HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-06-15 City Schools Liaison Committee Agenda PacketCITY OF PALO ALTO &
PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
City Schools Liaison Committee
Regular Meeting
Thursday, June 15, 2023
8:30 AM
Community Meeting Room & Hybrid
250 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto
City School Liaison Committee meetings will be held as “hybrid” meetings with the option to
attend by teleconference/video conference or in person. To maximize public safety while still
maintaining transparency and public access, members of the public can choose to participate
from home or attend in person. Information on how the public may observe and participate in
the meeting is located at the end of the agenda. Masks are strongly encouraged if attending in
person. The meeting will be broadcast live on Zoom and YouTube
at https://www.youtube.com/c/cityofpaloalto.
VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION CLICK HERE TO JOIN
(https://cityofpaloalto.zoom.us/j/86280460108)
Meeting ID: 862 8046 0108 Phone:1‐669‐900‐6833
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Public Comments will be accepted both in person and via Zoom meeting. All requests to speak
will be taken until 5 minutes after the staff’s presentation. Written public comments can be
submitted in advance to city.clerk@cityofpaloalto.org and will be provided to the board. Please
clearly indicate which agenda item you are referencing in your email subject line. PowerPoints,
videos, or other media to be presented during public comment are accepted only by email to
city.clerk@cityofpaloalto.org at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Once received, the City
Clerk will have them shared at public comment for the specified item. To uphold strong
cybersecurity management practices, USB’s or other physical electronic storage devices are not
accepted.
CALL TO ORDER
REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
A.Public Comments
B.Approval of Minutes
C.City and District Reports
D.City and Schools Collaborations Discussion – Update from Todd Collins
E.Committee Meeting Frequency
F.Future Business
ADJOURNMENT
PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Members of the Public may provide public comments to teleconference meetings via email,
teleconference, or by phone.
1. Written public comments may be submitted by email to city.clerk@cityofpaloalto.org.
2. Spoken public comments using a computer will be accepted through the teleconference
meeting. To address the Committee, click on the link below to access a Zoom‐based meeting.
Please read the following instructions carefully.
You may download the Zoom client or connect to the meeting in‐ browser. If using your
browser, make sure you are using a current, up‐to‐date browser: Chrome 30 , Firefox 27 ,
Microsoft Edge 12 , Safari 7 . Certain functionality may be disabled in older browsers
including Internet Explorer.
You may be asked to enter an email address and name. We request that you identify
yourself by name as this will be visible online and will be used to notify you that it is
your turn to speak.
When you wish to speak on an Agenda Item, click on “raise hand.” The Clerk will activate
and unmute speakers in turn. Speakers will be notified shortly before they are called to
speak.
When called, please limit your remarks to the time limit allotted.A timer will be shown
on the computer to help keep track of your comments.
3. Spoken public comments using a smart phone will be accepted through the teleconference
meeting. To address the Committee, download the Zoom application onto your phone from
the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and enter the Meeting ID below. Please follow the
instructions B‐E above.
4. Spoken public comments using a phone use the telephone number listed below. When you
wish to speak on an agenda item hit *9 on your phone so we know that you wish to speak. You
will be asked to provide your first and last name before addressing the Committee. You will be
advised how long you have to speak. When called please limit your remarks to the agenda
item and time limit allotted.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN Meeting ID: 862 8046 0108 Phone:1‐669‐900‐6833
1 Regular Meeting June 15, 2023
Materials related to an item on this agenda submitted to the Board after distribution of the agenda packet are
available for public inspection at www.CityofPaloAlto.org.
CITY OF PALO ALTO & PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT City Schools Liaison CommitteeRegular MeetingThursday, June 15, 20238:30 AMCommunity Meeting Room & Hybrid250 Hamilton Ave, Palo AltoCity School Liaison Committee meetings will be held as “hybrid” meetings with the option toattend by teleconference/video conference or in person. To maximize public safety while stillmaintaining transparency and public access, members of the public can choose to participatefrom home or attend in person. Information on how the public may observe and participate inthe meeting is located at the end of the agenda. Masks are strongly encouraged if attending inperson. The meeting will be broadcast live on Zoom and YouTubeat https://www.youtube.com/c/cityofpaloalto.VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION CLICK HERE TO JOIN(https://cityofpaloalto.zoom.us/j/86280460108) Meeting ID: 862 8046 0108 Phone:1‐669‐900‐6833 PUBLIC COMMENTSPublic Comments will be accepted both in person and via Zoom meeting. All requests to speakwill be taken until 5 minutes after the staff’s presentation. Written public comments can besubmitted in advance to city.clerk@cityofpaloalto.org and will be provided to the board. Pleaseclearly indicate which agenda item you are referencing in your email subject line. PowerPoints,videos, or other media to be presented during public comment are accepted only by email tocity.clerk@cityofpaloalto.org at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Once received, the CityClerk will have them shared at public comment for the specified item. To uphold strongcybersecurity management practices, USB’s or other physical electronic storage devices are notaccepted.CALL TO ORDERREVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
A.Public Comments
B.Approval of Minutes
C.City and District Reports
D.City and Schools Collaborations Discussion – Update from Todd Collins
E.Committee Meeting Frequency
F.Future Business
ADJOURNMENT
PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Members of the Public may provide public comments to teleconference meetings via email,
teleconference, or by phone.
1. Written public comments may be submitted by email to city.clerk@cityofpaloalto.org.
2. Spoken public comments using a computer will be accepted through the teleconference
meeting. To address the Committee, click on the link below to access a Zoom‐based meeting.
Please read the following instructions carefully.
You may download the Zoom client or connect to the meeting in‐ browser. If using your
browser, make sure you are using a current, up‐to‐date browser: Chrome 30 , Firefox 27 ,
Microsoft Edge 12 , Safari 7 . Certain functionality may be disabled in older browsers
including Internet Explorer.
You may be asked to enter an email address and name. We request that you identify
yourself by name as this will be visible online and will be used to notify you that it is
your turn to speak.
When you wish to speak on an Agenda Item, click on “raise hand.” The Clerk will activate
and unmute speakers in turn. Speakers will be notified shortly before they are called to
speak.
When called, please limit your remarks to the time limit allotted.A timer will be shown
on the computer to help keep track of your comments.
3. Spoken public comments using a smart phone will be accepted through the teleconference
meeting. To address the Committee, download the Zoom application onto your phone from
the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and enter the Meeting ID below. Please follow the
instructions B‐E above.
4. Spoken public comments using a phone use the telephone number listed below. When you
wish to speak on an agenda item hit *9 on your phone so we know that you wish to speak. You
will be asked to provide your first and last name before addressing the Committee. You will be
advised how long you have to speak. When called please limit your remarks to the agenda
item and time limit allotted.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN Meeting ID: 862 8046 0108 Phone:1‐669‐900‐6833
2 Regular Meeting June 15, 2023
Materials related to an item on this agenda submitted to the Board after distribution of the agenda packet are
available for public inspection at www.CityofPaloAlto.org.
CITY OF PALO ALTO & PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT City Schools Liaison CommitteeRegular MeetingThursday, June 15, 20238:30 AMCommunity Meeting Room & Hybrid250 Hamilton Ave, Palo AltoCity School Liaison Committee meetings will be held as “hybrid” meetings with the option toattend by teleconference/video conference or in person. To maximize public safety while stillmaintaining transparency and public access, members of the public can choose to participatefrom home or attend in person. Information on how the public may observe and participate inthe meeting is located at the end of the agenda. Masks are strongly encouraged if attending inperson. The meeting will be broadcast live on Zoom and YouTubeat https://www.youtube.com/c/cityofpaloalto.VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION CLICK HERE TO JOIN(https://cityofpaloalto.zoom.us/j/86280460108) Meeting ID: 862 8046 0108 Phone:1‐669‐900‐6833 PUBLIC COMMENTSPublic Comments will be accepted both in person and via Zoom meeting. All requests to speakwill be taken until 5 minutes after the staff’s presentation. Written public comments can besubmitted in advance to city.clerk@cityofpaloalto.org and will be provided to the board. Pleaseclearly indicate which agenda item you are referencing in your email subject line. PowerPoints,videos, or other media to be presented during public comment are accepted only by email tocity.clerk@cityofpaloalto.org at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Once received, the CityClerk will have them shared at public comment for the specified item. To uphold strongcybersecurity management practices, USB’s or other physical electronic storage devices are notaccepted.CALL TO ORDERREVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONSA.Public CommentsB.Approval of MinutesC.City and District ReportsD.City and Schools Collaborations Discussion – Update from Todd CollinsE.Committee Meeting FrequencyF.Future Business
ADJOURNMENT
PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Members of the Public may provide public comments to teleconference meetings via email,
teleconference, or by phone.
1. Written public comments may be submitted by email to city.clerk@cityofpaloalto.org.
2. Spoken public comments using a computer will be accepted through the teleconference
meeting. To address the Committee, click on the link below to access a Zoom‐based meeting.
Please read the following instructions carefully.
You may download the Zoom client or connect to the meeting in‐ browser. If using your
browser, make sure you are using a current, up‐to‐date browser: Chrome 30 , Firefox 27 ,
Microsoft Edge 12 , Safari 7 . Certain functionality may be disabled in older browsers
including Internet Explorer.
You may be asked to enter an email address and name. We request that you identify
yourself by name as this will be visible online and will be used to notify you that it is
your turn to speak.
When you wish to speak on an Agenda Item, click on “raise hand.” The Clerk will activate
and unmute speakers in turn. Speakers will be notified shortly before they are called to
speak.
When called, please limit your remarks to the time limit allotted.A timer will be shown
on the computer to help keep track of your comments.
3. Spoken public comments using a smart phone will be accepted through the teleconference
meeting. To address the Committee, download the Zoom application onto your phone from
the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and enter the Meeting ID below. Please follow the
instructions B‐E above.
4. Spoken public comments using a phone use the telephone number listed below. When you
wish to speak on an agenda item hit *9 on your phone so we know that you wish to speak. You
will be asked to provide your first and last name before addressing the Committee. You will be
advised how long you have to speak. When called please limit your remarks to the agenda
item and time limit allotted.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN Meeting ID: 862 8046 0108 Phone:1‐669‐900‐6833
3 Regular Meeting June 15, 2023
Materials related to an item on this agenda submitted to the Board after distribution of the agenda packet are
available for public inspection at www.CityofPaloAlto.org.
Page 1 of 1
Regular Meeting
April 20, 2023
Chair Lythcott-Haims called the meeting to order on this date at 8:37 A.M.
Present: City of Palo Alto Representatives
Pat Burt, Council Member
Julie Lythcott-Haims, Chair
Ed Shikada, City Manager
Chantal Cotton Gaines, Deputy City Manager
Palo Alto Unified School District Representatives
Todd Collins, Board Member
Lana Conaway, Assistant Superintendent
Absent: Shounak Dharap, Board Member
A. Public Comments
Ken Horowitz spoke about Cubberley.
B. Minutes Approval
Approval of minutes from the March 20, 2023 meetings.
MOTION: Council Member Burt moved, seconded by Board Member Collins to approve minutes
from the March 20, 2023 meeting.
MOTION PASSED: 3-0, Dharap absent
C. Sharing Your “Why” for This Work
No action taken.
D. City and District Reports
No action taken.
E. City and Schools Collaborations Discussion
No action taken.
F. Future Business
No action taken.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 10:02 a.m.
City/School Liaison Committee
Action Meeting Minutes
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Regular Meeting
April 20, 2023
The City-School Liaison Committee of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in the Community
Meeting Room at 8:30 A.M.
Present: City of Palo Alto Representatives
Pat Burt, Council Member
Julie Lythcott-Haims, Chair
Ed Shikada, City Manager
Chantal Cotton Gaines, Deputy City Manager
Palo Alto Unified School District Representatives
Todd Collins, Board Member
Lana Conaway, Assistant Superintendent
Absent: Shounak Dharap, Board Member
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Julie Lythcott-Haims called the meeting to order at 8:37 A.M.
REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
A. Public Comments
Ken Horowitz thanked the school board for the letter presented regarding Cubberley. He
stated the City Manager mentioned at the recent City Council meeting that the Council will take
up discussion of Cubberley on May 22 or beyond.
B. Approval of Minutes
MOTION: Council Member Burt moved, seconded by Board Member Collins, to approve
minutes from the March 20, 2023, meeting.
MOTION PASSED: 3-0, Dharap absent
Board Member Todd Collins noted that there is no requirement or custom for other city
committees to approve the minutes and suggested dispensing with this requirement in order to
help minutes get posted faster.
City/School Liaison Committee
Summary Meeting Minutes
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Chair Julie Lythcott-Haims stated she had previously requested more substantive minutes than
the recitation of the agenda items and that is in the information packet. She agreed that
getting the minutes to the public in a more timely fashion was of interest to all and would ask
Staff for guidance.
C. Sharing Your “Why” for This Work
Chair Julie Lythcott-Haims felt there was value in leaders talking about the "why" or what
animates and interests each of the members of the committee in their work. She stated it
helps develop more understanding and trust. She felt the School District and City had much in
common yet a history of sometimes not getting along and was interested in finding areas of
common interest and common vision. She felt this was the beginning of a new era of the City-
School District relationship and gave some examples of this. Within the spirit of cooperation
and achieving mutually desirable ends, she asked the committee members to share their "why"
for the work.
Council Member Pat Burt believed the School District and City had, in recent decades, lost some
of the close collaboration that had developed when the School District was in severely declining
enrollment in the late 70s through early 90s. The City had done a number of measures to
support the School District over that period of time with a lot of initiatives like leasing lands,
picking up crossing guards, and myriad services. The District and City share a common purposes
of serving youth and families in the community, each with a different focus but with important
overlaps. He stated he has been interested in working together on a strategic approach to
looking at different initiatives and programs and how to collaborate more closely. He stated
relationships are often built outside of meetings. He was grateful how the District has come
forward with being deliberate and collaborative with the City and felt the Board deserved credit
for taking such a positive approach toward collaborations.
Chair Lythcott-Haims asked Council Member Burt to share more about why he has chosen to
participate in public service.
Council Member Burt stated both of his parents were teachers and his mother was deeply
involved in political activism, so he has always believed the role of public service and public
policy was a meaningful calling and a way to serve each other effectively. He noted there is
also an incredible network of community volunteers in the City and that this committee is very
important but the ways in which people contribute to the community are very broad and
valuable.
City Manager Ed Shikada noted that being fond of solving puzzles in childhood led to civil
engineering school with then a focus on transportation. He concluded the greatest puzzles to
solve are social ones, which led him to city management. He noted that every day there are
opportunities for greater collaboration across individuals, organizations, institutions, sectors.
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One might see a great distinction between city and school district, but there are tremendous
opportunities for collaboration.
Assistant Superintendent Lana Conaway stated that, when in school, she realized the impact
education and the adults within the system can have in, positive and negative ways, on how
individuals feel about themselves and what they believe they can accomplish. She related an
incident that occurred when she was one of the few students of color in the advanced program
at her school, leading her to build her career around ensuring that every kid had the same
opportunities and access, with the lens of intentionally breaking down barriers to learning and
opportunities.
Deputy City Manager Chantal Cotton Gaines stated her mother worked for a nonprofit and
instilled the need to help others and give back. She stated when she graduated high school, she
did not have a job but had 10,000 more volunteer hours than the next closest student. She has
done many programs and tried to create opportunities for students coming from communities
that are not expected to produce scholars. She believes the systems we create have a big
impact on the outcomes people experience.
Chair Lythcott-Haims stated she has always rooted for the underdog, in part because her father
was a physician and her mother was a schoolteacher, both devoted to bringing opportunity for
a better life to others. She stated she has similar experiences as others that gave her a lot of
compassion for any human who was not deemed to be within the box society has decided is the
right box. She wants to use the vast resources of intellect, innovation, problem-solving
capacity, heart, and hope to make sure everybody makes it.
Board Member Todd Collins stated he ran for school board to make the school district be more
effective in achieving its goals. He added that he did not find the characterization of the
relationship between the District and City helpful and hoped for a good working relationship,
urging colleagues not to promote a narrative critical of the school board.
Chair Lythcott-Haims took the suggestion to heart and felt there was a spirit of greater
cooperation on both sides. She appreciated the sensitivity as it impacts the way the groups
work together. She felt there was a lot of commonality between the committee members'
answers to the "why" question.
D. City and District Reports
Board Member Todd Collins had little to report. There had been one school board meeting
since the last committee meeting, with nothing on the agenda of note to this committee.
Assistant Superintendent Lana Conaway added it is the time of year for planning for next year
and trying to figure out the closest priorities in terms investing time. There were some slight
revisions to the PAUSD Promise, combining Healthy Attendance with the SWIFT equity plan and
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(Sp.) City School Liaison Committee Meeting
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adding Innovation and Agility. The District has also started to look at the five goals identified in
the SWIFT plan to tweak a few goals to identify inequities and how to engage community
partners to better address those needs. The focus on mental health has been expanded to
include staff and to remove limits of when students can access care.
Deputy City Manager Chantal Cotton Gaines stated an item related to Cubberley will be brought
to City Council soon, tentatively May 15. She acknowledged and was appreciative of the board
action related to full-time city employees' students being able to attend PAUSD schools. She
noted there are still more steps to accomplish before that opportunity is available.
Council Member Pat Burt added there was a recent study session on a program that sends vans
with crisis intervention specialists for intoxicated, disoriented, or mentally ill community
members as an alternative to law enforcement response. There was also strong discussion on
the 2023 Work Plan with a particular focus on the elements Staff is pursuing aligned with
Council priorities. Within Public Health, there has been a particular callout for the last two
years of focusing on how to help address the needs of youth who had their mental health
stressed through the two years of the pandemic. He stated that area is still a struggle regarding
initiatives to further that objective. There was adoption of the changes to utility rates. As one
of the biggest utility consumers in the city, the School District has a vested interest in that.
Chair Lythcott-Haims added that the Palo Alto Youth Council put on a health fair at Mitchell
Park last weekend and are doing an Earth Day effort tomorrow. The kids in the city know how
imperative it is to mitigate the change underway and ensure the planet is livable. When looking
for linkage between the City and the District, the leadership efforts of the kids are something to
be proud of.
E. City and Schools Collaborations Discussion (continued from March 16, 2023)
Chair Julie Lythcott-Haims stated some documents were pulled together for reference,
including the purpose statement behind this committee and a document created several years
ago listing myriad ways the City and District might collaborate or the topics that might overlap.
She opened conversation up to colleagues regarding what is possible, hard things to collaborate
on, ways to collaborate more effectively, etc.
Council Member Pat Burt clarified that the document was meant to discuss areas in which there
was existing collaboration and as a framework to look at those things more comprehensively,
potentially leading to ways to strengthen or more clearly define goals or look for gaps that
might become more apparent. He felt the opportunity to break through on Cubberley was the
most substantive thing going on right now but there were a lot of things ongoing, various
negotiations and collaborations from field space to issues around middle school athletics and
partnering programs, potential future issues of school sites needing crossing guards.
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(Sp.) City School Liaison Committee Meeting
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City Manager Ed Shikada stated it was a good characterization that there were a number of
touch points between staffs on projects that either agency is taking on. One issue is how
planning for growth and housing affects district needs and vice versa. He suggested revisiting
this topic during the next round of the City's housing element.
Board Member Todd Collins felt there was and has been much collaboration between the City
and District on a wide range of issues and a strong relationship between the staff. He felt the
more relevant issue for the policymaking bodies was making sure there was a framework that
feels fair and appropriately shared between the bodies. There are some models about how
cities and school districts arrange their affairs with regular negotiation on the full set of issues,
which helps things from getting out of balance in one area or another and creates a regular
forum for discussing the totality of the issues. He felt it would be useful for this group to move
toward some kind of framework in which those issues were regularly discussed.
Assistant Superintendent Lana Conaway discussed a resource called the Collaboration
Framework for addressing community capacity and formulating collaborative groups to address
issues at various levels across the community. She agreed having a framework and a discussion
would be a great way to home in on what to accomplish and would make the discussions and
decisions of this committee more meaningful and connected to the community. Thinking about
areas to potentially partner on, she felt a lot of the things threading through all of the
partnerships were grounded in social justice, resource justice, and environmental justice. She
suggested identifying an area to focus attention as a theme and branch out to address those
concerns across the community so that everyone has equal access and opportunity, not just
marginalized groups but the entire community.
Chair Lythcott-Haims invited Board Member Collins to share his ideas for this framework at a
future meeting. She also felt the collaboration framework suggested by Assistant
Superintendent Conaway was an intriguing way to frame themes to jointly agree on. She felt
kids' mental health was important. There are some ways to legislate improving mental health
for kids, but she thought it was more about how kids are treated, talked about, and engaged.
She felt it was important to commit to an interest in what it feels like to be a child in Palo Alto
and then also to listen and act upon it. She stated she would think more about this and bring
forward a proposal or concept to discuss if there is any interest.
Council Member Burt noted there is already a framework intended to be the body spanning all
the issues related to youth mental health in the community, Project Safety Net. He stated it
was designed for broad community collaboration and wanted to be careful about creating new
entities.
Chair Lythcott-Haims stated she was not trying to create something new and agreed that
Project Safety Net should be the home. She stated she was asking what could be done as part
of that conversation to help spur a new conversation about these issues in the current moment.
She stated the question of what it means to be a child in Palo Alto includes mental health as a
component but is overall a bigger question.
Item B
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(Sp.) City School Liaison Committee Meeting
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Board Member Collins stated the District tries to do everything they think is important to help
create a successful environment for students but was more selective toward getting heavily
involved in initiatives outside their scope. He stated the District is happy to participate in
initiatives the City or others lead where there is a useful role to play but also has a lot to work
on.
Council Member Burt wanted to look at the issues with an open mind as opposed to the
mindset that the District has done an incredible amount in this area and must have covered
everything that is relevant. He felt some of what is relevant has less clear demarcation of lanes.
He stated Project Safety Net had definitions of youth mental health and youth wellbeing to look
more broadly at how to have youth voice in the community and a broader, healthy
environment for youth. There are both opportunities and lessons from things that were done
in the past that may have lapsed because the focus went into new valid areas. He felt there
should be a discussion focused on that subject.
Public Comments
1. Ken Horowitz was supportive of this committee and hoped it would stay intact. He
stated enrollment is a big issue for the school board and that a lot is going to depend
upon housing, so there is a lot of collaboration that is going to go on between the
housing element and school board.
F. Future Business
No action taken.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 10:02 a.m.
Item B
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