School district may relocate academy

This article was written by BenitoLink intern Alexis Castro Juarez

The Hollister School District is considering moving the Accelerated Achievement Academy from the Calaveras Elementary School site to Marguerite Maze Middle School where more space is available.

According to the Feb. 28 agenda packet, there is a lack of space at the Calaveras/AAA site to accommodate future enrollment and program expansion for both schools. The agenda states AAA, which serves 5th-8th grades has 165 students and Calaveras, which serves TK-8th grades, has 576.

Superintendent Erika Sanchez told the board there has been an enrollment increase because of several new homes such as those in Buena Vista Road where new subdivisions are under construction. She said she believes the community will continue to grow.

According to the Hollister planning department website, there are two subdivisions near the schools that are under construction. The Allendale subdivision on North Street and Buena Vista road is 339 units and the Mirabella II subdivision is 183 units.

Sanchez also said there had been talks of bringing portable classrooms to Calaveras, but the board opposed it.

Students on the shared playing area between Calaveras and Accelerated Achievement Academy on March 3, 2023. Photo by Noe Magaña.

The agenda packet states that if AAA, which is located on Buena Vista Road, moves to Maze on Meridian Street, the Calaveras Library could be moved to another location and the vacated building could serve as a multi-use space.

During the board meeting, the board discussed that before deciding whether to move AAA to Maze Middle School, the district consider moving it to Sunnyslope School, which already has 646 students. However, the board withdrew that option because the classrooms would be too costly. Trustee Jose A. Perez Jr. said the cost would approximately be $1,100 per square feet. He said the cost includes the demolition of existing facilities.

Sanchez said she wanted to make clear that a decision won’t be made without receiving any input from staff, students, families and the board.

“Should the board move forward with this decision, we as the district have the obligation to gather community input from both the AAA families and staff, but also the Maze community,” she said. “We should consider any feedback, any ideas, any opinions that they have before making a decision.”

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