[Image of considered high school sites courtesy of SBHSD Board of Trustees Meeting 12.10.24]
Acquisition of the New Sites
The San Benito High School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously at their December 10th meeting to move forward with acquiring two parcels of land adjacent to a previously acquired site (plot #8 above) off of Wright Road. The new sites, which make up plot #13 (13.98acres) above would provide connection for the future high school to infrastructure and add a potential pedestrian/bicycle//vehicle access to the Buena Vista Corridor and Westside Rd. This, including the acquisition of site #8 above brings us to a total of ~63.66 acres of land set aside for the new school.
The SBHSD also notified the county of their desire to use the land for a high school on November 4th via letter and again at the November 20th Planning Commission meeting. The letter can be found here.
California Government Code §53094(b) allows a school district’s governing board to exempt school facilities from local zoning ordinances with a two-thirds majority vote. This would be necessary for all sites the school district reviewed with the exception of site 22. Site 22 was included in Hollister’s General Plan 2040 Update for another potential high school.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the governing board of a school district, that has complied with the requirements of Section 65352.2 of this code and Section 21151.2 of the Public Resources Code, by a vote of two-thirds of its members, may render a city or county zoning ordinance inapplicable to a proposed use of property by the school district. The governing board of the school district may not take this action when the proposed use of the property by the school district is for nonclassroom facilities, including, but not limited to, warehouses, administrative buildings, and automotive storage and repair buildings.
Measures L&M both failed at the ballot box with both falling to meet the 55% threshold needed to pass. Measure L was to help fund phase 1 construction and Measure M was for vocational classes. It’s important to note that the voters were not tasked with approval of the new high school, just means to fund its construction and operation. The school district is still charged with finding and planning for a new high school as the problem of overcrowding at Hollister High will not ease. In 2023 the school districts financial advisor was quoted by BenitoLink as stating that the new high school will be paid for with a combination of funds from developers, state funds, and a non-obligation bond measure.
Overcrowding at Hollister High
[Largest High School Enrollments in Northern California. Courtesy of SBHSD Board of Trustees December 10th, 2024 Meeting]
Hollister High now has the second largest enrollment in all of Northern California, second only to Pitsburg High in Contra Costa County. Nearly every other jurisdiction on this list is in a city with nearly twice the population (most of these high schools are in cities with 60,000 plus residents!) of the city of Hollister, demonstrating the need for a new high school. The high school district predicts that by 2028-2029 enrollment will hit 4302 students, with Hollister High’s capacity being 3400. The new school site is currently closest to the densest population of it’s current student population and in the path of potential growth.
[Image courtesy of SBHSD Board of Trustees Meeting 12.10.2024]
What’s Next?
According to the measure approved by the high school district, the district will now move through site planning and then the CEQA process. This displays that the high school is still in the early days of planning. It is unclear how the district plans to finance the cost of the high school given the failure of Measure’s L & M, nor is it clear what the newly acquired sites will be used for other than utility, pedestrian/bicycle connections. Stay tuned.
My Take
(Here’s where I insert my opinion, feel free to pass on if you’re just here for the news!)
The SBHSD is mandated to address issues that impact their students so this move makes sense. With Hollister High currently being overcrowded and more families moving in every day a new high school is needed. Further, building a new high school on the west side of town rather than the east represents a bit of social justice for west side residents. Residents of this part of town have largely been left out of the benefits that come with new growth and according to the image below have less educational opportunities than some of their neighbors. It’s also where most of their student populous is located so this is a logical choice. Overall, I find it positive that the district charges on despite their election losses.
[From the City of Hollister 6th Cycle Draft Housing Element 11.15.2024 This data represents opportunity levels based on the following four factors: Student poverty rate – Percentage of Students not receiving free or reduced-priced lunch, Math proficiency – Percentage of fourth graders who meet or exceed math proficiency standards, Reading proficiency – Percentage of fourth graders who meet or exceed reading proficiency standards, High school graduation rates – Percentage of high school cohort that graduated on times.]
Let me know your thoughts, this is our first real post and we hope to provide you more moving forward!
The San Benito Blueprint 
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