San Benito County could gain a new charter high school for the 2024-25 school year if its proposal is approved by the San Benito County Office of Education.
An informational meeting was held July 14 at the Veterans Memorial Building ahead of its public hearing at the San Benito County Office of Education on July 20 at 1 p.m. The public will be invited to ask questions or voice concerns about the proposed San Benito County Polytechnic Academy high school.
Polytechnic Academy Board President Ariel Hurtado told BenitoLink the school will offer a tuition-free option for “disconnected and low-achieving students, giving them extra support early so that they can succeed academically and personally.”
It will offer a flexible, individualized education alternative for the county, Hurtado said, allowing students to choose from three separate career pathways during their high school career: agriculture science and technology; construction trades and community development; or healthcare sciences. The school has also established partnerships with Grand Canyon University and Arizona State University to offer dual enrollment options for students looking to take college courses or considering different pathway options.
Hurtado said the academy will also offer “extra academic support, college prep courses and career technical education paired with job shadowing and internships, dual enrollment and individualized support throughout the students’ tenure and continuing as they complete college and journey through the job market and career.”
“Our focus is on making sure students recover from learning loss and lead lives of dignity and upward mobility,” he said.
According to information provided at the July 14 meeting and agenda packet, the school will serve 500 students from grades 9 through 12 with a student/teacher ratio of 25:1. It will open its first year with 200 students, its second year with 350 students, and third year with 500 students. Once capped at 500 students, a lottery system will thereafter determine school enrollment. The school staff will increase from 18 to 46 as the number of students increases.
According to the school’s co-founder Frank Barragan, unlike other county high schools, the charter school will accommodate high school students ages 13 to 22.
“Instead of going back to night school, they can go to high school,” said Barragan, who does not have an official role on the board. “That’s why we have a flexible schedule.”
According to Barragan, who was a proponent of the controversial Measure R and who has also run for the San Benito County Board of Supervisors, 76% of eighth grade students in San Benito County were behind in math in 2022.
“We’re actually trying to support the high schools here in San Benito County,” he said. “Here in San Benito County, 10% of our students ages 16 to 24 are disconnected, meaning they’re not attending school. So that gives us roughly 800 students that we would want to attract to our school, to bring them back and educate them.”
Along with Hurtado, a pediatric anesthesiologist for San Benito County, the academy’s board currently consists of Margaret D’Arrigo (vice president of AIM Youth Mental Health in Carmel) and Armando Barragan (general manager of the Salinas Sports Complex Softball/Baseball facility). Jorge Lopez is serving as its executive director, and Caprice Young and Kevin Sved, the current and former chief executive officers for Navigator Schools, are serving as its educational consultants.
Barragan said so far $288,000 has been secured for the school.
“Through the Education Foundation, we already have that set aside to help us start this school,” he said. “There are actually funds set aside for charter schools. So that’s something that we really want to be able to focus on; being able to get the other funds that are available for our community.”
Hurtado told BenitoLink the location of the school “will be identified if we receive approval from the SBCOE Board of Trustees.”
The charter petition also states it is in the process of identifying a location or locations within Hollister.
“We can’t move forward until then,” he said.
Hurtado said partnerships with local gyms and fitness centers are also being sought to meet the fitness and recreation needs of students.
“We want the community to continue to support us,” he said. “We have had an overwhelming amount of support so far. We want to spread the word so that we can begin to serve a population that needs help beyond what is offered now.”
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