The answer to safety issues at the crosswalk at the corner of
Monterey Street and Nash Road may be a pedestrian overpass.
The crosswalk used to get San Benito High School students and
staff across the street is a threat to safety, officials said.
Since closing the street down is not an option for the time being,
district Superintendent Jean Burns Slater is looking into other
considerations. She presented those at the district’s Board meeting
Wednesday night.
The answer to safety issues at the crosswalk at the corner of Monterey Street and Nash Road may be a pedestrian overpass.
The crosswalk used to get San Benito High School students and staff across the street is a threat to safety, officials said. Since closing the street down is not an option for the time being, district Superintendent Jean Burns Slater is looking into other considerations. She presented those at the district’s Board meeting Wednesday night.
“More students are crossing that road and we know it,” Slater said.
Nash Road can be closed, but not until Westside Boulevard is extended to the south end of San Benito Street, a directive from the City of Hollister.
“That’s going to be a long extension. It’ll be a lot of money and that means a lot of time,” Slater said.
Other suggestions include temporarily closing Nash during school hours, installing a pedestrian signal that stops cars so people can cross the street and building a pedestrian overpass, temporary or permanent. During her meetings with city officials, it’s clear they prefer the pedestrian overpass, Slater said.
“The city wants the overpass – it gets kids off the street,” she said.
Slater has visited schools with the various set ups in Watsonville and San Luis Obispo and showed the Board pictures of the trips. While observing the temporary closure in Watsonville, Slater witnessed a driver go right through it, going around the barriers, she said.
At the meeting, Slater received direction from the Board to look into the cost of installing temporary and permanent pedestrian overpasses.
Also at the Board meeting, school officials presented information on suspensions and expulsions for the school year up until Monday.
So far, 169 students have been suspended for a total of 418 days. Last year, through the whole month of November, there were 117 students suspended for 187 days. Trustees asked why there was such an increase from last year.
“Looking at the big picture, this is still a small amount of the overall population,” said Santiago Echaore, assistant principal. “By mid-year, things start slowing down a lot.”
Suspensions are up in almost all categories – 34 for fighting compared to 13 last year; eight for possession of a knife, one last year; 17 for drug/alcohol-related offenses, eight last year; 17 for verbal abuse of staff, six last year; and 32 for gang-related offenses, 11 last year. Suspensions for threats went down – from 17 last school year to two this year.
“We’ve developed the skills of the campus supervisors – they’re seeing things quicker,” Echaore said. “The campus in general is still pretty quiet.”
Assistant Principal Krystal Lomanto also attributes the increases to a freshmen class that pushes its limits.
“The freshmen class is giving us a run for our money,” Lomanto said.
It’s clear that entering freshmen need more of an orientation to SBHS and its policies, Slater said. As students get older, they are suspended less, according to numbers supplied by Echaore.
Another cause for concern is the number of expulsions so far this school year. In less than 13 weeks, seven students have been expelled, compared to seven for all of last school year. The major area of violation is possession of a knife.
In other business:
– Career advisor Jeanie Churchill presented information on scholarships awarded to SBHS students. For the 2002-03 school year, 239 scholarships were awarded to 94 individual students, better than the previous year, Churchill said. One student received 14 scholarships for $14,000. There were 113 total applicants, meaning chances of receiving one are high, Churchill said.
The reason so many scholarships were awarded last year compared to past years is because Churchill has put all applications online so students can print them out and turn them in at their convenience, she said.
“This is the reason why it’s increased – it made it much easier,” Churchill said.
– Steve DeLay, director of finance, presented an update about starting a foundation for the school. He and community member Ray Rodriguez attended informational workshops and found it would be better if the Board and school were not in control of the foundation.
The next step is establishing a steering committee to develop bylaws, goals and a mission and vision statement. On average, it takes more than a year to start such a foundation, DeLay said.
– The Board approved an agreement with the City of Hollister for improvement and recreational use of athletic fields and facilities on the school site planned with the site expansion.
– During her report, Slater discussed Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell’s support of the Budget Accountability Act that is on the March 2004 ballot. The act would allow a budget to be passed with 55 percent instead of a two-thirds majority and legislators would forfeit their earnings every day the budget wasn’t passed after its deadline.
– The Board voted 5-0 to expel the seventh student of the year.
– There were no public comments.
The Board will hold a retreat Dec. 3 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on campus. The retreat is open to the public. The next Board meeting is Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. in room 172.
