About 500 students leave Morgan Hill daily heading to private schools

Published in the December 23, 2015 – January 5, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Father Steve Kim

Father Steve Kim

Father Steve Kim

The Santa Clara Local Agency Formation Commission will review Feb. 3 the boundary adjustment application submitted by the city of Morgan Hill in regards to the area commonly known as the South East Quadrant.

The Diocese of San Jose is part of this application. It owns 38 acres at the corner of Tennant and Murphy avenues in Morgan Hill. This site was specifically purchased by the Diocese of San Jose after it was identified and studied by the Morgan Hill Unified School District as a potential site for the second public high school in Morgan Hill. The community’s second public high school, Ann Sobrato High School, was eventually built on an alternative site.

After the purchase of the land, Kathy Malloy Previsich from the city of Morgan Hill approached the high school committee and asked that we be part of their plan for the Southeast Quadrant. When we submitted our application back in 2008, there was no option on filing separate of the SEQ.

The city has worked to develop a plan for the SEQ that is sited and explained in documents on the city website. As stated, their purpose is to: preserve viable agricultural lands; allow private uses that provide transition between freeway oriented and agricultural land uses; preserve open space and rural character; strengthen the city’s identity as active, healthy, family friendly place; guide future development through establishment of an urban limit line, urban growth boundary, and urban services area; and create land use designations for sports, recreation, leisure and agricultural preservation.

A key goal of the project is to encourage the preservation and enhancement of open space/agriculture while identifying certain properties for compatible development with sports, recreation and leisure uses. The project is anticipated to result in the development of a portion of the SEQ area, while ensuring that agricultural activity and open space is maintained and permanently preserved in the SEQ area and citywide.

The application submitted to LAFCO is asking for boundary adjustments that will encompass 21 parcels totaling about 215 acres or 17 percent of the 1,290 acres within the Southeast Quadrant. The zoning will include public uses and sports/recreation uses. It is important for the community to understand that there is no plan for adding any additional housing than is already allowed in the SEQ.

As the chair of the high school committee, I have been working diligently to help build the first new Catholic college preparatory high school in the Diocese of San Jose in more than 50 years. The high school committee is a nonprofit organization conducting a capital campaign to raise money to build the new high school. As such, the organization has a fiduciary responsibility to our donors to approach all land entitlements in a prudent manner. The approval of the boundary adjustments is vital to our fundraising efforts. The future of the school depends on this critical vote.

The benefits of a new Catholic high school in Morgan Hill are numerous. Currently, 450 to 500 students leave South County every day to attend existing non-public schools outside the region. The school will positively impact businesses, home values and the community and will help to create another educational choice. Taking 500 students off of our freeways will also provide a benefit to our environment. This new school recently named “St. John XXIII College Prep” will serve our students, families and community for generations to come.

Father Steve Kim of the Diocese of San Jose serves as the chairman of the high school committee. He wrote this column for Morgan Hill Life.