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Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Upgrading Space: Broadway High School students can look forward to a modernized computer lab in their new location--wherever it may be.
District eyes land at old Lincoln Glen site to relocate Broadway continuation school
SJUSD may make bid for property it sold to the city in 1971
By Jessica Lyons
When members of the San Jose Unified School District set out in 1976 to open an alternative high school for students who were having attendance problems in mainstream high schools, the district had a choice to make: They could house the new "continuation program" at the old Lincoln Glen Elementary School or in a building at 1088 Broadway Ave. The district chose the Broadway location--which was more "tucked away," says Broadway principal Susan Votaw.
"It was a little less public, and it wasn't on the street," Votaw says.
The district then sold Lincoln Glen to the city. Today, Willows Senior Center sits on the former elementary school site.
But there's a large plot of land on the back of the property, bordering Radio and Curtner avenues, that's empty. And now that the district is looking to relocate the Broadway school, some are again looking at the Lincoln Avenue location.
The field in back is large enough to house the 15-plus portables that will make up the new Broadway school. There's even a playing field for outdoor sports. So the district may soon be considering a plan to buy back the land it sold to the city almost 30 years ago.
In an informal vote on May 11, members of the Broadway relocation committee selected the former Lincoln Glen site as their top choice to house the continuation school.
"I love the Lincoln Glen property because it takes care of a number of needs," Votaw says. "It's central, it's separate from other schools, it's not in a residential neighborhood. I think it could be made into a nice-looking, self-contained school that would give us some outside space to play softball and do things like that.
"We really are looking forward to being in a facility that is more attuned to high school needs," Votaw continued. "We are looking forward to having some legitimate science rooms, art rooms with appropriate storage, rooms that are set up for computers. We believe that we are going to end up with a better facility to offer a high school program."
At nearly five acres in size, centrally located in Willow Glen and easily accessible by public transportation, the land has all the attributes the district is looking for in a site to house Broadway High's 300 students.
One thing makes the other four optional sites more appealing: John Muir Middle School, San Jose Academy, Gunderson High School and Pioneer High School are all on district-owned land.
So the search continues. And the clock is ticking as the district scrambles to find a new site, remodel it to accommodate Broadway and have all the students moved in by December 2000.
"[Lincoln Glen] is just one of the options we're looking at," says Rod Sprecher, the general services director for the district. "But nothing is set in stone. It's in the right place, it's an easy move from Broadway, but we're not making any decisions yet."
Sprecher says he's afraid that it may cost too much for the district to buy or even lease the property, which it sold for $257,500. And on a personal level, Sprecher says he doesn't think the Lincoln Glen location is the one for Broadway.
"I think one of our [district-owned] schools is a better option," Sprecher says. "San Jose High, Gunderson, all of those have enough space to accommodate Broadway. Rather than going out and spending $1 to $3 million on property, from a fiscal point of view, I think we should be utilizing our available space."
Some people don't agree.
"We, the undersigned, strongly urge the San Jose Unified School District to establish a separate campus for the Broadway Continuation Program apart from Gunderson High School or any other existing high school campus ..." begins a petition signed by 300 adults and 50 Gunderson High School students.
Greg West, author of the petition and president of a Gunderson-area homeowners association, says the Gunderson location in south San Jose won't work.
"Some people have the concern that if you take a kid with attendance problems already, and tell them they have to take public transportation, will that really help their attendance?" West asks, citing statistics that 71 percent of the Broadway students come from the northern regions of SJUSD, and that SJUSD doesn't provide transportation for Broadway students. Also, about 55 Broadway students are in the young mothers program. "That's a 45-minute commute with an infant or young child," West continues. "And some people are concerned that even though these kids don't have disciplinary problems, attendance sometimes goes hand in hand with discipline."
The father of a Gunderson grad and an incoming Gunderson freshman, West has some strong personal feelings on the relocation. "As a parent, my primary concern is the stigma attached to Broadway," he says. "I'm sure Gunderson would have a tough time attracting students with Broadway co-located on Gunderson's campus. I view that as something that the school district really isn't going to be able to control."
Broadway experienced similar hostility when the school first came to the Willow Glen community in 1982.
Sprecher takes a dim view of neighborhoods that are wary of welcoming Broadway students into their community. "There's community resentment because having these programs in their neighborhoods diminish their property values," he says, pointing out that Broadway students' attendance problems are not disciplinary problems. "The [neighborhoods'] sentiment is 'It's good to have this program but don't put it in our backyard.' "
Votaw, however, does not favor pushing the issue to force other district schools to make room for Broadway. She'd just as soon have an autonomous location for the continuation program.
"We're not a second-class place," Votaw says. "I think we're legitimate enough that we deserve a school that has a front. Broadway is a legitimate high school program for kids that have different kinds of needs, and I think they deserve their own school."
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
