Last night the San Mateo Union High School district’s 7-11 committee held a public hearing in the little theater at Hillsdale high school in San Mateo. The third public hearing held by the committee and the first in San Mateo, the hearing presented a interesting perspective on the public view of the 7-11 committee and its scope. The residents of San Mateo, much like the residents of San Bruno, feel that the Hillsdale high land is a boon to the local community and should be preserved for a multitude of reasons. And much like the citizens of San Bruno, the attendees from San Mateo struggled to get their heads wrapped around the razor thin scope of the committee. It is becoming clear that the fight to save Crestmoor will not be waged with the 7-11 committee. Instead, the real chance to save the Crestmoor site lies with the SMUHSD board of trustees.
Much like the previous two public hearings held in San Bruno, the San Mateo hearing was filled with passionate pleas from local citizens regarding the use of the 3 acres of land currently under review by the committee. There were many similarities between the two communities; much like the Crestmoor site, the use of land is a boon to the community in several ways. And much like the citizens of San Bruno, the folks from San Mateo did not fully understand the scope of the committee’s charge.
The scope of the committee’s charge simply does not allow them to factor those considerations into their decision, no matter how sympathetic the individuals of the committee may be. The number one charge of the committee is reviewing enrollment figures to determine the amount of surplus space and real property within the district only. The other committee charges have served as a secondary considerations, including the charge to determine the ‘limits of tolerance’ related to the use of the surplus properties.
The committee’s main charge has been met and all other decisions are in the hands of the governing board. According to the committee’s finding, excess capacity within the district is at 5002 spaces and Peninsula high school has 250 students. Based on this simple criteria, the committee has little choice but to declare the Crestmoor site as surplus.
The committee is expected to present its findings to the governing board of the San Mateo Union High School District in May. Once the presentation has been made, it will be up to the governing board to drill down on all other aspects of the surplus sites. That includes student relocation, service relocation, neighborhood impact, “limits of tolerance” and zoning regulations under local jurisdiction. The committee will make a recommendation that the students of Peninsula High School be moved to a centralized location, but the governing board will make the decision of when and where to move the students. The committee “desires to give the governing board the flexibility and direction in choosing a method of disposition for these properties” and recommends the surplus sites be “developed to their highest and best use in accordance with permits and zoning regulations as permitted by the governing jurisdiction”. In other words, the governing board will decide exactly how and when to dispose of the surplus properties.
It is with the governing board that the real battle to save the Crestmoor site will be waged. All the issues that have been voiced by the community to the 7-11 committee must continue as the governing board makes its decision to dispose of the land. All of the neighborhood, student and environmental impacts as well as the “limits of tolerance” must be brought directly to the board. That may very well be the only way to save the Crestmoor site.
It is clear that the 7-11 committee will make a recommendation to declare the Crestmoor (and Hillsdale) sites as surplus. It is also clear that given the limited scope and charge of the committee, they have done what they were commissioned to do. The decision to dispose of the site will ultimately be left up to the governing board of the SMUHSD. Much like the citizens of San Bruno, the citizens of San Mateo are coming to understand the committee’s limited scope. They should realize, as San Bruno has, that the only recourse now lies with the Governing Board. Ultimately, the war to save the Crestmoor site will be fought with the SMUHSD governing board. The battles to save Crestmoor will be waged at the upcoming governing board meetings. Unless the concerned citizens of both cities continue to fight the battles with the board, the Crestmoor and Hillsdale sites may very well be lost.
The core mission of the school district is to educate students. While these properties might be beneficial to near by residents, they do not help in meeting the district’s mission. If the residents of San Bruno and southern San Mateo would like to keep the sites in their current condition, they should petition their city governments to raise the money to purchase the properties.