Parents Urge CUSD Board to Build Second High School

By Philip K. Ireland, North County Times, Escondido, Calif.

Mar. 23–CARLSBAD —- Parents flooded the Carlsbad school district boardroom Wednesday evening to urge trustees to consider building a smaller second high school.

About 75 parents attended the school board meeting at the district office in central Carlsbad. As each of five speakers made their statements, dozens of people raised their hands in a silent show of support. Because the statements came in the public comment portion of the meeting, the school board could not respond, and no action was taken.

“We believe a single comprehensive high school with more than 3,000 students is too big,” parent Laura Tarman said, referring to research supporting the effectiveness of smaller high schools. Tarman said she represented many parents and teachers in calling for a comprehensive high school of 2,300 to 2,500 students.

Tarman said she and the parents supporting her favor the creation of a second high school built to serve 1,200 to 1,500 students. That high school should be built outside the congested traffic area of the current high school, where three other Carlsbad schools are within a 12-block area.

Further, Tarman said, the smaller school should be a “school of choice” that offers the typical high school programs and to which any Carlsbad student could attend.

The parents put some financial teeth into their requests.

“How are we as a community willing to pay?” asked Josephine Lewis, listing successful bond measure across the state last year. But, she said, for the community to support a $143 million bond that the district is proceeding on, it must address the community’s desire for a smaller comprehensive high school and another smaller “school of choice.”

“I will enthusiastically cast my vote for a bond for a comprehensive high school of less than 3,000 students,” one speaker said, adding that she would not support a bond for a 3,700-student school. “Small, small! Size is the issue. Please consider size as one of your guiding principles.”

The district now has only one comprehensive high school —- Carlsbad High —- that serves about 3,000 students. Two smaller high school programs serve another 250 students who need a more flexible program than the larger high school offers.

District administrators say some 3,700 to 4,000 high school students will attend high school in Carlsbad by 2013. In 2013, the year city planners say all available residential land in Carlsbad will be developed, district projections suggest the high school student population will level out or decline.

Based on those enrollment assumptions, school district administrators have been exploring ways to handle what they say will be a temporary increase in enrollment.

Their options include rebuilding Carlsbad High School for 3,700 students and creating a smaller high school program for 350 to 500 students. Also under consideration is what to do with a 52-acre property at the corner of College Avenue and Cannon Road originally planned for a second high school.

Architects hired by the district created several options for rebuilding Carlsbad High to serve 3,700. Current estimates, based on 2008 construction costs, range between $150 million and $189 million. The architects also estimated construction of a school at College and Cannon at about $230 million.

The architects did not include any estimates for construction of a smaller high school, which has been part of the district’s thinking and planning.

—–

To see more of the North County Times, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.nctimes.com.

Copyright (c) 2006, North County Times, Escondido, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.