Central Unified to consider moving Pathway program to West Arts Center to expand Pershing programming
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Summary
Area Administrator Garrett proposed separating Pershing Continuation High School and Pathway Community Day School by moving one program to the underused West Arts Center (WACC). Administration recommended returning the item for action Feb. 24 with an August 2026 target launch and initial facilities estimates and staffing implications discussed.
Central Unified administrators presented a plan Feb. 10 to separate Pershing Continuation High School and Pathway Community Day School, using the district’s West Arts Center (WACC) as an immediate site to expand programming and create two distinct campuses.
Area Administrator Garrett told trustees that enrollment growth has stretched the shared Pershing/Pathway site and that the WACC — previously Pershing’s original campus and currently underused — could provide immediate classroom space and room for career and technical education expansion. "This provides us an immediate option to address the current reality ... by doing a few things," Garrett said, noting additional modulars on site and space to add classrooms.
Administration recommended placing the item for action on the board’s Feb. 24 meeting, with a target to open in August 2026 if approved. Garrett said many existing Pathway staff (about 85 percent of needed positions) could transition to the WACC while the district would need to add a small number of positions (vice principal, LVN/RN time, RSP teacher and instructional aides). The presentation included a preliminary facilities estimate (administration noted a working figure near $500,000 for initial repairs and move‑in work) and an earlier ongoing staffing projection that had been estimated near $400,000 before reallocation assumptions.
Trustees probed the basis for facility estimates, asked whether families and staff had been consulted, and sought clarity about transportation, timelines and possible unforeseen repairs. Garrett said site administration and staff had been briefed, that the district can provide informational forums for families, and that facilities and maintenance had assessed the site and produced initial quotes. Trustees asked that updated and more specific cost estimates and a project timeline be returned with the item on Feb. 24.
No formal action was taken Feb. 10. If the board approves the move, administration said the district would reuse some staff and reallocate other positions to minimize new ongoing costs while funding immediate site repairs with facilities budgets and, where possible, program‑specific funding for CTE expansion.