August 23, 2007

Thinking outside the box

Coyote Valley task force discusses high schools

By Lorraine Gabbert
Staff Writer

When Morgan Hill Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Alan K. Nishino learned the Coyote Valley Specific Plan (CVSP) only included one densely populated high school, he set to work to find a creative alternative.

Gavilan College Superintendent Steven M. Kinsella sees collaboration between the college and high school as a win-win situation. In the background is Morgan Hill Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Alan K. Nishino. Photo by Lorraine Gabbert

“I would like to find a way to...find a solution to this dilemma by establishing two separate high schools,” said Nishino, speaking before the CVSP Task Force Aug. 13 at city hall.

Nishino and the Morgan Hill Unified School District Board considered a student body of 3,000 to 4,000 too large for one high school, especially when their students might have an opportunity for a more beneficial type of growth: access to college classes. When Nishino learned that Gavilan College Superintendent Steven M. Kinsella had purchased some property to build a college, he proposed a joint venture.

Kinsella was not only receptive, he was delighted. By adding an additional 25 acres to his planned 55, this collaboration would not only increase enrollment at Gavilan, but also bring the community college a significant financial boost by qualifying it size-wise (with the required 80 acres) as a full college campus rather than an educational center.

According to Kinsella, while an educational center is allocated $500,000 annually by the state to cover operating costs, a full college campus receives operating revenue of $3 million.

“This allows our students to take advantage of a college curriculum while helping his project get off the ground,” said Nishino.

The next step was convincing the Coyote Valley Task Force. Nishino proposed reducing the 60 acres the high school had been allotted in the core of Coyote Valley to 40, and adding 25 adjacent to Gavilan College. The two schools would share 80 acres as well as parking areas, fields, a gymnasium and educational spaces.

Kinsella sees this as a win-win situation. “We lose 50 percent of students in the Morgan Hill Unified School District (MHUSD) to colleges in the north,” said Kinsella. “We have a tremendous opportunity to leverage assets in the MHUSD...and Gavilan has an early college program allowing high school students to take college classes.”

The idea impressed some members of the task force. “I think this idea is innovative and intriguing,” said one. “I think the ideas are good, and we ought to let them continue to try and finish their work.”

However, another cautioned that the school’s budget limitations might not allow it to comply with the task force vision to go green in their new buildings. “I suspect a conflict between what the school district is trying to do and what the task force is trying to do,” he said.

“We are guided by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA),” replied Kinsella. “We are trying to go beyond CEQA,” said the member. It was also noted that the high school was requesting an additional 5 acres from Coyote Valley to help qualify Gavilan for full college status.

Hearing the task force’s concerns, Nishino quickly rejoined the conversation. “This is speculation,” he said. “The board wanted me to investigate having two high school sites. This is just a conversation, but a serious conversation.”

Nishino sees this as a chance for students to have a choice and to accelerate faster than they would otherwise. “It is out-of-the-box thinking,” he said, “but not unique.”

CVSP Task Force Co-Chair and city Councilmember Nancy Pyle agreed. “This is not untested,” she said. “We did that in the San Jose Unified School District (SJUSD) at Evergreen College. Both high school and college students’ success rose significantly.” Pyle noted that if the students could take high school and college courses simultaneously, they would graduate and follow their career path sooner, benefiting the economy.

“This would make our schools more competitive,” said Shanna Boigon of the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors. “For people moving to this valley, education is a huge issue.”

CVSP Task Force Co-Chair and city Councilmember Forrest Williams favored the proposal. “That’s what it’s all about,” he said. “The opportunity for creativity.”