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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-02-23 City Schools Liaison Committee Summary Minutes City/School Liaison Committee Meeting Page 1 SCHOOL/CITY LIAISON COMMITTEE PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT CITY OF PALO ALTO DATE: February 23, 2017 MINUTES FOR MEETING OF February 23, 2017 Opening The School/City Committee held a special meeting in the District Conference Room A at 25 Churchill Ave, Palo Alto. The meeting was called to order at 8:02 a.m. * All handouts can be viewed in the Business Services Office 25 Churchill Ave. Palo Alto Unified School District Representatives: Melissa Baten Caswell, Board Member, Committee Chair Ken Dauber, Board Member Cathy Mak, Chief Business Officer City of Palo Alto Representatives: Liz Kniss, Council Member Eric Filseth, Council Member Khashayar Alaee, Senior Management Analyst Oral Communications Alison Cormack a PAUSD resident/parent believes the status of Cubberley should be at the top of agenda topics to discuss. She referenced the Cubberley report from four years ago and stated there is still so much work that needs to be done. Caswell said it is important to have community input on this topic. This item is not on the agenda and will not be discussed but will be added to the list of future agenda items. Approval of Minutes – December 15, 2016 MOTION: The December 15, 2016, meeting minutes were accepted. Review of Recent City Council/PAUSD Board Meetings City Council: Filseth said the items reviewed at the last Council meeting included retail preservation, land use for the Comprehensive Plan, and appointments were made to the Parks and Recreation Commission and Planning and Transportation Commission. The names will be passed on to the Board electronically. Filseth said there was a brief but spirited discussion on the structure of the Comp Plan that is ongoing. Council discussed the top goals for the year at the planning meeting which included housing, transportation, infrastructure, and budget and finances. Filseth said the City is projected to run an operating deficit this year. Council is scheduled to have a session on the Stanford general use permit on February 27. The City’s Director of Planning and Community Environment Hillary Gitelman gave an update on the Comprehensive Plan Update. Gitelman stated the CAC is scheduled to conclude its work sometime this spring; right now it is tentatively scheduled for May. A supplement to last year’s draft EIR was circulated and they are soliciting comments on the draft document. City Council will have a public hearing on it on March 20, 2017 at 7 p.m. The original draft EIR had four scenarios and the supplement adds two more scenarios with updated student generation rates. District: Caswell said the Board met offsite in January to look at their goals to see where they stand. The Board is optimistic about how many goals they can accomplish this year. There is a Special Budget Study Session on March 7th. The Board has asked the Superintendent to come back with more aggressive list of cuts. Caswell invited City Council to tour some of the bond projects. Kniss agreed the tours are very helpful. Kniss requested the number of students enrolled by grade; Mak will email the data to the Committee. Caswell said they are in the process of closing on our of Office of Civil Rights agreement on the resolutions for the cases at Gunn and Paly. Caswell said the calendar for next school year has not been set and are still working on it. The start date will probably be the same as this year. City/School Liaison Committee Meeting Page 2 MINUTES FOR MEETING OF February 23, 2017 The Renaming Schools Advisory Committee will bring a recommendation to the Board on whether three schools should be renamed. Caswell said they passed a resolution last fall to protect immigrant students, the resolution specified they will not tolerate discrimination against any students. Last year, they also passed a Board policy in support of LGBTQQ students that included having non-gender specific restrooms. Caswell said they need to put out a communication to the community that they have board policies and regulations that clarify where we stand on the issue. Kniss mentioned the City has not discussed gender-neutral restrooms but it will come to City Council at some point. Alaee mentioned they have not looked at it as a formal policy but they do have existing protocols and procedures for children going to the restroom at the camps. Kniss recognizes this is a discussion City Council need to have further. Caswell mentioned the District’s discussion on whether they would be better served using the District office property as an extension of Palo Alto High School and moving the District office to Cubberley but there has not been a Board discussion on it yet. Kniss said this property is obviously the District’s decision but considering the options the Board has regarding this area, they might find it is underutilized. Caswell stated they have had many discussions about why the bus parking is located in North Palo Alto but have not found an alternative solution. Alaee added that about two years ago they had a brief conversation if the District would consider moving the District offices to connect with the City. They have an interest in the District offices potentially relocating to the California Avenue area or downtown Palo Alto for access to transit for staff and as well as the economic development aspect of employees using the California Avenue or downtown services. The City does have land they could potentially look at. Caswell suggested the District and City should have a discussion on this since it last discussed two years ago. Kniss asked if the District leases the Paly and District office land from Stanford. There was no confirmation of this at the time. It was later clarified by the District’s Bond Program Manager Bob Golton that Escondido, Nixon, Gunn, and Paly were all were acquired from Stanford University, contingent on the land being used for school purposes. Suggested Future Agendas The Committee reviewed the list of possible agenda items for the year. -Property Tax Update -City-PAUSD Demographer Report -Shared Use of Playing Fields and Playground Space -Bike and School Safety -Construction Plans -Project Safety Net -Track Watch -Housing for Staff -City Sponsorship of Middle School Athletics Program -Update on Bus Parking Caswell suggested bike/school safety and construction plans ahead of summer to get in front of potential issues. Future Meetings and Agendas The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 16, 2017 at 8:00 a.m. at the District office. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 09:16 a.m.