. Our success is tied to the success of our community.” noted Perez.
The Hemet/San Jacinto Valley Chamber of Commerce recently honored SJUSD with the 2016 Large Business of the Year award this past June.
For more information about the new LED signs or to request an event promotion, please contact Dawn Lawrence at [email protected].