Diocese polling residents to determine support, but no firm
plans are being made
Morgan Hill – The Catholic Church hasn’t given up on building a high school for South Valley students, but interested parents probably won’t be enrolling their children any time soon.
Though the Catholic church first conceived the idea for a South County Catholic high school in 2001, the thought seemed to fizzle out as the Silicon Valley bubble burst and little progress was made for years – until recently.
The church is funding a feasibility study including phone polling of South County residents to learn how much interest still exists for the high school and the results should be ready soon.
Some South County residents received phone calls recently asking about their interest in a Catholic high school. Questions in the market research poll asked about tuition, location and the importance of programs such as athletics and computer and science labs. The phone poll is only one aspect of the larger feasibility study that includes looking into fundraising opportunities, land prices and controlling costs by opening the school in stages.
“We’re moving pretty rapidly now,” said George Chiala, part of a committee of parishioners at St. Catherine Church and diocesan officials that have been working on the plan for years. “The feasibility study should answer a lot of questions. We’re almost there.”
Regardless of what the study finds, however, the ultimate decision lies in the hand of Bishop Patrick McGrath, organizers said. Results of the study will be given to the bishop who will weigh its results against other projects the diocese is considering for this area.
Until the feasibility study is completed and in the Bishop’s hand, local church leaders, volunteers and other officials at the diocese were hesitant to discuss planning.
“There is currently a feasibility study underway,” diocese Chief Financial Officer Bob Cervanti said. “It’s early days yet to talk about specifics. We’ll know more when the study is completed.”
The diocese originally rolled out the idea for an $84 million campus between Hale Avenue and Monterey Road in 2001, complete with architectural plans and a virtual tour of the proposed school.
Then there was a move to annex property north of Morgan Hill between Hale Avenue and Monterey Road. In June 2002, the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) allowed the city to annex the land. This was a key step in the development of the high school plan, as this would allow Morgan Hill to provide urban services including sewer, water and storm drainage to the school.
But the property was never purchased.
Over the last few years, the Hale site has been reconsidered and the church has not acquired a location for the school should the feasibility study show adequate support of the project, according to Cervanti. But Cervanti said there is “nothing firm” with regards to property or location.
“First we need to get the feasibility study completed, we need to look at financing,” he said. “They (the committee) are doing proper planning.”
Chiala said the committee’s activities are focused on “how do we move the school forward,” and members do not want to say too much about the planning without the approval of the diocese.
“Really the important thing is to determine whether there is the need, then demonstrate that need, and whether there is the population there to support it,” he said. “Then, can we raise the necessary funds?”
And Chiala’s group thinks the church could stage starting grades at the school, similar to how Sobrato High School started, to cut back on the once-estimated $84 million needed to open the doors. When the Morgan Hill School District opened Sobrato in 2004, they began with freshman and sophomore classes. Sobrato will finally host seniors next year during its third year of operation.
“We have plan, and once we have the go ahead from the diocese and the support is there, we will be ready to move forward,” he said.
The committee is “very active,” Chiala said, and they believe the area – Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin – is interested in the possibility of a Catholic High and hope they can convey that to the diocese.
“Our focus is the South County, serving that population, and whether we can raise the funds in that area, maybe also work with the Bishop to raise funds, that we need to find out.”
In terms of planning, Cervanti said there are no deadlines or timelines for the feasibility study or any other aspect of moving forward on a South County Catholic high school should the diocese decide to pursue the option.
“We don’t know at this time,” he said. “We don’t know when the study will be completed, and there is no fixed date or time for the school.”
Stacy Huddleston, a teacher at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Gilroy, believes there is plenty of support in South Valley for a Catholic High School and she doesn’t see interest diminishing any time soon.
“The question of a close Catholic high school is something that is brought up quite frequently among the parents of my students,” she said. “They would absolutely be interested in something here. Since St. Francis in Watsonville opened, many of them are looking at that option, as opposed to the San Jose schools, but many of them don’t like the idea of crossing Hecker Pass every day.”
