The Community & District History
The South Monterey County Joint Union High School District is located in the Salinas Valley between the Santa Lucia and Gabilan Mountain Ranges known as the “Gateway to Monterey County.” It is an area with a rich agricultural history, King City was incorporated in 1911 and Greenfield in 1947. The school district is a joint union school district serving the communities of southern Monterey County and portions of San Benito County. The economy of this area is predominately agricultural with most business and employment opportunities being tied to the agriculture industry. Agriculture is the dominant industry. Thirty-eight (38%) percent of the population is employed by the agricultural sector, followed by other major employers: including education, manufacturing, and retail trade. Agriculture contributes over $4.38 billion per year to Monterey County’s economic output.
The ethnicity of the student body is primarily Hispanic (89%) and White/Non-Hispanic (11%) and supports over 500 English Language Learners.
The South Monterey County Joint Union High School District serves the communities of Greenfield, King City, Bradley, Bitterwater, San Antonio, San Ardo and San Lucas, The school district serves students in two comprehensive high schools: Greenfield and King City High; one continuation school: Portola-Butler; one district charter independent study program: Pinnacle Academy Charter, and an adult school.
Greenfield High School opened its doors in 1999 and currently has approximately 1153 students. The school is surrounded by grape vineyards, fields, small businesses and residential housing. As of 2016 the student population was .9% Filipino, 93.21% Hispanic, .35% African American, 1.5% white/non-Hispanic and .2% other. 9% are students with disabilities, 28% are English Learners and 81% are socioeconomically disadvantaged.
The City of Greenfield has a population of 17,000 and is located in the heart of California’s Salinas Valley, approximately 135 miles south of San Francisco and 14 miles north of King City. It is centered in one of the most productive agricultural areas in the world. Over 2 billion dollars of fruit and vegetables are produced and shipped annually.
King City High School, which opened in 1911, currently has 1034 students. The ethnicity of the student body is Hispanic 86%, white 9% and 5% other. English Learners comprise 18% of the school population, students with disabilities 17%, socioeconomically disadvantaged 78%.
King City has a population of approximately 18,000 people and is located in the southern Salinas Valley. King City provides easy access to many beautiful areas of California including Pinnacles National Park. Like Greenfield, King City is in the center of a thriving agricultural region made famous by the writings of John Steinbeck.
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The Board of Education is seeking a highly qualified candidate to be the Superintendent of the district who understands the needs of a diverse community and is committed to giving all students every opportunity to demonstrate excellence.
The district’s budget is approximately 26 million dollars. The district has operated under State Oversite since 2009 due to finances. The governing powers were restored in July of 2016. State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson said, “working with the Board, Staff and Community, Dr. Daniel Moirao, the current superintendent and former State Administrator, has successfully returned the District to fiscal solvency and improved academic achievement.” Graduation rates have increased 20% from 72% to 95% in 2016.