Watsonville City Council approves rezoning of Ceiba College Prep keeping the school open
WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV)- UPDATE ON MARCH 1, 2023 AT 9:42 AM- After a lengthy meeting on Tuesday night, the Watsonville City Council voted 4-3 to approve Ceiba College Preparatory Academy's request to stay in its location on Locust Street.
The zoning change switches the school's zone from industrial to institutional.
The councilmembers who voted for the zoning change included Watsonville mayor Eduardo Montesino, Maria Orozco, Kristal Salcido and Jimmy Dutra.
Councilmembers who opposed the motion included Vanessa Quiroz-Carter, Casey Clark and Ari Parker.
The zoning change will come with conditions that were proposed by Councilwoman Orozco.
Ceiba will provide an online form on their website that will allow neighbors to file complaints. Within the next 60 days, the school will be holding a meeting to discuss safety concerns. The school will need to hold community meetings biannually.
The school will have to provide quarterly reports to the City Council on a quarterly basis. Those updates include a city complaint log, outreach to businesses community and implementation of safe routes to school.
Ceiba College Prep facing potential permanent closure
The future of Ceiba College Preparatory Academy will be decided at a Watsonville City Council special meeting on Tuesday night.
The city council will decide to grant a special use permit and zoning change that would allow the school to remain at their location on Locust Street permanently.
If the City Council were to vote no, then it could lead to a permanent closure of the school.
Ceiba College Preparatory Academy is a grade 6-12 college preparatory charter school that currently has 525 students enrolled. The academy opened in 2008 and has been at their current location on Locust Street since 2014.
Last April, the Watsonville Planning Commission voted 3-2 in favor of the zoning changes. However, the vote failed because it needed a majority vote.
Ceiba College Preparatory Academy Head of School Josh Ripp says that the academy has a 98 percent high school graduation rate. He also said that the academy's student body that is 95% Latinx and 90% socioeconomically disadvantaged.
On Friday, parents and students held a march at Watsonville City Plaza shouting Don't Close Ceiba and Si Se Puede.
The city council meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the Watsonville City Council Chambers. The meeting will be live streamed on the city's website.
