Superintendent's Update

This report has quite a bit of information, including the PAUSD Promise midyear report. Our progress in key areas is impressive and a testament to those who serve our students each day. I would encourage everyone to give the snapshot report a look to see where we are spending our time and energy.  

The new semester has started, and we have some interesting things ahead of us. The governor is releasing information about the state of finances, including school funding. It will take us a little while to review, especially since our funding system is different from most of the state. Tied to finances, we will also routinely update our webpage for "negotiations" with our partners from PAEA and CSEA. This will be of interest to some people, as we have learned in the past. We will do our best to provide context. Please reach out if there is public information that would be helpful. 

This seems like a really nice time to take a break! The trees have turned colors, the air is brisk, and we have some time to spend with our families. Life is good!

When we return, you will hear more about some things. Our new Hoover Elementary campus is nearing completion and is absolutely spectacular. It is also one of the “greenest” schools built in our state. We are organizing opportunities for the entire community to get a closer look as we approach the reopening ceremony.  

We recently announced some transitions in principals across PAUSD. I have been asked if we have a policy regarding the movement of principals after a certain amount of time, as some school districts do. We do not. In this case, we had two retirements. Both leaders had long and distinguished careers. We are proud of them and all they accomplished. At the end of the day, however, we all retire. At the same time, we had two principals who expressed interest in doing something different. Both are exceptional and made it easy to honor their requests. Finally, we had a former administrative TOSA who had dutifully served one of our schools and was eager to return as their principal. These are all excellent qualities and indicators of a healthy and strong organization.

I just completed a conference with our Board of Education to learn more about issues affecting school districts across the state. It is also a yearly opportunity to calibrate with other superintendents and school board members representing nearly 1,000 school districts. Common topics included massive staff reductions, budget cuts, labor strikes, school closures, and growing achievement gaps. 

Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on things. I hope our staff, students, and families have a few quiet moments to reflect on the things in our lives that are worthy of giving thanks. When I sit down with the purpose of thinking about all the good in my life, I am reminded of how many people positively influence and support me. The key is taking a moment to intentionally think about the good and put the other stuff to the side. 

I had the opportunity to participate in a live webinar last night with Josh Ochs from SmartSocial last night.  As we have shared in the past, PAUSD is a partner school district with SmartSocial, and the services are provided free of charge to our parents and our students.

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!