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Public hearing on Broadway relocation stirs more debate
CAIR says more time is needed to review environmental report
By Sarah Gaffney
The long-awaited San Jose Board of Education vote on Broadway High School's relocation has been postponed until Nov. 18.
Although San Jose Unified School District officials in recent months have intimated that construction of a new school on the John Muir campus is imminent, controversy and criticism still surround the proposed move.
The audience at the Nov. 3 Board of Education meeting was a sea of yellow T-shirts emblazoned with "I CAIR about Robertsville community." CAIR (Community Action in Robertsville) is a community group founded in response to the district's decision to relocate Broadway onto the John Muir Middle School campus.
Last week's meeting was a public hearing to discuss results from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) study, a review of the traffic impact at the proposed site's location at Branham and Speak lanes. The study, made public on Nov. 1, indicates the new school's construction could have a significant impact on traffic, noise and air quality.
According to Kirsten Powell, a lawyer representing CAIR, more time is needed to review the report's environmental impacts.
"This document contains new information which has not been disclosed to the public until this time. ... We believe that this document should be recirculated again to allow the public to comment on those issues," Powell said. "If you take the position that the document was circulated on November 1, CEQA would require that you wait another 20 days before you take formal action on that, therefore there should be no action on November 18th."
Powell addressed the school board's seemingly narrow focus on moving the school without public input.
"Every time we have raised an issue, you have attempted to dispose of it in order to continue with the plan to move the school to John Muir. ... The purpose of CEQA is to facilitate smart planning that would impose a less significant impact on the environment and use public input in making your decision. However, if you have already chosen this location, which legally you have done, this CEQA review is merely a formality."
Jim Chase, president of CAIR, addressed the board's lack of involvement with the Robertsville community.
"A lot of information has been presented that shows that the community has not been engaged," Chase said. "Public officials at local and state levels have come out and asked you to reconsider the decision and the process by which you used to come to this decision. The response that I have heard to date from the district is, 'The check is in the mail.' "
Lee Hurd, whose children attended both John Muir and Broadway, spoke in favor of relocating the continuation high school.
"I'm a big fan of Broadway," Hurd said. "The Broadway students are making a strong effort to overcome their individual educational handicaps. CAIR labels them as at-risk students and improper role models with the implication of violence. CAIR should be campaigning against school dropouts, not the strivers."
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
