2013 August PASO Magazine

“Real-world” education would prepare
students toward confident self-sufficiency
as they grow and mature. Character
education would be taught and put into
practice through mutual cooperation
among students and teachers to encourage
a sense of belonging, and self-empowerment
would be fostered toward healthy
life choices.
Basic Life Skills would be a key concept
for students to learn. Grade-appropriate
classes in finance, business, career and home
management would help students develop a
working knowledge of how to steward and
disperse their own resources.
To help ensure a successful education,
a Learning-Style Assessment and Personalized
Learning Plan would be created for
every student following educational precounseling
and pre-semester registration.
California State Standards and Common
Core Standards would be used as a baseline
for curriculum and administration of
standardized tests by fully credentialed teachers.
Another goal of the proposed school
would be to establish “effective, efficient
learning at school and respect for family time
at home.”
Military origins
More commonly known as the “boy’s
school,” the property was originally used
as a Marine Corps Units base, adjacent to
Estrella Army Airfield. From 1947-2008,
the converted property operated as one of
eight California Youth Authority facilities
to house and rehabilitate over 250 young
adult criminals. Passage of SB 81 legislation,
however, later mandated that offenders
remain with their originating counties of
commitment, thereby reducing the population
of juvenile incarceration. Upon its
closure, more than 400 current and retired
staff, dedicated volunteers and area residents
weathered summer’s triple digits in an
official ceremony to bid goodbye as a color
guard and honor guard removed our Flag
suspended high above.
A reincarnation of the site into the
Estrella Correctional Facility for adult inmates,
a reactivated Cal Fire Conservation
Camp and a reentry facility were short-lived
under budget issues (estimated at over $111
million) and ongoing community scrutiny.
The State also rescinded implementation
of the Central Coast Regional Secure
Community Reentry Facility due to the
expense for environmental site study, new
construction and state budget allocations.
Given a 70-percent recidivism rate within
the California State prison system, both
projects seemed doomed from the start. The
facilities have since sat like a barbed-wire
ghost town, and many in North County
have wondered what might become of the
sprawling acreage.
A brighter outlook for
future generations
Recently, a 2013 Surplus Land Bill, AB
826, included the Estrella Correctional Facility
for disposal as surplus real estate, effective
January 1, 2014. Surplus property is
sold pursuant to Government Code Section
11011 and 11011.1. If there is no local
government agency interest in the parcel,
it will be determined whether the property
will be sold as-is. A surplus purchase could
afford an innovative opportunity, not only for
Paso Robles Charter School to find a place
to establish and thrive, but to provide
redemption for old prison cells.
Unlike the public’s concern for a prison
facility over the past five years, might the
community of Paso Robles welcome a charter
school with open-armed support and
enroll their children, too? What has continually
been a financial eyesore for the State
could very well be a serendipitous match
for Paso Robles and parents considering
other alternatives.
Want to learn more about Paso Robles
Charter School & Youth Center? Email Jim
Fotinakes at jfotinakes@yahoo.com.
August 2013, Paso Robles Magazine 13