CCUSD
– One of three options the Cave Creek Unified School District
is considering to accommodate growth is a mega‑size
high school on its south campus at Jomax Road and 56th
Street.
Constructing
one large high school for all secondary level students
would have more advantages and fewer drawbacks, according
to a report from the Long Range Facilities Planning Committee.
The
district’s one existing high school, Cactus Shadows, has
grown to the point where some classes are being held at
the nearby, former site of Black Mountain Elementary School.
Meanwhile, the area’s student population continues to
grow.
At
last week’s board meeting, the planning committee presented
the board with the pros and cons of the mega‑size
high school, otherwise known as new high school option
No. 3 in earlier proposals.
The
single, large high school, referred to as a “mega‑size
high school” in the committee report, is one of three
options the district is currently considering to accommodate
student growth over the next 15 years.
Other
options are to build a second high school on the north
campus next to Cactus Shadows High School or to build
a second smaller high school on the south campus. If the
district built the mega‑size high school, Cactus
Shadows would be used for a different purpose such as
middle school classrooms.
“The
district would have to pass a large bond to complete the
high school,” the committee report states.
Associate
Superintendent Dr. Kent Frison said the district currently
has about $24 million to
build additional high school space. The district architect
estimates to build a mega‑size school–one large
high school to house all secondary students–would cost
“in the neighborhood of $30 million more and would require
a bond.”
On
the positive side, a mega‑size high school would
allow the district to expand curriculum to a more comprehensive
menu offering three or four foreign languages, according
to the committee. A larger school would continue to offer
an enriched curriculum. The mega‑size high school,
to be located on the southwest corner of the south campus,
would cause the least disruption to an existing neighborhood.
Sonoran
Trails Middle School is located on the same campus and
would provide a “feeder” to
the new mega‑size high school. Furthermore, an undeveloped
area abuts the site thereby limiting opposition to construction.
With
120 uncommitted acres on the south campus site, there
is room to “adequately master plan a comprehensive and
integrated high school campus with future room to expand,”
the report states.
The
site is adjacent to the northern boundary of Paradise
Valley Unified School District so a
mega‑size high school could draw from the Tatum
Ranch area making it more economically feasible in this
respect. Also, the majority of residents now live in the
southern part of the district and the projected growth
will continue the population shift to the south, the report
states.
On
the negative side in the case for a mega‑size high
school, the district would have to absorb the
costs of 56th and Jomax street improvements, including
traffic control devices and a Jomax eastern extension
to 60th Street.
Philosophical
and further financial issues complicate the call for the
mega‑size high school.
“A
mega‑size high school is not consistent with the
lifestyle and values of the community,” the committee
report states. “
A
mega‑size high school is in opposition to current
district philosophy and capacity standards.”
