CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL COMING TO ALPINE; CHANGE IS WELCOME BY MANY RESIDENTS, BUT LOSS OF STUDENTS COULD IMPACT GUHSD’S BOTTOM LINE

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Alpine Elementary School, site for the future Liberty Charter High School.  Photo courtesy George Barnett

February 20, 2022 (Alpine) – For over 20 years, Alpine residents pined for a high school, even engaging in unsuccessful litigation with the Grossmont Union High School District after the GUHSD reneged on promises to build one due to declining district enrollment.  But in August, Liberty Charter High School will open at the site of the recently closed Alpine Elementary School.

Until now, Alpine students in grades 9-12 have had to commute long distances to attend public high schools in Lakeside, El Cajon or Spring Valley, a sometimes perilous journey in icy winter weather. But now the charter high in Alpine will give Alpine teens an option to stay in their own community. 

Dr. Rich Newman, Superintendent of the Alpine Union School District, made the announcement in a letter to AUSD families.  Newman said a high school has long been a “top goal for our Board,” adding, “There has been a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes over the years to make an Alpine high school a reality.  I am over the moon to announce that on Thursday, the Board of Trustees will meet to approve the leasing of the Alpine Elementary School site to Liberty Charter High. They will begin operating in August 2022, and renovations of the buildings will begin immediately with the plans to turn it into a state-of-the-art high school learning center.”

Photo, right:  The 11-acre 'AES' school site is adjacent to the Alpine Community Center (with regulation base ball field and tennis court) and to the Alpine County Library (with outdoor grassed park and performance stage).  The school has an artificial turf soccer/playing field.  The school is supplied by its own trackible solar-electric array.  Photo courtesy of George Barnett.

The high school will operate separately from AUSD, overseen by the County Office of Education, under the leadership of Debbie Beyer, Executive Director of Liberty Charter. 

“Debbie and I have worked to ensure that our students will be given priority status to enroll,” Newman notes, adding that Liberty Charter is one of the longest-serving high school charters in the state, as well as one of the highest-performing charter high schools in San Diego.

Liberty offers a rigorous curriculum including AP, Honors, and CP courses, career exploration, and dual credit classes, Newman adds. Students have travel opportunities, national and international, community service, competitive sports teams including CIF championships, and involvement in a wide variety of clubs. Along with developing critical thinking and STEM skills, students also learn soft skills such as leadership, teamwork, camaraderie, public speaking, project management, time management, marketing and grant writing.

Photo, left:  AES playing field, courtesy of George Barnett

A Liberty High School senior class receives, on average, a combined total of close to four million dollars in scholarship awards, including merit-based and athletic-based scholarships.

“I look forward to a long partnership with Liberty and to seeing a high school finally join our Alpine Community,” says Newman, who signed his letter “proudest superintendent and principal on Earth.”

George Barnett, treasurer and past president of the Alpine Education Association, praised the announcement as “the greatest news,” stating, “Our long-awaited high school has become a reality."

The GUHSD’s decision to halt plans to build an Alpine High School several years ago, after acquiring land for its construction, embittered many in Alpine. Parents and other taxpayers contended they had twice voted for GUHSD bond measures that promised to fund the school and the San Diego County Grand Jury agreed, issuing a blistering reported titled, “Fool me once, Fool me twice.”  The Grand Jury advised that the GUHSD should either build the high school or turn over money to the AUSD so that it could expand to include a public high school and build one.

But the GUHSD did neither, and a lawsuit by angry Alpiners proved unsuccessful.

The last action of the ‘now closed‘ Alpine High School Citizens Committee was to seek legal counsel review of charter options and to short list options and potential partners - then report them to Alpine Union.“hat short list identified Liberty Charter as one of the best options for Alpine Union to consider due to its high school operation philosophy, its academic performance and its good offering of extra-curricular activities and varsity sports, ECM has learned.

While the new charter high comes as welcome news for many Alpine residents, it will likely mean a substantial loss of average daily attendance money for the Grossmont Union High School District at a time when district finances are already impacted by two years of pandemic shutdowns and other COVID-related costs. It is unclear whether the GUHSD will be able to continue to operate all of its existing high schools, if many Alpine students opt to leave the Grossmont district to attend Liberty Charter High.

The new  Liberty Charter High, slated to open in August, isn’t the only new addition for Alpine students.

“Concurrently, construction has started at Joan MacQueen on the all-new regulation sized multi-use artificial turf football/soccer field.  Alpine's Youth Sports organizations and the school district will be able to host sports on the East County's finest facility,’ Barnett said, voicing thanks to the school board members and Dr. Newman.

Photo left courtesy of George Barnett:  Construction underway at the new sports field at Joan MacQueen Middle School.