Superintendent's Update - October 25, 2024
Superintendent's Update - October 25, 2024
From the Office of the Superintendent
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Superintendent Austin’s Message . . .
REFLECTIONS OF COVID CLOSURES
We regularly meet with our principals to discuss key issues and to gain insight into the topics that are top of mind for them. This week we landed on a reflection of our time together during the Covid closures and reopening efforts. One principal said we had never really revisited that time in our history. The next thing I knew, many hands were in the air bringing up things that many have forgotten.
I know that any mention of this time period is inviting criticism. That’s understandable and I will be happy to read comments. I also think it’s important to recognize some things that are worth considering.
CONFUSION THROUGHOUT
From the first mention of Covid, confusion was at the center of most discussion. Some will remember the announcement of the first case treated in Palo Alto. It wasn’t hard to see we were headed into uncharted waters. Guidance and understanding were sparse.
BEHIND THE SCENES
I was reminded today that we pulled all of our site and district administrators together about a week before the Santa Clara County Office of Education in collaboration with the Santa Clara Public Health Department ordered our schools closed throughout the entire county. At that time, cases were predominately in the Gilroy area.
The purpose of our meeting was to “table top” what we would do if our schools were ordered to close. We filled a room full of chart paper that day. It was a surreal exercise. We were told to do everything possible to stay open, followed closely by an order to close.
By the first real day of closures, our food services division had already put together a plan to serve meals to families despite the numerous rules and unparalleled fear of the unknown. JLS was the site of a lot of amazing people who prepared, packed, and distributed meals. When families were unable to get to JLS, we sent staff members to homes in vans and personal vehicles.
On the day we were ordered to close, I wrote the following on my whiteboard, “Closing will be easier than reopening.” Sadly, that was accurate. We were initially told that we would be closed for a week and our Spring Break would be the second week. Clearly, that didn’t happen.
There are too many people to thank for the quick creation of lessons that got us started. Obviously, the heaviest lifting fell on the shoulders of our teachers. Ironically, our staff had been lobbying the State of California to allow for more flexible online options for our students before any of this had started. While those efforts were ignored, it did give us a big advantage in our transition, although there was still a ton of work to do.
The next big effort was the distribution of Chromebooks and hotspots. That occurred with staff and volunteers in parking lots. Again, people were willing to do things on behalf of students despite their own fears.
Jumping forward, we were the first K-12 school district in our county to reopen in any way. A staff member reminded us that we brought our most vulnerable students back first, realizing serving them at home was simply impossible. Those teachers and assistants were truly heroes.
Next, our elementary families were given options. Again, families had to trust us and a lot of employees volunteered to return. I remember a few days before our reopening we were informed all of the ventilation systems in Northern California were sold out. Since this was a condition of reopening, we sent crews in trucks to Los Angeles to pick up hundreds of them. By the weekend, they were delivered and in place. We all learned more about MERV-13 filters than we could have imagined!
School districts who were discussing reopening overwhelmingly said they would close playground equipment. We decided that a school without a slide is not a school! Our site custodians dressed up in what we called “beekeeper” outfits to disinfect the slides and equipment. They were hot and sweaty… and appreciated it. Bus drivers were nervous and there wasn’t much we could do. They saw the importance and reported to work dutifully.
Our Board of Education made the most important decision of the entire experience when they declared we would anchor to the Public Health Department. While many of the protocols were much more restrictive than the rest of California, it gave us a foundation for decisions. Our Board had to face a divided community, workforce, and nation. While we believed in the importance of reopening for our students, our collective fear and anxiety was real. Most people fall into one of two camps – Reopen now or don’t you dare reopen! That didn’t leave much space for compromise.
Of everything, I wish we would have prioritized reopening our secondary schools at the same time as our elementary schools despite the daunting logistical challenges. I believe two things can be true at the same time. We all did the best we could at the secondary level and it wasn’t good enough. There are a million factors that went into the difficulty of opening secondary schools. It’s all in the past now, but I wish we could have found a better and faster option.
As the first K-12 school district to open in our county, we lobbied hard to get “essential worker” status for our employees when the vaccination came out. Unfortunately, that effort was denied, leading to more frustration for everyone. At the point of that denial, our elementary teams had already been back for months. It was a hard time.
Our parents were absolutely unbelievable. That doesn’t mean everything was roses. Most people understood that everyone was trying to do what they believed was best. That was true of those who wanted us to reopen and those who opposed reopening. When a different version of Covid created a surge later, our parents answered with our 1PA movement. Roughly 1,000 parents volunteered for a variety of jobs that enabled us to keep our doors open. That would not have happened without our parents. That will never be forgotten.
Covid did damage beyond the medical effects. It added to division, created lines in the sand, set learning back, contributed to isolation in our kids, robbed many students of things like the first day of kindergarten and graduation ceremonies. Many employees never returned after the closures. Some people will always carry hard feelings related to any number of Covid-related issues and decisions.
As your superintendent at that time, I have all of those feelings as well. I also have increasing gratitude for everyone who came together with the best intentions for students. History books will write about that period of time. I am thankful for the hand that went up today to remind us that we hadn’t really talked about it in a long time. Hopefully, we will never have to deal with something like those closures again!
ELEMENTARY MATH
As long as there have been schools, there have been debates around math! After experiencing some nice gains in reading, it’s time to give elementary school math a focused look. The good news is that the work is already happening on our school sites, led largely by our teachers. I think this is encouraging and I am optimistic about the work our teachers are doing. I am not going into great detail for this Friday Update. Instead, I simply want people to know work is happening around a topic of great interest for many parents.
A Focus on Elementary Math: Improving Skills for All Students
Like most school districts, math is an ongoing topic of conversation. Our teachers are making real progress, and we need to support them as we move forward. I realize that most people are unaware of efforts in progress that may not always be visible. This seems like a good time to highlight a few things in motion in PAUSD. For context, discussions around math in general are not unique to Palo Alto. The same discussions are occurring around the entire nation.
Why Focus on Math Now?
When it comes to elementary school math, we are not trying to rush students into advanced math earlier. This was an important point to make on behalf of our teachers. Instead, we want to help all students build a strong foundation. We’ve already begun this work, and I’ve heard from teachers that they are embracing changes that help students learn more effectively.
What We’re Doing Right Now?
We’ve partnered with the Silicon Valley Mathematics Initiative (SVMI) to help teachers focus on math strategies that get students talking and thinking more about math. All elementary teachers also attended a special training last spring that focused on building “number sense,” which is understanding how numbers work and how to use them.
Using iReady
We’re using the iReady math diagnostic tool for all elementary students. This tool helps teachers see where students are doing well and where they might need extra help.
Family Math Nights: We’re also involving parents through events like Family Math Nights. These events, held at various schools, help parents understand how math is being taught and how they can support their children at home.
After-School Help
Several of our schools offer after-school math support, with aides helping students improve their skills.
Assessing Progress
We’re regularly reviewing data from tools like iReady to track student progress. This helps us identify areas that need more focus and plan instruction accordingly.
Looking Ahead
We are committed to a thoughtful approach as we continue working on elementary math. We want to support our teachers and avoid a "one-size-fits-all" approach. Our goal is to make sure every student gets the math foundation they need, and we’re excited by the progress we are already making together.
Thank you for your continued support as we make these important improvements. We’re all in this together!
Upcoming Listening Sessions
We are excited to share updates about our district’s efforts to enhance services and improve outcomes for students with more extensive needs, often served in self-contained classrooms or nonpublic school environments. Our mission is twofold:
1. Build educator capacity through research-based strategies to empower staff and better support these students within their local schools.
2. Implement a school-within-a-school model to ensure that students with specialized needs can stay on their comprehensive campuses, benefiting from inclusive learning environments while receiving tailored support.
We believe every student deserves the opportunity to learn and grow within their home community, supported by educators equipped with the skills and resources to meet their unique needs.
We invite you to join us for a virtual meeting to learn more and provide feedback.
Registration for November 13th at 5:30 p.m. (Elementary)
Registration for November 14th at 5:30 p.m. (Secondary)
During these sessions, we will share more details about our goals for the initiatives and hear your feedback. Your voice shapes these efforts to create better educational outcomes for our students.
We also recognize the importance of respectful and inclusive language in these conversations. In the autism community, there is ongoing debate over whether to use person-first language (e.g., “student with autism”) or identity-first language (e.g., “autistic student”). Both perspectives reflect meaningful beliefs about identity and respect, and we are committed to honoring both approaches to foster an inclusive dialogue. Therefore, we encourage families to focus on solutions as we embark on this journey.
This initiative marks a significant step forward in ensuring our district provides high-quality education and support to all students. We look forward to partnering with you on this journey.
Thank you for your continued engagement, and we look forward to seeing you at the listening sessions!
Palo Alto Middle College High School (PAMC) partners with Youth Community Service (YCS)
This fall Palo Alto Middle College High School (PAMC) partnered with Youth Community Service (YCS) to host a first-of-its-kind Service Fair. PAMC students had the opportunity to rotate through short informational interviews with representatives from local nonprofits to learn about potential service opportunities and to learn about their career paths. During the two-hour event, YCS also worked with students to explore the different characteristics of service learning and how to ensure the act of service is meaningful for both the student as well as the community.
YCS also held a service fair at Gunn this fall and Paly will have their service fair on November 13th during lunch.
“There are so many ways students can get involved and help others while also working towards goals such as meeting Living Skills volunteer requirements or earning different service awards. Our students really enjoyed this day and I think the format was incredibly successful! ”
Emily Garrison, Palo Alto Middle College Principal
