Voice of the Coast

Are we going to tell our junior high school students to get out of town, to stay out of our library, our coffee houses, bakeries and shops? It may “take a village to raise a child” in some communities, but not here. On the Coastside, it’s take a bus and go home. Don’t be seen walking our streets after school.

Sound harsh? I think so. But then I like meeting my grandchildren after school at M. Coffee and hearing about their day. I delight in watching them develop a sense of who they are, which includes being a part of this unique town we live in.

We, the adults in this community, recently approved a $35 million school bond. Part of what we voted on spending the money for is the construction of a new middle school. Now the question is where to put it? The Cabrillo Uni- fied School District Governing Board appointed a site selection committee this summer to research possible sites. They narrowed it down to five choices: the Podesta property, which is adjacent to Half Moon Bay High School; 25 acres west of Highway 1 near Friendly Acres horse stables; an undetermined number of acres in North Wavecrest; 41 acres adjacent to El Granada Elementary School; and the Cunha Intermediate School property.

The committee was given a list of criteria to aid them in determining an appropriate site. This list was developed by the state’s School Facilities Planning Division. When the committee rated the five sites, using the state criteria, the Cunha site received the highest rating. After pondering the results of this evaluation, committee members decided this wasn’t really their first choice and decided to rate the five sites based on their individual preferences. The results of this rating placed Cunha as the committee’s fourth choice. Their first choice was the Podesta property adjacent to the high school.

The committee’s recommendation is now being considered by the school board and open for public discussion. That’s you and me! I think locating a junior high school right next to a high school is a bad idea. I think we have the best possible location for a junior high school. It’s property we already own right in the middle of town—Cunha Intermediate School.

Cunha sits on 17.07 acres. The average middle school in San Mateo County sits on about 11 acres. Cunha is in walking distance to the library. Cunha has a good gym, a good shop and a track. Are we so rich we can let these resources go unused? Cunha is located right in the middle of town. Our kids are included, not excluded, from the community. This allows them some safety at a time in their lives when they are able to extend their boundaries.

To quote Mac Parker of The Cub Inquirer, the Cunha school newspaper, “It is important to leave the middle school right where it is, in the middle of the community. See, I like walking around town after school and having the library when I need it. This is the age when we get a little more freedom.”

Does Cunha need improving? Absolutely. It needs to be repaired and expanded. A great deal of this work could be done during the summer. New buildings could be built while the students are using the existing classrooms. The architect hired by the district has said that this could be done. It has worked in other districts.

If the population on the coast continues to increase, we may need two junior high schools. It makes no sense to get rid of the one we already have.

The district needs more elementary school space now. This year we were able, because of state funds, to lower class sizes in grades one through three. This is great news!

We need to identify where the children are going to be and build an elementary school there. Obviously, they are not going to be in downtown Half Moon Bay. Elementary schools should be located in the neighborhoods where the children live.

There is a tremendous challenge here for all of us who care about our town and the children who are growing up in it. Let’s make wise decisions based on sound reasoning. Let’s take something that works and make it much better. Let’s keep our junior high kids in town.

[notice of a meeting that next week deleted] Let the board know how you feel.