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Construction for Hollister High’s student union has been underway since August, with completion expected by October 2024, according to San Benito High School District’s Chief Budget Officer John Frusetta.
Hollister High’s newsletter recently stated the proposed 8,500-square-foot building will include a cafeteria, kitchen, indoor and outdoor assembly spaces, and study/gathering room for students and staff.
The newsletter said funding for the $14.3 million project comes from approximately $8 million in matching funds the San Benito High School District applied for through California’s facility program, funded by a state bond.
“For San Benito High School District, voter support of local bond Measures G and U provided the district the opportunity to leverage state matching funds, which otherwise would have been available to other school districts,” the newsletter stated.
Approximately $5 million for the project comes from a line item in the 2023-24 school year budget, the newsletter added. Adam Breen, San Benito High School District Public Information Officer told BenitoLink the remaining costs will be covered by restricted district funds.
“The state actually allocated some direct funding for it,” Breen said.
The new cafeteria will allow for a larger kitchen and dining area to meet the needs of the campus population, which is expected to grow to 3,900 students in the next four years. According to the California Department of Education, the school’s 2022-23 enrollment was 3,465. The campus’ capacity is 3,437.
The district is looking to build a second high school by fall 2028 and is holding multiple sessions throughout schools to get input from community members on how they envision the second school.
Breen said uses for the existing cafeteria, which he said was built in the 1950s, is “still to be determined.”
A groundbreaking ceremony for Hollister High’s new student union will take place on Oct. 26 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the site’s location, Nash Road near West Street. The ceremony will include opening remarks from San Benito High School District Superintendent Tennenbaum and messages from HHS student Gabriel Mendez, SBHSD Board President John Corrigan and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas. A dinner will follow at 5:50 p.m.
The student union is the final project for the campus’ master facility plan.
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