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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-09-11 City Schools Liaison Committee Summary MinutesPage 1 of 6 Regular Meeting September 11, 2025 Present: City of Palo Alto Representatives Greer Stone, Councilmember (Chair) George Lu, Councilmember Chantal Gaines, Deputy City Manager, Staff Liaison Ed Shikada, City Manager Palo Alto Unified School District Representatives Alison Kahmi, Board Member Rowena Chiu, Board Member Board Member Chiu arrived at 7:04 P.M. Guillermo Lopez, Associate Superintendent Absent: None CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Stone called the meeting to order on this date in virtual teleconference at 7:02 P.M. REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS A. Open Forum/Public Communications Public Comment: 1. Lee P. invited everyone to attend the ATHENA awards on October 9. B. Approval of Minutes Chair Stone explained there were no minutes to approve and will come at the next meeting in October. NO ACTION C. City and District Reports City/School Liaison Committee Regular Meeting SUMMARY MINUTES Page 2 of 6 City School Liaison Committee Meeting Summary Minutes: 09/11/2025 Chair Stone asked for any updates relevant for the City and school operations. Associate Superintendent Guillermo Lopez said the first weeks of school were going well. City Manager Ed Shikada mentioned the police department had been out with the start of the school year. The third Cubberley community meeting will be held next Wednesday for the consultants and team to discuss the master plan concepts with the community. Board Member Kamhi noted the celebration at Hoover Elementary on August 19 to complete the erection of the prefabricated building and roof panels. Bicyclists have been seen using the new bike paths on El Camino. There was an open house on August 15 for the employee housing project Acacia at 231 Grant. Board Member Chiu visited the ongoing construction at Greene Middle School and spoke with the principal. Board Member Chiu attended the first meeting of the property subcommittee, got updates on the HVAC improvements being made, and went through the newly renovated playgrounds. NO ACTION E. Discussion of Partnership with the JED Foundation Director of Community Services Kristen O’Kane gave background on the nationwide nonprofit organization the JED Foundation, which is devoted to emotional health and suicide prevention for teens and young adults. Director O’Kane explained the history of the proposed partnership. The contract amount is for $149,000 over a 24-month term. Director O’Kane noted JED provides services, input, and guidance throughout the contract term to set the community up for success but does not stay in the community. The draft scope of work includes five tasks: provide postvention support, strengthen prevention efforts, facilitate youth engagement, advise on Palo Alto’s Citywide campaign/communications, and trainings to build knowledge and skill. Some key deliverables are to conduct a gap analysis, provide guidance and education on lethal means restriction, develop a peer task force consisting of youth from the community, do focus groups, provide support so people have easy and convenient access to resources and tools on the webpage, and trainings for youth, educators, parents, and staff, to be further worked out. Deputy City Manager Chantal Cotton Gaines said the current scope includes components related to PAUSD. First, PAUSD will provide local schools’ data related to mental health. Second, as appropriate, PAUSD will be asked to share progress updates with PAUSD families. Third, PAUSD will review the JED high school survey tool and, if concurred by PAUSD, then PAUSD will assist in sharing the survey with PAUSD youth. The next steps are to receive feedback from City Schools Committee members and to advance the contract to Council for approval on September 29, 2025. Public Comment: 1. Allyson R. is a private citizen, parent, and licensed and board-certified clinical neuropsychologist who has worked with people with depression and PTSD for the last decade. Allyson R. was very SUMMARY MINUTES Page 3 of 6 City School Liaison Committee Meeting Summary Minutes: 09/11/2025 impressed with the JED Foundation and encouraged everyone to vote yes to enter into a partnership. Allyson R. felt it was important to give schools the measure of predictions of suicidality and asked that those predictors be very clearly identified so the school can monitor and parents can be aware. 2. Ken H. expressed disappointment the partnership was not developed at the April meeting and that one student was lost in August. Ken H. brought approximately 10 pages of notes that relate to gaps that exist at PAUSD. Ken H. wanted to see PAUSD formalize an agreement with JED and contribute financially to maximize the work, to the benefit of everyone in Palo Alto. 3. Jane H. encouraged the School District to approve the partnership with the JED Foundation. Jane H. shared the experience of being a parent with a child who went through a mental health crisis and was unprepared and had difficulty finding information on what to do and getting resources. Jane H. referenced a recent presentation which emphasized strong postvention efforts and felt that component was lacking. 4. Tom C. is the president of the Palo Alto Educators Association, the union representing the 800 educators at PAUSD. Tom C. supported the partnership with the JED Foundation, noting the issues of teen mental health and suicide prevention are of great interest to the members. 5. Shashank J. is a parent, Stanford professor, and National Advisory Board Member to JED High Schools. Shashank J. highlighted the importance of a partnership with the JED high school program. Shashank J. noted the program offered a proven, comprehensive framework that was evidence-based, strengthened mental health systems, trained staff, and created a culture of care and connectedness. Shashank J. said partnering with JED would allow access to expert guidance, data-driven strategies, and national best practices based on experiences with other communities. Shashank J. felt joining the network will make a statement that mental health is part of overall health. Chair Stone thanked everyone for the comments and efforts to move the partnership forward. The City had been working with JED since April to finalize the proposal and scope of work. During the June meeting with JED and staff, it was realized there was a lot of information JED would require that the City did not have access to but the School District did. Chair Stone stated the community deeply cares about the mental health and wellbeing of youth and takes suicide seriously. The School District spends approximately $24M per year on mental health. Chair Stone opined a partnership with JED is a no regret action that can only help. The goals for the evening were to discuss the extent the School District was willing to provide information to JED through the partnership with the City as referenced in JED’s September 4 proposal and potentially formalize the commitment into a motion. Chair Stone also wanted the Committee to review and recommend that Council approve the proposal. Chair Stone suggested exploring if the School District wanted a partnership with the JED Foundation. Board Member Chiu asked if the deliverables would change with a District partnership. Board Member Chiu asked if the $149,000 over the 24 months covered only the proposed partnership between JED and the City and if a three-way partnership would require additional funding. Chair Stone opined even after Council passes the current proposal, if it needed to be changed to better accommodate a three-way partnership, it would be possible. Chair Stone clarified the School District SUMMARY MINUTES Page 4 of 6 City School Liaison Committee Meeting Summary Minutes: 09/11/2025 would work with the JED Foundation to craft a proposal that meets the District’s needs. Chair Stone said there would be a separate agreement between the District and JED Foundation. Senior Director of Clinical Advising and Community Programming Dr. Katie Hurley, of the JED Foundation, confirmed the deliverables currently on the table were specific to the City but the organization would be willing to make changes to accommodate a three-way partnership. Dr. Hurley believed the estimated cost for a partnership with the District would be $67,000. Board Member Chiu noted the School District spends a lot of money on mental health services and wondered if one of the suggestions JED would have is to look at what is already there and consider how to better utilize or communicate resources to the school community and community at large. Board Member Chiu asked to what extent there will be practical follow-up after the two years is completed, will there be practical ways to leverage what there already is to result in better outcomes, and whether there is a support system to ensure the changes were effectively embedded. Dr. Hurley explained there are different programs for working with School Districts, including one called the District Mental Health Initiative. All programs begin with a strengths and gap analysis. Efforts are never duplicated. JED is a technical assistance program that provides strategic programming. There are a team of experts to help guide the District through the work. After the program is completed, JED backs away but is still available. There is an alumni program with contacts in place should continued assistance, policy checks or updates, etc., be needed. Board Member Chiu asked for an example of gap analysis for a similar school district and what happened to ensure those gaps were filled successfully. Board Member Chiu wondered if there was a standard preventative check-in to ensure the District continues on the right trajectory. Board Member Chiu said the concern was not only having a strong strategy but that the strategy be appropriately operationalized and properly embedded in the resources the District already has and is sustainable beyond the contract. Dr. Hurley confirmed interval check-ins were part of the alumni programming. Dr. Hurley suggested putting together a case study in writing but mentioned working closely with the school district in Scarsdale, New York; Lawrenceville school in New Jersey after a series of losses; and Harvard-Westlake. Students in Lawrenceville asked for more mental health wellness days, a new mental health wellness center, and more education around what to do if a friend was struggling. Dr. Hurley emphasized each program was individualized per school. Dr. Hurley clarified JED creates a strategic plan in collaboration with School District representatives. Council Member Lu was impressed with the level of flexibility JED has and felt there was a lot of tailoring the School District and City could have about the durability of the programs. Council Member Lu noted the seminars were focused on training leaders in the different City programs. Chair Stone emphasized the organization’s responsiveness and commitment with the recent proposal update. Board Member Kamhi noted the prevention and postvention scenarios being discussed were not hypothetical and highlighted the support the District currently has. Board Member Kamhi thought the District already agreed to provide data, enabling the City to move forward. The Committee does not have the power to bind the School District in any further matter. SUMMARY MINUTES Page 5 of 6 City School Liaison Committee Meeting Summary Minutes: 09/11/2025 Board Member Chiu said that student mental health is of huge concern within the District and felt staff, teachers, parents, etc., were unified by the frustration of being unable to help the mental health crisis in the District. Associate Superintendent Lopez mentioned that Stanford has worked with JED for the past 4 years and asked to find out how successful it had been and if there were any recommendations or findings based on the work at Stanford. Associate Superintendent Lopez wondered why JED was the only provider brought forward and if there was a bidding process. Associate Superintendent Lopez wanted to ensure the District could explore all options to partner with the best provider. Dr. Hurley agreed to get data and disaggregate the specific data for Stanford. Dr. Hurley will email the 10-year impact data to Deputy City Manager Cotton Gaines. Chair Stone explained there was no formal bidding process. The JED Foundation came out of the work of the youth mental health and wellbeing taskforce convened last year. Through the task force, recommendations were made regarding the JED Foundation as one of the leading nonprofits in the space. With additional research and follow-up conversations, it was recognized JED would be the best fit. JED has operated for 26 years. Chair Stone felt the most impressive statistic was that there was a 25 percent reduction in suicide attempts in communities JED has worked in. Chair Stone confirmed the motion was written in such a way as to allow exploration of other third party providers. Board Member Chiu encouraged moving forward in a timely manner, noting impetus in the community to see the School District answer the need given the recent losses. Deputy City Manager Cotton-Gaines asked if the Committee wanted to include a note supporting the City moving forward with the proposed draft scope as shared, to be included in what was taken on September 29. Chair Stone agreed to make a separate motion. The wording of the motion was clarified. MOTION: Board Member Kamhi moved, seconded by Board Member Chiu to refer to the school board the consideration of: 1. Potential partnership between the JED foundation (and/or other third-party mental health consultants) and the school district; 2. Continued collaboration between the City and the school district, beyond the components currently in the JED proposal. MOTION PASSED: 4-0 MOTION: Council Member Stone moved, seconded by Council Member Lu to recommend the JED proposal to the City Council for approval. MOTION PASSED: 4-0 SUMMARY MINUTES Page 6 of 6 City School Liaison Committee Meeting Summary Minutes: 09/11/2025 D. Future Business Deputy City Manager Cotton Gaines noted the next meeting is planned for October and will work with the Chair on agenda items and specific dates. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 8:17 P.M.