Environmental report shows moving district transportation
facility to high school would be too costly
School buses will not be taking over the Live Oak High School farm after all.
A preliminary California Environmental Quality Act report suggests the move would be costly for the Morgan Hill Unified School District.
“I’d like to think that this isn’t a fiscal decision, that we’re basing it on what’s best for our school and what’s best for our community,” MHUSD Trustee Shelle Thomas said during the school board meeting Tuesday evening.
The district was considering moving its transportation facilities – including the fleet of more than 30 buses – from Morgan Hill’s corporation yard on Edes Court to the high school.
The district’s annual $152,000-yard lease expires in December, and the city can raise it to fair market value.
“One of the first things we talked about was doing a joint facilities project,” said MHUSD Superintendent Alan Nishino about a private meeting he had with city officials. “We could do some splitting, share other things that would make it better for the whole community. The other piece is jobbing out, contracting out.”
Tognazzini pointed out that the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) contract prohibits the district from paying someone to provide transportation for MHUSD students.
“Certainly we are all aware SEIU does not allow for us to contract out for services already provided,” she said.
Even if the district could contract out for home-to-school transportation, she added, there are still special education students that need to be transported both inside the district and to special school programs outside the district. Special education transportation is approximately half of total district transportation, she said.
“We can’t get out of the bus business altogether,” she said.
Morgan Hill City Manager Ed Tewes expressed an interest in talking with the district about the transportation facilities.
“We would be delighted to meet with them to discuss any proposals they might have,” he said.
Tognazzini said the district pays the city with general fund dollars to lease the space.
“The cost of three teachers coming out of the general fund,” Tognazzini said, referring to the lease amount which would cover the salaries of three educators. “Not having to relocate is a big plus for us, but we need to continue to search to find something more feasible.”
For now, the district will not finalize the CEQA report on moving the transportation fleet to the high school. The report, Tognazzini said, was not finalized. She recommended the trustees not proceed with the CEQA.
The district paid $45,000 for the report, she said. There were other costs involved, including the creation of the facility’s proposed schematic on the Live Oak campus. The trustees had authorized $100,000.
Rich Scott, a school neighbor said he is concerned the district, might revisit the relocation idea in the future, and he thinks the city should be involved in discussions.
“I find it appalling that this was the only area, after all this time, that they could find,” he said. “I was surprised that they did not get together with the city in earnest before spending money on this consultant.”
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at [email protected].
