Hollister School District Superintendent Gary McIntire has announced his plans to retire on June 30, 2016, ending what will have been a six-year tenure leading the district that serves approximately 5,500 students in 10 schools.
In a letter to the district board of trustees that will formally be presented at the Dec. 8 board meeting, McIntire called it “an honor to be selected as superintendent of the Hollister School District five-and-a-half years ago. I thank the Board for giving me the opportunity to serve the District and our community, and I thank you and the rest of the Board for your support as we have worked together to achieve our district’s goals.”
McIntire was hired after the Great Recession during a time that state funding of education had fallen as California worked to balance its budget. Voters in the district last year approved Measure M, a $28.5 million school bond to support renovations for the Hollister School District.
Prior to the election, McIntire stressed the importance of the measure, particularly because prior to the state budget crisis, school districts were allowed to participate in a deferred maintenance program that allowed them to match local general fund dollars with state funds for maintenance such as roofing, flooring, electrical fixtures and lighting. That program ended in the 2009-10 school year.
“There is simply no funding mechanism other than school impact fees to help us accommodate growth in enrollment, and local general obligation bond measures to provide for new construction and modernization,” McIntire said at the time. “We must provide for our own community. There is no one else to do it.”
The Measure M includes a list of facility projects, which a facilities committee is working to prioritize. It includes:
- Fixing or replacing leaking roofs
- Upgrading and/or improving electrical service capacity
- Maintaining and repairing classrooms, science/project labs and school buildings
- Replacing windows, ceilings, heating, ventilation, plumbing, air conditioning and lighting
- Repairing or replacing water/irrigation/sewer systems
- Removing dry rot
- Upgrading classrooms, science/project labs, libraries, multi-purpose rooms, restrooms, computers and learning technology
- Adding classrooms
- Making upgrades for earthquake safety
- Replacing fire alarms