Momentum growing for new North Central school in San Mateo

District officials took time to again discuss a potential facility swap between College Park, known for its Mandarin immersion program, and Fiesta Gardens, which has a Spanish immersion program. The swap would help create a neighborhood school in North Central, a recommendation from the district’s consultant, PAN Ltd., aimed at better serving Spanish-speaking residents in the neighborhood. North Central has been without a neighborhood school since Turnbull Learning Academy was shut down in the early 2000s and reenvisioned as a magnet school. Since then, North Central students have been assigned to other district schools.

Superintendent Diego Ochoa said families with students in the third grade and above would likely not be affected by the shift given that they would be entering middle school when the swap is anticipated to occur, by August of 2024 or 2025, depending on what action trustees approve and when that decision is made.

While district trustees have been in support of the move, the proposal has received mixed responses from the community. Some speakers, often parents of incoming Fiesta Gardens students, have raised concerns about the lack of detail around how the new school would operate and said the district should be as transparent as possible so parents can make educated decisions on whether to enroll their children in the program.

Without that information, Michael Lau, a parent of a non-native Spanish speaking FGS preschooler, said parents of younger students could see the investment into their child’s bilingual education interrupted or cut short.

“[North Central is] an underserved community and they need a school of their own. My concern is that in the process of reshaping the FGS program for North Central San Mateo as a community school, the core components and the vision and execution of the immersion program seems to be up in the air,” said Lau.

District officials have shared varying statements on what the new school would be, with Trustee Noelia Corzo saying Fiesta Gardens would no longer exist while Trustee Ken Chin saying the new program would still be Fiesta Gardens while also being a “community school on steroids.” The ultimate vision is for North Central residents to have access to school with wraparound services while maintaining the dual immersion program.

Current Fiesta Gardens faculty have shown strong support for the swap given that it would return the Spanish immersion program to the neighborhood where such a program was initially started and that teachers and staff could serve as a resource to Spanish-speaking residents in the area.

And while some College Park families have shared concerns about their interests being neglected or going unaddressed during board discussions, a College Park parent who identified herself as Paige presented the board with a letter of support signed by more than 100 other parents during the March 24 meeting.

“The College Park campus has been an incredible home for the Mandarin immersion program which we have cherished. We have great hopes that it will serve the Spanish immersion community as well as it has served us,” Paige said.

Trustees recognized more details are needed though and Trustee Shara Watkins suggested the district hold a study session with PAN to discuss the programatic elements of the new North Central school.

Ochoa said staff will continue to conduct outreach before holding a special study session on the issue the week before the board’s next official meeting April 28, allowing staff time to inform the community about the meeting.

sierra@smdailyjournal.com

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