DANVILLE — The founder of PeopleSoft has made a significant donation to the library at Monte Vista High School, and a money gift for a new multimillion-dollar library facility is in the works.
Husband and wife Dave and Cheryl Duffield, of Danville, were scheduled to make a $281,000 donation during Tuesday’s San Ramon Valley school board meeting, said district spokesman Terry Koehne. It will pay for computers and other equipment, furnishings and staffing. Students will have expanded access during lunch and after school.
Additionally, the district and the Duffields are talking about a donation that could replace the school’s current library, which has not seen major improvements since the school was built in 1965, Koehne said.
An early cost estimate is $8 million for a multistory structure that would have an expanded library and career center with a student union-type space. There would be upstairs classrooms and meeting spaces. It would be near the existing library building, close to the eastern end of the campus.
“It’s definitely something they’re very interested in,” said Amy Zeifang, daughter of Dave Duffield and a spokeswoman for Workday, another company her father founded. Zeifang said some specifics still need to be worked out, including a refined cost estimate and design.
“They’ve been very supportive of the schools, specifically the ones their children attend,” she said.
Zeifang said her dad and stepmom have a freshman and junior at Monte Vista High School, as well as two children at Los Cerros Middle School and one at Green Valley Elementary. They also have grandchildren who will be attending Monte Vista High. “This donation takes it to a new level.”
Koehne said while the rest of the Monte Vista High campus has seen improvements from recent bond measures, the library has not.
Contact Eric Louie at 925-847-2123.