Board » 6-12 Magnet School Concept

6-12 Magnet School Concept

Background

On June 18, the San Lorenzo USD Board of Education directed district staff to further explore the concept of consolidating San Lorenzo High School, East Bay Arts High School, and Edendale Middle School into a grade 6-12 school with an arts and social justice focus on the San Lorenzo High campus.

In late August, administrators met with employees, community partners, students, and families to begin gathering feedback on this idea, which is also a strategy to cope with declining enrollment from changing demographics. This decline means the loss of tens of millions of dollars a year in state funding.

No decision has been made and no timeline for implementation has been developed.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Answer: The proposal is for a combined school for grades 6-12 on the campus of San Lorenzo High School that would consolidate SLzHS, East Bay Arts High School and Edendale Middle School. The school would be a “magnet” because it would be open to all district middle and high school students and potentially students outside the district.

It would feature all aspects of the performing and visual arts, as well as video production, while still offering a well-rounded curriculum, including math, sciences, and other “A to G” courses required for admission to the California State University and University of California systems. It also would follow a “liberatory” model, with an emphasis on student expression, inclusion, and empowerment while promoting civic engagement that addresses equity and social justice challenges.

This directly supports Goal 2 of the district’s new Strategic Plan, which calls for development of students’ understanding of civic responsibility and support for their engagement in activities that advance social justice. East Bay Arts would become one of the new school's Small Learning Communities, along with Bay Area Digital Arts, and the district would repurpose the Edendale campus for other needs. Also, all district secondary schools would continue to offer arts instruction.

A. The focus on the arts stems from the concept’s emergence through years of discussion about the location of East Bay Arts High School, which is now co-located on the SLzHS campus. An in-depth study of possible EBA relocation ended in October 2023 when the Board did not approve any of the alternatives. Last spring, a task force of administrators assigned to continue that study led to a proposal for the 6-12 arts magnet school, which the Board decided to explore. That led to the Board’s direction to staff in June to continue pursuing the concept. Many 6-12 magnet schools in our region and across the country are focused on arts education, which promotes self-expression, builds self-confidence, and can lead to successful careers.

A. Yes, the district continues to review program offerings that may include additional Small Learning Communities focused on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Under our district’s Small Learning Community model, all high school students select a career-based learning community to anchor their high school experience. We have several science- and technology-based SLCs, and they are all located at Arroyo High School.
A. The proposed school would be open to sixth- through 12th-graders throughout our district and beyond. Because of declining enrollment districtwide, the other secondary schools west of Hesperian Avenue – Arroyo High School and Bohannon and Washington Manor middle schools – have capacity for hundreds more students and would be open to those who desired a traditional, comprehensive school with fewer grades. Likewise, students living west of Hesperian would be welcome to attend the new combined school. The 6-12 school is proposed to have total enrollment of about 700, compared with current 9-12 enrollment of about 1,000. Current combined enrollment in EBA and the Bay Area Digital Arts Small Learning Community is about 400.
A. As part of the 6-12 concept discussion, the district is also reviewing cross-district transportation for secondary students at no charge so they could attend the school of their choice. Another possibility is expanded distribution of Clipper cards for students to use public transportation.
A. A combined 6-12 school is not unusual. For example, the Kipp Summit and Kipp King Collegiate charter schools in San Lorenzo serve grades 5-12 on a single campus. As is true with similar schools, students in the middle and high school grades at the 6-12 magnet would be in separate areas of the SLzHS campus, with separate use of shared facilities such as the cafeteria and main office, counseling center and library. Policies and practices would be developed in advance, and the safety and well-being of students would be the top priority, as it is at all SLZUSD schools.
A. Yes. The 6-12 school is envisioned to still offer sports, although certain sports that require large team numbers, such as football, might not be included. In terms of music and theater, the proposed magnet school would offer that, and it would certainly offer a wide variety of student clubs.
A. Our district does not have attendance boundaries for high schools in the same way we do for middle and elementary schools. Incoming ninth-graders choose a Small Learning Community, which determines the high school that they attend. If all students received their first choices, approximately 75% would attend Arroyo High School. Middle school families can also request that their student attend a school outside their designated attendance area.

Although enrollment decline is occurring throughout SLZUSD, the decline in secondary school enrollment has been more dramatic at San Lorenzo H.S. and Edendale. This is because more families are already choosing to attend Arroyo H.S. and Bohannon and Washington Manor middle schools in large numbers, despite continued investment of educational resources in SLzHS and Edendale and the dedication of their teachers, staff, and administrators.

Repurposing Edendale and changing SLzHS to a new 6-12 model with fewer total students would address the increasing under-utilization of those school sites and leverage the capacity of Arroyo, Bohannon and Washington Manor to accept additional students.

A. Much like East Bay Arts High School today, the 6-12 school is envisioned to offer the benefits of a smaller community with more individualized attention to students and an especially welcoming and supportive environment, as well as a special emphasis on social justice. It’s also likely that students in grades 6-8 at the magnet school would have a wider range of electives to choose from, as well as other forms of enrichment not available at a traditional middle school. For example, the Bay Area Digital Arts video production lab is an outstanding facility that is unmatched in the region.

A. As part of the 6-12 magnet program, the district continues to review the best placement for the newcomer program for recently immigrated students. It is certainly possible that the newcomer program could be housed at the new magnet school, where students would benefit from a smaller school community and the continued support of teachers and staff focused on their needs.

A. Presumably yes, for grades 11-12, just as they are now for students at San Lorenzo and East Bay Arts high schools.

A. The district has considered the 6-12 model over the past several years, as well. Renewed consideration of this concept arose naturally from administrators’ consideration of alternatives for East Bay Arts High School, whose families and employees have argued that their current location within the SLzHS campus is not meeting their needs for a distinct identity and access to school facilities. The 6-12 idea emerged last spring and was presented to the Board at an open meeting in June, right before summer break. An arts magnet would address many Board members’ longstanding support for arts education and also adjust the use of district facilities to address declining enrollment. Now that the new academic year has begun, the Board is considering this proposal as one of their first items of business, with much public input. If the Board decides to, they could direct district staff to explore and develop alternative ideas, also with public input.

Concept Development Timeline

  • May 19, 2020 – Presentation to Board by EBA Task Force, included 6-12 concept
  • June 2, 2020 – Board presentation on EBA relocation
  • School Year 2020-2021 – EBA co-located at San Lorenzo High School
  • Fall 2022 – Facility walks and analysis of EBA relocation alternatives (including 6-12 at Edendale) by Dir. Marr and Dir. Lama
  • Jan. 17, 2023 – Board presentation on potential EBA locations
  • Feb. 7, 2023 – Board narrowed to 2: Edendale (6-12) & Adult School 
  • Late spring 2023 – Faculty-staff discussions at Edendale, Bohannon, and the Adult School
  • Sept. 21, 2023 – Community meeting, Edendale MS
  • Sept. 26, 2023 – Community meeting, Adult School Campus
  • Oct. 4, 2023 – Board Study Session on EBA alternatives
  • Oct. 17, 2023 – Board discussion on EBA alternatives and action (vote maintained status quo)
  • November 2023-June 2024 – Administrative task force convened; 6-12 concept emerged (facilitated by Barb Debarger)
  • June 18, 2024 – Board discussion of magnet concept to address districtwide challenges
  • Aug. 21 and Sept. 9, 2024  -- Employee listening sessions for Edendale MS, San Lorenzo HS and Arroyo HS
  • Sept. 10, 2024  -- Community listening session
  • Sept. 24, 2024  -- Board special meeting/community listening session

Community Presentations