Superintendent's Weekly Message

March 8, 2023

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

The fourth meeting of San Benito High School District’s Facilities Needs Committee, held on March 1 in the Hollister High School library, featured case studies on two new high schools in other districts and offered attendees an opportunity to rank factors for site selection of a second high school locally.

The meeting, which Committee Chair Betsey Lemay called “highly successful and informative,” included a detailed presentation from Hollister High School’s Communications Special Projects class, which presented a case study on a newer school, Liberty High School. The District’s Chief Budget Officer, John Frusetta, showed the group a video presentation of Rancho San Juan High School, a relatively new campus in Salinas, and the committee discussed key takeaways from the schools, including security concerns.

Site Selection

Attendees were provided with important topics to consider regarding the location of a second high school, which they discussed at table groups. They then did a "dot" activity where they ranked school site selection factors and did a brief overview of the results. “We will follow up on this discussion at our next meeting,” Mrs. Lemay said, adding that committee members were asked to continue with their "rounding" activity “to ensure we are talking to as many community members as possible at this point in the process.” 

Creating an Equitable Campus

Hollister High School alumnus and local Realtor Karson Klauer said Facilities Needs Committee meetings “have been very informative. It is nice to see that there have been several well-designed campuses recently built. I appreciated the most recent presentation regarding attendance geography trends. I think that will be extremely helpful in regards to the site selection process and creating a campus that is as equitable across the local population as possible. I look forward to the committee drilling down deeper in the coming meetings and am grateful to be a part of the process and be able to voice my thoughts and concerns.”

Student Voice

HHS senior Suyeon Hwang, who is part of the Communications Special Projects class that presented a case study at the meeting, said she appreciated the opportunity to provide a student perspective on the need for a second high school in the District. “From putting together our presentation and presenting in front of the committee, I've learned that building a new high school or even just starting the discussion of it is tremendously complex,” she said. “And for us to be able to add a student voice to this highly important discussion was a great honor, to say the least and moreover, something I feel that is integral in the success of constructing a school that future students will be attending.”

Suyeon said she noticed that the Facilities Needs Committee “involved a diversity of individuals concerned with the building of a second high school, whether it be parents or design experts or existing administrators. With so many different voices, I feel confident enough to say that the future of high students in Hollister are in good hands.”

Suyeon’s classmate and fellow presenter, senior Leaon Vienjamir Mendoza, said that the committee’s questions to the students during and after their presentation about Liberty High School “were very insightful.” 

Hollister High School Commissioner of Clubs Gabriel Mendez said the committee “exemplifies how a community should operate: Students, parents, administration, teachers, and community members all collaborate to create a framework for the upcoming high school at San Benito High School District.” 

Gabriel added that “together, we collaborate on ideas for the future high school to fit the needs of the community, students, and the future generations to come. As a student, I'm happy to be with a district that values our input and ideas not just from me, but from all the other students on the Facilities Needs Committee. We are a positive example of an innovative, inclusive, and hard-working community.” 

Jeffrey Small of Capitol Public Finance Group said it was “refreshing to hear case studies of new high schools through the eyes of current students. Being the end user of our high school, the students have a practical vision of school safety, educational programs and facility use that is critical to delivering a second high school.”

The District’s unique geographic information system (GIS) presented at the meeting enabled the committee to see where current students live through the community, current and planned development, and heat maps that show where new students are expected to reside based on development. This technology allowed the committee to discuss possible locations for a second high school.

Committee Feedback

When the committee conducted small group discussions to prioritize important factors in determining the location of the second high school, location as to targeted student population ranked the highest. “Committee members saw that the Best Road site (which is owned by the District) is not located near the targeted population for a second school,” Mr. Small said. “Committee members observed that locations on the west and east sides of town were better locations given current and planned residential development. Location was the clear priority of the FNC. Equity between campuses ranked second followed by health and safety.”

Mr. Small noted that students who participate in the FNC “have clear priorities that will shape the future of Hollister and surrounding areas. They are in the best position to judge the location of the second high school as well as the types of facilities, mobility and opportunities that should be offered.”

Community Perspectives

San Benito High School District Trustee Patty Nehme, a regular attendee at the Facilities Needs Committee meetings, said the gatherings “a good way to provide information to the volunteer key constituents from our community. It is good to see what nearby or somewhat similar districts are doing while constructing new high schools and see the problems that have arisen and the different focuses of curriculum that are out there.” 

The presentations about recently-constructed campuses “give insight into ways we can utilize parts of what everyone has done in order to make an informed decision when the time comes for us,” Trustee Nehme added. “When this new high school is built, I want to make sure as many people in our community have had a say so there will be more of a community acceptance of what we have done because they had a say-so in the development and implementation.”

Next Steps

Committee Chair Lemay said that within the next couple of meetings, “the work we do will become more vital as we are closing in our time frame to make a presentation to the Board of Trustees in May.  We are all excited to be part of this process in the planning and facilitating of the education of our future San Benito High School District students.”  

The Facilities Needs Committee will next meet on March 22 to discuss how educational programming drives school facility development. They will hear presentations about educational programs offered at Hollister High School and discuss possible programs for a new high school, factoring in limitations considering funding constraints and campus size.

The committee’s April 12 meeting will discuss facility components of a new high school and at the April 26 meeting members will develop findings and recommendations that they will present to the Board of Trustees on May 23. 

The ongoing collaboration of community members on the Facilities Needs Committee ensures that a wide range of voices is being heard as we plan for a second campus to accommodate our growing community. Their spirit of collaboration and focus on the needs of current and future students is yet another reminder that every day is a great day to be a Baler!

Sincerely,

San Benito High School District Superintendent Dr. Shawn Tennenbaum