Current as of December 8, 2016

Why is the District reorganizing?

One of Campbell Union School District’s five strategic goals is to make each school a place where students, parents and staff thrive—that is, each school is as desirable as the next. That goal (formerly called the "schools of choice" goal) prompted a proposal to do some reorganizing in the District.

Of the options outlined in the original proposal, presented in March 2016, only the following are being acted upon at this time:

1. 5th grade was added to Rosemary Elementary School in August 2016.
2. Begin plans for transforming Campbell Middle School to a Preschool through 8^th grade school, possibly in the 2017-18 school year.  

When will the school transformation happen?

This change will be several years in the making, as there are many factors to consider. As of January 19, 2017:

• A new Transformation Team comprised of school, district, and neighborhood stakeholders met for the first time in January 2017.  The Team will study and make recomendations about the issues involved in the transformation.
• Updates following each Board meeting are posted in Board Meeting News on the District and school web pages.
• The District anticipates that the Transformation Team will present a proposal to the Governing Board for action in June 2017. 

Why Create a Kindergarten-through-Eighth-Grade School?

Educators and researchers report that K-8 programs offer several advantages over middle schools, including:

• Strong academic continuity and sense of community for students.
• Optimal emotional and social outcomes because faculty know the students and their families really well
• Older kids tend to have a greater sense of accountability to be good role models and mentors to the younger students.
• The younger students gain a better understanding of the purpose and progression of education.
• In some cases, middle school students in K-8 programs have had higher achievement than their middle school counterparts.

Also, adding a K-8 option is in keeping with our belief in providing choices of educational setting for students. There is a growing demand for K-8, nationally and locally, as more families are asking to attend K-8 schools in neighboring districts.

The Center for Education Reform completed a multi-city review of the progress of urban K-8 schools in Milwaukee, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. The conclusion of the study indicated the following positive factors related to K-8 school configurations:

1. Students felt safer.
2. Fewer distractions from outside influences such as drugs.
3. Absences and discipline problems were reduced.
4. Less of a decline in academic achievement as the students transitioned to high school.

Will the attendance boundaries change?

Residents of the current attendance area will have first priority for enrolling in the newly established school. No decision has been made beyond that. Any additional changes relating to boundaries and placement will be determined through a process consistent with board policy and Education Code.

How will traffic around the school be affected?

That is unknown at this time.  Through the 2016-2017 school year, we will be determining configuration, program and enrollment options for Campbell Middle School.  When those are identified, our district planners will work with the City of Campbell’s Traffic and Engineering staff to review impacts on ingress and egress as part of the study.

How much will this change cost?

At this time, there is not a final plan for the school’s instructional program, so exact costs are not finalized yet. Other improvements would be needed to accommodate early primary students—new playgrounds, equipment and fencing, and bathrooms and furniture designed for the younger children—which we estimate will cost about $2 million to $3 million.

Other campus improvements were already identified in our Facilities Master Plan. These, too, will be factored into a multi-year campus improvement plan.

How can people have input in decisions?

Numerous meetings have and will take place to afford staff and the public opportunities to participate in the process.

In addition to having the District Reorganization proposal on the agenda at each Board meeting, updates to the Board will be available online and by request, and the Superintendent will hold several more meetings on the topic over the course of the next 6-12 months.

Meeting Calendar

Recent Board Meeting News

Additional research on K-8 Schools

Harvard Ed. Magazine

Education Northwest

How can I get more information?

Contact Us at 408-364-4200 ext. 6254 or   Ask_Us@campbellusd.org