Q: Why did the CSD bond committee recommend the proposed 600-student, project-based high school instead of a second comprehensive high school?
A: This is a question that ties into years of research and discussion prior to the bond as well as three key questions that were considered by the bond committee throughout its planning sessions last year. As Principal of CHS, I have been involved in both, so I have volunteered to answer this question.
From 2011-2014, I co-chaired a Camas High School Futures Committee that researched innovative educational programs for our students as part of our mission to ensure that CHS grew “smarter” not just bigger. That committee helped to create the Integrated Arts & Academics and CamTech programs that currently serve our students. This research continued this past year, when I - along with 50 students, staff, parents and community leaders on the bond committee - explored the question of a second comprehensive high school during the planning phase of the bond. This committee considered three main questions before making its recommendations:
*How do we best meet the educational needs of a growing secondary population?
The “high growth” enrollment projection estimates that there will be 2,540 high school students in our district in the year 2020. The committee recommended that we house these students by scaling back the CHS student enrollment to 1,800, increasing the Hayes Freedom enrollment to 200 students, and creating a new project based learning high school to accommodate 600 students. The rationale for this configuration was that: 1. An 1,800 student population at CHS strikes the balance between the benefits and drawbacks of a large comprehensive high school, 2. The enrollments of 200 and 600 students, respectively, allows us to provide students with two distinct, personalized and innovative educational experiences, and 3. Combining these two populations is not enough to establish a second comprehensive high school that would have comparable programing and offerings to Camas High.
* Can we afford a second comprehensive high school now or in the near future?
To build another comprehensive high school is an expensive proposition - in terms of construction costs, land, and staffing. A comprehensive high school requires at least 50 acres of land for its campus. Our district does not currently have a property site that large. Additionally, the infrastructure for utilities and access does not exist in the north urban growth area of our district, where parcels of land would likely be purchased for such a campus. Moreover, the estimated construction costs for this campus would nearly equal the size of this entire bond, which is capped by our district’s ability to borrow with a high bond rating. Another important financial consideration is staffing. Even if a smaller high school were built, equity and its separate location would dictate a duplication of facility, maintenance, staffing, and utility costs.
While another comprehensive high school is not currently feasible, as our community continues to grow and develop, so will our district’s bond capacity - both of which will enable us to afford a second large-scale high school campus and fill it with students in the future.
* How can we best engage and prepare our high school students for success in the 21st Century?
Our economy demands a highly educated and skilled workforce. Businesses have consistently communicated that they need employees who are creative, persistent problem-solvers, and who communicate effectively, and work well in teams. Project based learning helps students acquire knowledge and skills through collaboration on complex questions, problems, and challenges. These projects generally take place over an extended period of time like a quarter or semester and are completed in integrated teams. Teachers in different content areas team up to ensure students learn the same standards students at other schools learn. But they do so through an enriched learning process that focuses on students applying their skills on a relevant, real-world topic or in an authentic context, such as an outdoor setting or an actual business or agency. To facilitate these experiences, the bond committee recommended that we expand our current secondary learning options for students by building a smaller high school focused on project based learning.
A recent Gallup poll survey reported that 4 out of 10 high school students are engaged in their high school experience. We recognize that we need to continue to explore new formats, opportunities, and choices that will engage all of our students. This new school represents such an opportunity. It will be open to all high school students. If interest exceeds capacity, a lottery system would be put in place to ensure equitable access. Students will have extra-curricular opportunities through clubs and activities and will access Camas High School for specialized classes and interscholastic athletics, just as Hayes Freedom High students currently do. While the district has added a number of new sports and activities over the past few years, we are looking to expand our co- and extra-curricular offerings even more so every high school student can benefit from being involved outside of the classroom.
The committee believes that this bond will create a school designed to deliver unique learning opportunities that will excite and inspire our students. But the commitment to project based learning will not be limited to this campus. The thinking is that this school-wide model will be easier to implement from scratch on a new site and that it will hopefully set a course that will engage all of our district’s secondary students moving forward. I am excited about this “blueprint” for our schools and - along with our Superintendent Mike Nerland (mike.nerland@camas.wednet.edu) - am happy to answer your questions regarding this bond and its innovative plans to meet the needs of our students now and in the future.
Steve Marshall
steve.marshall@camas.wednet.edu
Steve Marshall has been the Principal of Camas High School from 2008 (then 1,520 students) through the present (now 2,080 students)