Clearly, the time has come for some big-picture thinking about
the future of the Hollister School District and the 6,000 students
it serves.
The Hollister School District solved a $1 million deficit by dipping into its reserves this year, is facing the real possibility of state takeover and is looking for ways to stave off another $1 million shortfall next year. That spate of bad news came after the district trimmed millions from its budget last year leading to larger class sizes and angering teachers and parents.
Clearly, the time has come for some big-picture thinking about the future of the Hollister School District and the 6,000 students it serves. HSD’s school board, with the encouragement of the County Office of Education, should explore the benefits and drawbacks of consolidating their district with the San Benito High School District.
It was an option raised by HSD’s finance director a year ago that never caught on. Since then, however, HSD has gone from bad to worse. This is an option that deserves more than just a cursory mention. It deserves a full-blown study.
In fact, the Joint Committee to Develop a Master Plan for education in California in 2002 encouraged unification of school districts to solve some of the problems facing Hollister now.
“Local districts should, where appropriate, consolidate, disaggregate, or form networks to share operation aspects to ensure that the education needs of their students are effectively met and that their operational efficiency is maximized,” the committee wrote.
It’s hard to imagine that there wouldn’t be cost savings by consolidating the job of administering San Benito County’s two largest school districts. The most obvious savings are in superintendent salaries. And there certainly could be other areas of overlap that may provide savings.
Consolidation would be a huge – and likely unwelcome – change for San Benito High School administrators. The high school has been in its own district since it formed more than a century ago. And there no doubt would be trade offs. Hollister School District would likely benefit financially, and the high school would see a drop in funding.
But, the bottom line is doing what is best for Hollister’s students. The same students who attend San Benito High School likely came up through the Hollister School District system. Are those students best served by going to a financially failing school district until high school? Or would it better if the districts pooled their money and provided a solid education throughout their public school career?
That is the possibility that should be explored through a unification study. HSD should answering whether it makes sense for Hollister’s largest school district to continue to be separate from its high school, whether students would be better served if one organization oversaw their education from kindergarten through 12th grade, and whether consolidation make fiscal sense in the long term.
We don’t have the answers, but in light of the Hollister School District’s ongoing financial problems, finding them is worthwhile.
