Leaders for the Charter School of Morgan Hill confirmed this week that they have been granted nearly $14 million in Proposition 51 state rehabilitation funds to help revitalize their aging campus.
The Morgan Hill charter school leases the old Encinal School property from
Morgan Hill Unified School District whose top officials opposed their application to receive the Prop 51 funds. However, the MHUSD Board of Trustees, as authorizer, gave approval to the charter to seek out the funds, a necessary step in the state’s approval process.
“At this time, we only know that we are on the list of schools to receive funds,” CSMH executive director Paige Cisewski said. “When we will receive the money, how the money will be allocated, how long we have to spend the money, what projects will be done, the scope of the projects….are all questions that will be answered in the near future.”
Cisewski said those details will become clearer after she attends a workshop in early April to find out how the process is going to work.
“We were both honored and thrilled to learn of the approval of our application,” Cisewski said. “It was an intensive process but the end result is incredibly worth it as our students and CSMH community has long awaited facility upgrades.”
Statewide voters approved Prop 51, the Kindergarten through Community College Public Education Facilities Bond Act, in November 2016. The measure provides $9 billion of facility funding to California public schools, including $500 million dedicated for public charter schools.
Charter School of Morgan Hill is in line to receive $13,799,424, which includes a $6,899,712 loan that must be paid back.
According to charter staff, the state funds they receive will go “to update classrooms and bathrooms that have not been renovated since long before the inception of CSMH.” Cisewski added that she will include the charter school community and district in the planning process.
The Morgan Hill charter, which has been on the former Encinal School site on Monterey Road in south San Jose for the past 15 years, applied for funding “in hopes to rehabilitate the aging district-owned site on which they are located.” The application was reviewed by the Office of Public School Construction and the California School Finance Authority.
It was during that process that tensions flared between charter and MHUSD leaders. However, a compromise was worked out at a board meeting that allowed for charter’s application to be submitted and considered for funding.
“This grant is a win-win for the whole community, as it will funnel taxpayer money back to the Morgan Hill area to improve a community asset,” according to charter’s March 13 announcement.
