School Days
New Master Plan
for Facilities
A
t the heart of every great
community is a school district
dedicated to educating and
supporting students to thrive and grow
as future leaders. In the Morgan Hill
Unified School District, nearly 8,700
students depend on dedication to this
goal. Along with providing our students
high-quality curriculum, we give care-
ful consideration to the quality of their
learning environment.
Studies have proven that a child’s en-
vironment plays an enormous role in their
academic motivation and success. Last
year, our school district partnered with
LPA, Inc., to create a Facilities Master P lan
(FMP) to help us better serve our students,
staff, and the community as a whole.
The FMP is a strategic plan informed
by a comprehensive analysis of the school
district’s current facilities (buildings,
classrooms, athletics, nutrition, support,
etc.) and how they function to support the
educational and wellness goals for all.
This master plan is the result of
extensive collaboration among stake-
holders—teachers, principals, directors,
parents, students, alumni, city and law
enforcement officials, and residents—to
help identify key areas for school district
facilities improvement. The final plan was
adopted and now serves as a long-range
roadmap for the renovation and new
construction of campus facilities.
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MHUSD is committed to providing
innovative spaces that support 21 st
Century learning and enhance music, art,
and sports programs for our students.
The FMP provides strategic direction and
analytics that allow the Board of Education
to make effective, impactful decisions in
the future. It also recognizes that many
of our schools need improvements that
accommodate new models of learning,
serve the needs of a growing local
population, and ensure that our campuses
adhere to the latest safety standards.
“Classrooms with natural light, and
space to move and collaborate help
the learning process tremendously,”
Nordstrom Principal Debbie Grove said.
“I was honored to be a FMP stakeholder
and work alongside many community
members as we made decisions about how
to update our facilities to ensure the best
learning environment for all students.”
Overall, the eight-month process
engaged more than 750 people across 47
meetings and three online surveys. The
planning process included one-on-one,
focused interviews with district personnel
and school site leaders; a workshop
involving 36 student ambassadors with
representation from each campus; a
Facilities Master Plan Committee of
approximately 60 members meeting
monthly; and a community-wide Town
Hall open to all residents within the
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017
school district’s geographic boundaries.
“The process went seamlessly and we
had a robust showing of support from
our community,” said MHUSD Director
of Construction and Modernization,
Casino Fajardo. “Our stakeholders were
a diverse group, representing the passion
for education that the Morgan Hill
community exudes. It was a great way for
the community to be involved in decision
making that will ultimately affect the
entire city.”
Along with stakeholder input, the
master plan includes a demographic
analysis, based on a 10-year window,
to forecast future enrollment across the
district. The plan’s financial analysis
component will assist the district in
identifying potential funding sources for
plan implementation. Funding challenges
require the district to implement the
plan in phases, the build-out is done as
funding becomes available. The order
of project implementation is based on
district and stakeholder priorities.
The Facilities Master Plan gives
the district a clear roadmap to the
future. Overall, it provides stability to
district decisions; rather than making
improvements based on a short-term
perspective, the district can use this plan
to ensure the long-term vision is honored
and we are making the best decisions for
our students and the community.
gmhtoday.com
By Kimberly Beare, PIO, Morgan Hill Unified School District