GREENFIELD — A proposal that could separate Greenfield and King City high schools into two different unified school districts will be the focus of public hearings next week in South Monterey County.
The Monterey County Committee on School District Organization will hold two hearings March 23 to take public comment on a tentative plan to dissolve the South Monterey County Joint Union High School District and reorganize local districts into two new unified school systems serving the Greenfield and King City areas.
If approved, the plan would effectively split the shared high school district that currently serves both communities, placing schools in Greenfield and King City under separate unified districts.
According to a public notice issued by Deneen Guss, Monterey County superintendent of schools and secretary to the county committee, the hearings are intended “for the purpose of taking public comment on tentative Plans and Recommendation for Reorganization” of the districts.
The proposal under consideration would dissolve the South Monterey County Joint Union High School District, along with the Greenfield Union School District and King City Union School District. A feasibility study reviewed by the committee examines whether the districts could be reorganized into two new unified districts.
Under the tentative plan, a Greenfield Unified School District would include the current territory of the Greenfield Union School District along with the coterminous portion of the high school district. A King City Unified School District would include the territory of the King City Union School District and the remaining portion of the high school district.
The first hearing will be held at 5 p.m. Monday, March 23, at Vista Verde Middle School, 1199 Elm Ave. in Greenfield. A second hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. the same evening at Chalone Peaks Middle School, 667 Meyer St. in King City.
At the hearings, the county committee will “receive and consider testimony by interested parties in support of or opposition to the tentative Plans and Recommendation,” according to the notice.
The reorganization process is being conducted under the direction of the California State Board of Education and must meet requirements under state education law.
Those requirements include promoting sound fiscal management, avoiding significant new school housing costs and preserving educational programs “without significant disruption,” according to the notice.
After the hearings, the county committee is expected to adopt tentative plans and a recommendation at a future meeting. The proposal would then be forwarded to the state board for possible consideration at its July meeting.
If approved at the state level, the reorganization proposal would ultimately go to voters.
The feasibility study and tentative plans are available on the Monterey County Office of Education website (montereycoe.org/about-us/board-of-education/county-committee) and at the agency’s office in Salinas, as well as at the offices of the affected school districts.
