Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 52F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..
Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 52F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Updated: April 10, 2026 @ 10:22 pm
Kevin Skelly
Rather than preserve the athletic fields at the former Crestmoor High School campus in San Bruno, officials are instead examining a creative proposal to build a new sports facility at the former Engvall Elementary School.
The San Mateo Union High School District Board of Trustees is slated to discuss the initiative during a meeting Thursday, May 23, when officials will give their initial feedback on the potential partnership with the San Bruno Park Elementary School District.
Building new fields at Engvall would allow high school officials to reserve the entirety of the former Crestmoor site for residential development, which officials are hopeful will help finance construction of affordable teacher housing.
Kevin Skelly, superintendent of the San Mateo Union High School District, said no decision is slated at the meeting when officials will only be expected to give their first impressions of the plan.
“We want to be transparent and make sure the board has a chance to discuss the idea and get their opinion,” he said. “If it’s not a good idea, we want to get their opinion now before we go too far.”
The high school district is in the process of examining a proposal to sell the former Crestmoor site once Peninsula High School, an alternative school, moves next year. Initial plans envision selling the 40-acre site to a residential developer which could build single-family homes on the site, and proceeds from the sale could help the district construct affordable housing for teachers.
It is yet to be determined whether the teacher housing would be built at the Crestmoor site, but Skelly noted the city’s single-family home zoning requirement would not be ideal for below-market units accommodating educators. He also noted the site’s relative isolation as a demerit for its consideration. Relatedly, officials are slated to host a teacher housing conversation at Mills High School next week.
As officials plot the future of Crestmoor, they have committed to continue offering the community access to the athletic fields which are maintained by San Bruno city officials. Skelly acknowledged officials must balance that obligation against an interest in maximizing returns for potentially selling the former high school campus.
As a compromise, high school officials will discuss a proposal to build new fields at the former Engvall campus, which the San Bruno Elementary School District is also examining the feasibility of selling.
Currently, the San Bruno Golf Center occupies the former Engvall site, but elementary officials reserved the right to terminate the lease prematurely if a better opportunity is presented.
San Bruno Park Elementary District officials are amidst an effort to reconfigure the school system in an attempt to avoid the constant budget issues which have long plagued the district.
Attempting to serve the interests of both school systems, high school officials are examining building the fields at Engvall, freeing up an additional 5 acres for residential development at Crestmoor and simultaneously raising money for the elementary system. Once the fields are built, they would be given to San Bruno city officials to maintain and operate, according to a district report.
Skelly said he favors the vision as a means of accommodating all the students in San Bruno, as well as the broader community.
“If we can be part of a scenario that is a win for them, we’d be in favor of that because that’s a win for our kids since eventually those kids end up with us,” he said.
Not all district officials seem on board with the scenario though, as trustee Linda Lees Dwyer said she believes the proposal is confusing and hurried.
“It feels very rushed. It is not clear to me why we would use school district money to buy property from one public entity and then put athletic fields on the property for another public entity,” she said in an email. “All of this seems very political to me and I am concerned that we are not looking out for the best interest of the students we serve from the six cities in our district.”
Skelly meanwhile said administrators in both school systems as well as city officials are interested in coming up with a solution that serves all residents and students.
“We think we owe it to the community to make this stuff work,” he said.
The San Mateo Union High School District Board of Trustees meets Thursday, May 23, at the SMART Center, 789 E. Poplar Ave., San Mateo.
(650) 344-5200 ext. 105
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Dirk van Ulden said:
I am trying to figure out who Bobby Lee is. Why shouldn't we have a special day for Mark Olbert, another confused individual?
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(3) comments
Greed rears it's ugly head...The kids need those soccer fields . Leave something for the community to enjoy. My grandkids have played there as well as attended Skyview School there. Leave it for educational and soccer use. Foolish is now evolving into the greed it was originally slated for in development.
Please remember I watched the then SM FC not added unto the name then School District sell 5 schools in the 80's..Then shout we have no facilities down the road when enrollment surged..You plan to so call absorb the kids at Mills and another high school..when you have a surge enrollment you will have no facilities anywhere when you sell your last resort land. Penny wise and pound foolish not planning ahead for enrollment of future kids. Make all the money you can and regret it later Where am I going to educate these kids?
The so called demographers will tell you no enrollment coming later...These guys never heard of the private school kids that returned to the SMFC school district taking up spots for the 5th graders that had to go to the Old FC portables school as a fifth grade no room even when that school was built. ..Where were those demographers then the so called experts?
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