{"id":174994,"date":"2026-02-12T13:18:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T13:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/174994\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T13:18:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T13:18:09","slug":"nvhs-campus-one-step-closer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/174994\/","title":{"rendered":"NVHS Campus One Step Closer"},"content":{"rendered":"

At its Jan. 22, 2026 meeting, the Santa Clara Unified Board of Trustees unanimously approved the master plan for New Valley High School\u2019s relocation to the\u00a0Wilson Educational Options campus<\/a>, after\u00a06 decades<\/a>\u00a0in portable classrooms.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you hope for is a good compromise that addresses the majority of interests,\u201d said Trustee Andy Ratermann. You\u2019ve [Facility Development and Planning Director Michelle Healy] done a good job.\u201d<\/p>\n

The final design is based on discussions from over a year of community meetings.<\/a> The new campus increases green space by reducing capacity to 200 from 250; reducing building footprint and keeping buildings further from neighborhood houses.<\/p>\n

SPONSORED<\/p>\n

\"BrainShare\"BrainShare<\/a><\/p>\n

Funding comes from 2018\u2019s facilities bond (Measure BB<\/a>) and cannot be used for other purposes. No money is coming from SCUSD\u2019s general fund.<\/p>\n

A Life-Changing School<\/p>\n

\u201dThis school, the faculty, the teachers, the students turned my son around,\u201d said New Valley parent Caroline Benitez. \u201cHe came to this school with 86% truancy. He is now at 96% attendance. I hear him talking about what he wants to do after high school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benitez says she\u2019s not a high school graduate, but she might have been had she had a school like New Valley.<\/p>\n

Destiny, a senior, spoke about coming to New Valley convinced she was a failure.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom middle school, I had constant F\u2019s,\u201d she said. \u201cI was a failure. From the first few steps I took in the New Valley campus, I immediately felt like I belonged. The teachers changed me. Now I am going to be something. I\u2019m going to graduate. I\u2019m going to college. I\u2019m going to be someone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Opponents: District\u2019s Priorities Are Wrong<\/p>\n

Opponents continue criticizing<\/a> and calling for more study of already-rejected options.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Valley sounds like a wonderful high school,\u201d said Charlotte. \u201cMy concern is [the] going away of green space in Santa Clara.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said that she didn\u2019t know why the Laurelwood campus wasn\u2019t chosen. Laurelwood was rejected because it would cost twice as much to build an entirely new campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m worried about money being spent on this school when there already is a school,\u201d said Carolyn. \u201cThese kids, if they want to have all these things they feel they deserve, there is Santa Clara High School, Wilcox High School. They can go to one of those schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should not be spending all this money on fancy art rooms and science rooms for kids that have said themselves they were skipping classes, weren\u2019t showing up to school,\u201d she continued.\u00a0 \u201cThey didn\u2019t end up here by accident.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy daughter is currently on a wait list for the two really good schools in Santa Clara and hasn\u2019t gotten in. Why don\u2019t you spend the money putting in schools for the students that want to be there, that have showed up consistently? Why not put in valet parking for them [New Valley] too?\u201d<\/p>\n

Board Solidarity: Students Are The Priority<\/p>\n

Carolyn\u2019s comment prompted pushback from every board member.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are worthy of the same facilities as your peers,\u201d said Trustee Vickie Fairchild, directing her remarks at New Valley students. \u201cAs teenagers, we make mistakes. We skip school. Even I skipped school.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause [students] do those things doesn\u2019t mean that [they] have to be happy in subpar facilities without the things [needed] to be educated appropriately,\u201d Fairchild continued. \u201cThat message was sent today and I want to tell you, that that is wrong. You are worthy of having a facility that is equal to your peers. You are worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fairchild\u2019s colleagues echoed her comments before voting unanimously to move ahead with the New Valley plan.<\/p>\n

For more:
Santa Clara Unified: New Valley High School Finds New Home<\/a>
New Valley and Wilson Seniors Win Kiwanis Club Turnaround Scholarships<\/a>
NVHS 60-Year Journey to Permanent Home (Part 1 \u2013 New Valley 1965 \u2013 2025)<\/a>
NVHS: 60-Year Journey to Permanent Home (Part 2 \u2013 Status Quo for Neighbors, Sports Clubs or Equity for District Students)<\/a><\/p>\n

SPONSORED<\/p>\n

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