Trustees Scrutinize Bond Projects, Approve Prospect Rebuild Lease 5-0

Campbell Union High School District trustees spent the longest stretch of their Sept. 17, 2026, meeting questioning how facilities staff are spending the district's bond money. They then voted 5-0 to hire Swinerton Builders for the Prospect High School rebuild. The board also authorized talks with two private partners over the neglected former Blackford High School fields, and heard a mixed achievement report from Branham High School.

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• Bond update draws pointed questions on restroom data, stair design and weak community turnout
• Prospect rebuild advances 5-0: $281,261 in preconstruction work and a 2.5% developer fee
• Blackford field talks authorized 5-0 with De Anza Force and Harker; turf and exclusivity remain open questions
• Branham posts A-G gains, but math, English learner and suspension goals fall short

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A $500 Million Program Under the Microscope

The basics: The district is spending bond money from Measure AA and Measure P on construction across its campuses. Board President James Kim described the scale bluntly: "We are entrusting you to spend $500 million essentially and manage."

Where things stand: Executive Director of Facilities Gabriel Altamirano reported $6.1M encumbered under Measure AA, including $3.04M earmarked for the Del Mar science and technology building, plus $5.5M in open Measure P contracts. Summer work included roofs, painting, landscaping, a dance studio, and kitchen and locker-room upgrades.

He also presented designs for all-gender restrooms. "Our design requirements: highly visible, multiple entry points," Altamirano said. He noted the district is limited at Westmont by the existing structure.

Design scrutiny: Trustees questioned several choices. Trustee Jason Baker said a pyramid-style stair in the Prospect design "did stand out to me as looking a little odd." Trustee Linda Goytia raised safety: "Coming down a staircase with a rounded corner is more dangerous than coming down straight steps." Trustees also questioned Del Mar's pre-manufactured building approach.

Trustee Aine O'Donovan asked whether the restroom designs address student discipline. Altamirano said, "We don't have the data yet, so we'll have to continue to track that." The first data is expected around early 2028. He also conceded that he had left something out of the presentation: "I failed to present a timeline, and so I will make note of that and present that at the next update meeting."

The community-input problem: Altamirano said a recent Prospect meeting drew "very low attendance. We had one valued, valued community member join us." Kim rejected counting it at all: "I would say that we did not have a community meeting yesterday." He added that "if we, the district, really want that involvement, we need to create those conditions to get it."

Scope over speed: Kim warned against building undersized facilities that cannot be updated later. "I would rather just not build it under the bond if we can't build it right and do it in the next phase of the bond," he said. O'Donovan agreed: "I fully support that we do less if we need to, and do it really well."

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The board later approved a site lease and facilities lease with Swinerton Builders for Prospect's classroom and administration replacement, a mass-timber project. Under this lease-leaseback arrangement, Swinerton pays the district $1 to lease the site and the district makes equal lease payments afterward. The district keeps ownership, can terminate the deal if criteria are not met, and is protected by a performance bond if the builder defaults. Preconstruction costs $281,261 and the developer fee is 2.5%. Kim noted that a Prospect alumna is on the Swinerton team. Trustee Elisabeth Halliday moved the item and O'Donovan seconded.

• Vote: For: 5 (Kim, Halliday, Goytia, O'Donovan, Baker), Against: 0, Absent: 0

Trustees also voted 5-0 to approve a piggyback agreement with ClearSpan Fabric Structures for two buildings. One is a conditioned structure at Del Mar for ROTC and maintenance storage, which addresses a long-running ROTC space shortage. The other is a building at the transportation yard. Asked by Goytia when the ROTC problem would be fixed, Altamirano answered, "So it will be resolved." The Del Mar structure is planned for spring.

What's next: A guaranteed maximum price for Prospect returns to the board in May or June, after approval by the Division of the State Architect (DSA), the state agency that reviews school construction plans. Altamirano promised a project timeline at the next bond update.

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Blackford Fields: Two Offers, Many Questions

Why it matters: Both proposals would renovate the long-neglected former Blackford High School fields at the partners' expense. Each would also pay the district about $60,000 a year. Kim did not mince words about the current condition of the track and field: "I mean, it's condemned."

Where things stand: Staff member Meredith Hudson outlined the two offers:

• De Anza Force proposed non-exclusive use of roughly 80% of the football field and track time, with artificial turf and possible lighting.
• Harker School proposed exclusive use of a grass field with fencing and irrigation. "They're proposing a 10-year term with potential extensions," she said.

Hudson said the alternative would mean the district "front-loading the costs to make those spaces usable." Community groups could still rent space through the district's rental system, and nonprofits would pay a lower rate.

Superintendent Robert Bravo argued the item deserved full discussion: "I don't want to shortchange the discussion around these potential agreements because the income to the district could be so very substantial."

The other side: Goytia leaned toward Harker's guaranteed payment, saying "it's a sure thing. They're going to pay the district $60,000 a year." She also said, "I have a lot of concerns about artificial turf and the microplastics in it."

O'Donovan pointed to the surrounding neighborhood: "My biggest concern there would be parking and the neighbourhood impact." She added that she is "not a proponent of turf fields" and was "disappointed that it's exclusive use."

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The motion authorizes staff to negotiate only. No lease or terms were approved. Baker warned he "would not approve some terms that ended up coming back to us at the end of the day." O'Donovan moved the item and Halliday seconded.

• Vote: For: 5 (Kim, Halliday, Goytia, O'Donovan, Baker), Against: 0, Absent: 0

Nearby residents face possible traffic and parking impacts. Youth sports groups stand to gain playable fields. The district's budget could gain lease income.

What's next: Negotiated agreements must return to the board for approval.

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Branham's Report Card: Gains and Gaps

The basics: Each school's School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) sets goals tied to the district's Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), the state-required plan that links school funding to student outcomes.

Where things stand: Branham High School Principal Silbergeld reported that students with disabilities reached 37% proficiency in English language arts on the state's SBAC test, beating the school's goal. Their math proficiency, however, fell to 3%. "Only 52% of our emerging multilinguals showed growth on the 2026 ELPAC," the state English proficiency test, Silbergeld said. On discipline, she said, "We did not make progress in reducing suspensions specifically for our Black students and our students with IEPs."

The bright spot was A-G eligibility, which tracks completion of the courses required for University of California and California State University admission. "Our outcomes for all students were 79%, and Latinx students jumped up 11% to 55%," Silbergeld said. The school set a new target of 63% for Latinx students.

The school's responses include:

• A full-time teacher on special assignment
• Case management for newcomer students
• The City Peace Project
• Restorative practices

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No vote was taken. O'Donovan asked for comparisons going back two or three years. Silbergeld replied, "Yes, I could see us doing that as like a supplemental report." Kim asked how grading scales are calibrated across the school. Bravo said sites set grading scales within board policy and that "there is room for localized agreements within that context."

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• Settlement: The board reported approving a $7,342.20 gross settlement with a classified employee, made in closed session.
• Management raises: Trustees voted 5-0 to approve 2026-27 raises and the AB 1200 affordability disclosure for management and confidential staff. The percentage was not stated.
• Routine actions: The consent calendar passed 5-0, along with the instructional materials resolution, non-public school agreements, Heritage Village agreements and the conflict of interest code.
• Sustainability push: Prospect student Isha Kamath urged measurable waste-diversion goals and AP Environmental Science at all schools. Halliday then requested reports on both.
• Student entrepreneurs: Westmont FFA, Branham FBLA and post-secondary students were honored, including one FFA student who earned over $25,000 at the county fair.

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Looking ahead: The board voted 5-0 to table the Year 1 Strategic Plan progress update to its Oct. 1, 2026, meeting. Board policy revisions also had their first reading, including a sentence clarifying that schools may set stricter cellphone rules.