Recently, there has been discussion about the importance of a
9th through 12th grade configuration at the high school level. The
Morgan Hill School District is one of four districts in the state
that has a 10-12 high school population.
Recently, there has been discussion about the importance of a 9th through 12th grade configuration at the high school level. The Morgan Hill School District is one of four districts in the state that has a 10-12 high school population.
Rich Knapp, former Live Oak High principal and now Sobrato High principal, has taken his show on the road, extolling the values of having the ninth graders as a part of the high school culture and community to groups throughout the district. He has said our current configuration is a major contributing factor to the drop out rate and to declining enrollment – students and their families choosing to leave the district after eighth grade to attend a private high school with a 9-12 structure.
We are ready to get our ninth graders in the high school, Knapp said recently, with the construction of the secondary high school, ambitiously scheduled to open in fall 2004.
It’s possible the ninth graders could be in the high school sooner, were the School Board and district staff to give serious consideration to a proposal put forward by Live Oak teacher Donna Foster and the suggestions of many others, including Trustee Amina Khemici.
Last month, Khemici asked the question, if enrollment at Live Oak is declining – down to 1,600 at one point – because our families are leaving the district to find a 9-12 high school, isn’t there room enough at Live Oak now to bring ninth graders from the middle schools onto the campus?
It seemed a reasonable question, as one of the areas of emphasis for building the second high school has been to accomplish this. Other parents/teachers have asked the question in public comment sessions during other board meetings. Nevertheless, the question seemed to disconcert some other trustees.
The district did some preliminary research because Khemici asked for more information, but the issue was seemingly waved aside due to more pressing budgetary concerns.
The district and the board need to move ahead with a feasibility study on this proposal. It may be late in the year to install the ninth graders at Live Oak by this fall, but by the next fall, with construction of Sobrato probably continuing – we know the board would not want to make the same mistake that was made with Barrett Elementary’s construction and push an unreasonable timeline – the district would have had plenty of time to make arrangements.
As parents and community members, we agree with Knapp’s views on the importance of the high school experience for ninth graders for many reasons. While this transition is under way, it would be a good time for the district to look at moving the sixth grade to the middle schools. Many other districts across the state and throughout the nation have found this to be successful. And with a ready-made boundary committee to work out the details, the timing is right.
Let’s not wait to give the freshmen the academic and cultural advantages that go along with a four-year high school.
At the same time, full steam ahead with Sobrato. The ninth grade proposal should be nothing more than a temporary solution; the pendulum swings forward as well as backward. Enrollment will rise, and our students now in the district need two quality high schools.
