by Anne Gibson
Calvin Baker shows a 100 community volunteer committee where the potential growth in the Vail Unified School District will be in the next three to five years. The information was part of a study to recommend to the governing board how to solve potential overcrowding of high school students. Photo by Anne Gibson
The Vail School District (VSD) takes its tag line “Where Education is a Community Effort” very seriously. There is no better example that when over 100 volunteers from the district gathered in the Dining Auditorium/Student Union at Cienega High School to make a recommendation on the issue of what to do when Vail reaches its capacity to serve high school students in the near future.
VSD Superintendent Calvin Baker began the January 16th meeting by explaining the current enrollment of high school students is 4,015 with a rate of 150 new high school students a year enrolling in Vail. Currently, there are only 255 slots available. A severe overcapacity issue will result in five years with the increase of 770 students to a total of 4,785.
Participants registered to serve on four subcommittees to study four areas. The four subcommittees consisted of a new comprehensive high school led by Deputy Superintendent Debby Penn and Cienega High School Principal Nemer Hassey; Additions to Existing Facilities led by Andrada Principal Julia Kaiser; Digital Learning as an Interim Option by 200 seats led by Ethan Hurley, and Available Sites led by Associate Superintendent John Carruth. After a series of subcommittee meetings, the group came together as a whole on January 31st and February 28th.
Committee members, Catherine Mayo Byars and Britany Matsushino, reported, if the recommendation is to build a new high school, it must be a school students would want to attend. The examination of current student enrollment showed sports and the arts as the most popular. Phase one would be built for 1,000 students at an estimated cost of $50 million. The State School Facilities Board has awarded Vail $22 million for the school.
The construction process from beginning to end would take three years.
Principal Kaiser reported for the subcommittee studying Additions to Existing Facilities. She stated there was not sufficient room for expansion at Empire High School. Andrada High School could add 800 students but would have to add athletic facilities, enlarge the cafeteria, add more classrooms, and enlarge the treatment plant. The school operates on its own treatment plant since there is no sewer service in its area. Due to concerns about putting an additional 800 students on Houghton Road, bringing a new road to the back of the property was discussed. The cost estimates made it more expensive to add on to Andrada than to build a new school.
VSD Director of College and Career, Ethan Hurley, spoke to an Interim Option to add 200 slots into the Digital Learning currently conducted by the district.
Local realtor and sub-committee member, Tim Looney, reported for the Site Subcommittee stating they had looked at the plans for the potential development of planned communities in the district and the statistics of current eighth graders who might possibly attend the new school. Three possible sites, all in the northwest quadrant of the district, met the criteria, including one being on a major thoroughfare. The committee finally recommended one. The Arizona State School Facilities Board will purchase the pay for the 60-acre parcel over and above the $22 million for facilities.
The members of the large committee voted with the majority in favor to recommend to the governing board that the district build a comprehensive high school in two phases with the first phase being for 1,000 students and the second phase adding an additional 1,000 students. There was one vote for the expansion of Andrada. All members of the large committee voted in favor of the selected site for the new school.
The VSD Governing Board will continue to study for the next three months and then vote in June as to whether to hold a bond election or not. During the three month period, the district will be holding community meetings to get even more community input.
Picture Below:
Calvin Baker shows a 100 community volunteer committee where the potential growth in the Vail Unified School District will be in the next three to five years. The information was part of a study to recommend to the governing board how to solve potential overcrowding of high school students. Photo by Anne Gibson
