Superintendent's Weekly Message

February 15, 2023

Dear Hollister High School parents, students, staff and community:

At the January 21st meeting of San Benito High School District’s Facilities Needs Committee, the members of the group submitted their “rounding” documents in which they asked members of the community for their input and feedback on the plans for a second high school in the district. 

The committee’s third meeting of the school year also featured presentations from architect Brian Meyers about the recent construction of the new Del Oro High School in Bakersfield and Twin Bridges High School in Lincoln, California, along with a tour of the Hollister High School campus, led by school administrators and students.

As part of the rounding effort, the community members were asked how informed they are about the need for a second high school, what other information they or the community could use, whether they generally support the idea of a second high school, and what programs, focus or services would they like to see at a second high school.

Respondents were also asked who else in the community should be contacted about the second campus and they were given the opportunity to share any other information with the committee, which previously met in October and November and will meet twice in March and twice in April ahead of their presentation of findings and recommendations to the District Board of Trustees in May.

Information Sharing

Nearly half of the 47 respondents said they were “very well” or “well” informed about the need for a second high school in the district, noting they receive the school newsletters and see the obvious overcrowding at Hollister HIgh School. Comments about a new school included, “the need is quite evident,” HHS “is so overcrowded and is just going to get worse,” and “we are aware that our current high school has outgrown our community and has reached capacity.”

For those who haven’t received as much or any information about the need for a second high school, comments included “I know we need one, but I didn’t know they were starting,” and “The high school is almost becoming a small college campus. I have noticed that some students feel like they are lost in how big the high school is. MANY do not want to send their kids to such a big high school and are looking for options elsewhere. We need a new high school so that our kids in the community don’t feel like their families need to look into different options outside of the area.”

More Details

Regarding what information people want about a second high school, responses included location, timeline for construction and capacity of the new school and cost. People also asked if the new school would be a comprehensive school or a magnet school.

Support For a New High School

On the question of whether they generally support the idea of creating a second high school, 86 percent of the 49 respondents said they do support it; 12 percent said they do not; and one person said that the plans of where and when a second school would be built should have already been determined with the way the city has grown in recent years.

One respondent said they support a second high school “because I know that 800 to 1,000 students (based on research) is optimal for a high school and we’re well beyond that. We’re also a growing community so we have a need. We’re not seeing the dramatic drops in enrollment that other communities are experiencing.”

Another commenter noted, “the high school is too big and, while nice, a lot of students don’t want to feel like a number. With two high schools that are more normal sized, it will help students feel more comfortable, connected, and not to allow things to slide under the rug. This is a growing community and with that comes a growing number of schools.”

Among those not in favor of a new campus, reasons cited included additional cost to taxpayers, potential splitting of the community and concerns that a new high school would not offer students as many educational and co-curricular opportunities as Hollister High.

New School Focus

On the topic of what programs or services people would like to see at a new high school, approximately a third said the same as offered as the current high school, another third suggested a Career Technical Education or vocational focus, and 11 percent reference art programs.

Other ideas included “developing a smaller campus for only ninth-graders only to alleviate the stress on the student population and allow for a more supported experience for the younger class of high school students,” along with after-school programs and greater opportunities for more students to play sports.

Additional Outreach

Those responding to committee members suggested that other groups in the community that should be contacted regarding the new high school include parents, taxpayers, Spanish-speakers, families of special needs students, Gavilan College, Realtors, parent-teacher organizations, local service clubs, businesses, and feeder schools, among others.

Many respondents noted that the process needs to take a community approach to planning the second high school, while others said that developers need to pay their fair share for new facilities. The questions that they raised will be considered and addressed by the Facilities Needs Committee in its upcoming meetings and will factor in to the recommendations it makes to the Board of Trustees in May.

At its next meeting at 5:30 p.m. on March 1 in the Hollister High School Davis Library, the Facilities Needs Committee will focus on a vision for the new high school as it hears case studies about the construction of Liberty High School in the Perris Union High School District and Rancho San Juan High School in the Salinas Union High School District. The meeting will also feature a GIS (geographical information system) mapping presentation regarding a possible location of the second high school.

The community approach to planning for a new high school to meet the needs of our growing campus, city and county will continue to be a focus not just of the citizens committee that is doing such great work, but for the district as a whole. We appreciate everyone’s input and look forward to sharing more information in the coming weeks and months.

Sincerely,

San Benito High School District Superintendent Dr. Shawn Tennenbaum