Does Foster city need a high school?

Larsen was part of a group, still going strong, which has argued for decades that Foster City cannot be complete without a high school of its own. Now the city has three elementary schools and a middle school. So no longer talk about tents. But the dream of a high school on land set aside by the Foster family and now reduced to four acres by the city has proved elusive. ( Larsen later joined the City Council where she led the fight against a merger of the San Mateo and Foster City fire departments, supported by firefighters in each city. It was an opportune time for merger since San Mateo was without a fire chief. A merger would have saved each city thousands of dollars at a time when both were hurting financially. There was no marriage. But San Mateo snared away Foster City’s popular fire chief, Willie McDonald).

A new group joined the ranks of the high school advocates when Larsen and David Kruss, another former councilmember, moved away. The new leadership includes Phyllis Moore who served for a time on the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary District Board of Trustees. Today, they are taking advantage of an interest in charter schools. They have plans for a charter high school but no building. They were hoping the Foster City Council would establish a Mello-Roos District of all property owners in Foster City to raise $15 million for construction costs. The majority of the council voted against an advisory measure. It was a brave vote since two who voted in the majority, Rick Wykoff and Linda Koelling are running for re-election. They were joined by Pam Frisella. Their reason for not proceeding was primarily fiscal: the cost to the taxpayer and the appropriateness of the city financing a public high school which would need to also serve students outside of Foster City to meet an enrollment goal of 500.

But there are other questions which have gotten lost in the discussion over whether there should be an advisory vote.

Moore claims the San Mateo Union High School District receives $7,500 per student from the state (basic aid). That’s how much district money would be available to operate the proposed charter. But the high school district spends more per student than the state allotment — approximately $10,000 per student on average. The Foster City Education Foundation envisions a small campus with an accent on math and science and high achievers bound for the University of California. Since the charter school will be part of the district it will have to hire credentialed teachers and pay them existing salaries. Attracting top science and math teachers is always a challenge especially if money is a problem. Moore thinks outstanding teachers from other schools will prefer teaching at the new school. It will be smaller and presumably with diligent pupils. But lack of modern labs and high-tech equipment may be a put down. Capital and operating costs remain a big question.

The high school district has never wanted a new high school in Foster City or any place else. It has had enough problems funding existing schools. A new campus means adding administrative staff. It means draining students from existing schools and possible future school closure. However, a small school is an attractive option for some students. Certainly more emphasis on math and science is needed. And meaningful high expectations are critical. Students at the charter would have to meet UC requirements or face a fifth year of high school. The problem is the proposed charter sounds like a private school without the necessary funding.

But here’s the most important and overlooked question: What’s in the best interest of Foster City students?

If there is to be an advisory vote, it’s the students who should be voting. Years ago there was a survey taken of high school students from Foster City attending San Mateo, Aragon and Hillsdale high schools. They were asked, if given the choice, would they prefer to attend school in their own city, or their current school? The overwhelming majority said they didn’t want to attend high school in Foster City. The main reason cited: we have been with the same students in elementary and middle school. We are looking at expanding our horizons. Staying in Foster City would be insular and boring. Also, a small school could not offer drama, sports, music and a full range of advanced placement courses available in a comprehensive high school.

I don’t know if today’s students feel the same way. But they are the ones whose opinion really counts. San Mateo High is a brand-new state-of-the-art high school with outstanding science labs and class rooms. Aragon has a brand new math and science wing, too. Both schools in addition to Hillsdale offer a full range of advanced placement courses. A new charter school in Foster City would face some stiff competition.

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Super neighborhood watch: Burlingame Mayor Terry Nagel has come up with an idea which is worth duplicating in every city. Burlingame is organizing emergency preparedness block by block. Residents will find out who on their street is a doctor; who is frail and may need help; what resources are available; and contact numbers for everyone on the block. Sadly, there are many neighborhoods where residents don’t know who lives next door or across the street or where to call if they need help.

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Sold out: The San Mateo County Historical Association dinner honoring the Borel family was sold out last Thursday night. It was a fitting tribute to the Borel-Miller Ream family which has done so much for the community.

Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo. Her column runs every Saturday. She can be reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com.