Superintendent's Update

It’s easy to forget that PAUSD is a large organization with an impact on our community that reaches beyond teaching and learning. As a large employer with many sites, we work closely with the City of Palo Alto on many issues. I want to take a minute this week to share a few of the things that are on the radar, looking to the future.

It’s a beautiful day outside!  The weather certainly cooperated with us for the Special Olympics held and Greene Middle School today. Then again, I am not sure that brisk winds and cold rain could have dampened the spirits of our staff and students in a “competition” where everyone leaves a winner.

I want to thank the students who attended and engaged in our Superintendent’s Student Advisory group. They were, as always, amazing. I have provided space on this update for them to capture some of the key points in their own words. Their summary will be found below.

The summary from our students cannot capture the full depth of their input. I was again impressed with their ability to listen to understand. They were empathetic to others, including differences of opinion. As promised, their insights will be amplified and should inform our thinking. It is possible that future updates will include a deeper look at these topics and our insights we gained through listening to our students.  Parents… Good job! 

In 2023, the California State Legislature passed legislation for local education agencies (LEAs) to adopt approved screeners for risk of reading difficulties and begin annual universal screening of kindergarten through second-grade students for risk of reading difficulty starting in the 2025-26 school year. In spring 2025, the PAUSD Board of Education approved the use of the UCSF Multitudes Reading Difficulty Risk Screener for all K-2 students, which replaces the previous risk screener used by PAUSD educators.

This week, I kept coming back to a line from Bruce Springsteen’s The River: “They bring you up to do like your daddy done.” Ten simple words that say a lot about how we’re shaped.

I have really enjoyed speaking with a variety of people over the last couple of weeks on various issues. One thing is jumping out at me through these conversations. It is very possible that our school district and community sometimes oversimplify complex issues and then offer quick solutions.

I met recently with members of the 25/26 Superintendent’s Advisory group. They are all currently in high school and have tremendous insights. They will be handling the recruitment and selection of members for this year. We meet four evenings during the year. It is one of my favorite things to do as a superintendent. Surveys serve a purpose, but there is nothing better than interacting directly with students.

There’s a lot of community conversation about mental health and how we support students. Today, I want to highlight two groups who make a big difference every day… our elementary Physical Education (PE) and music teachers.

Our schools feel like we have been back for longer than we have! With Back to School Nights largely complete by the time of this message, I hope families enjoyed the opportunity to meet their teachers and walk around our sites. We have a lot of special people who strive to provide great experiences for our students. 

We took every student at Hoover Elementary on a field trip to the site of their new campus. While it is still under construction, the kids got to see how the school is progressing, and all signed the final piece of a roof that was put in place as they watched. It was an amazing day.