In the meantime, installing portable classrooms soaks up the overflow. Three have been added at each high school campus, and a portable restroom was installed at Will C. Wood for the coming year. But space for new classrooms is not unlimited, and as portables extend farther out onto the periphery of a campus it takes longer to walk from one class to the next, leaving no time for bathroom breaks or stops at lockers, said Vacaville High history teacher Vicki Holm. It's just adding a little more pressure. Congestion can also contribute to tension in the hallways, said Vacaville High counselor Herb Hays.
Kids bump into each other and sometimes there are harsh words.
Kristi Duncan, who will be a junior this year at Will C. Wood, said she and her friends avoid the center of campus during passing periods. It's too hectic in there. People tend to get on each other's nerves. Teachers are not immune to the stress of sharing close quarters either, said Holm. In a recent survey of 606 registered voters, support for construction of a third high school ranked relatively high on the community's list of education spending priorities, garnering 70 percent support.