In this edition ...

• Staff members’ years of service and retirements
• Employee, teacher of the year
• Board meeting review: ELOP, Intentional Use of Tech and LCAP
• Budget Planning for 2026-27 and beyond
• Summer learning menu and free meals
• District Office summer hours
• High Fives

From the Desk of Mr. Baier

Dear Parents,

We are almost at the finish line of an incredible year. The month of Mayhem (as we affectionately refer to May, also known as Maycember) is flying by. I hope you have had time to savor moments of growth, creativity, kindness, resilience, and achievement we have seen from our students throughout the year.

Because of the dedication of our staff and the partnership of our families, this has been a year filled with meaningful successes for students and adults across MVWSD.  I invite you to take a look back at some of the highlights in this video of our many accomplishments.

I am deeply grateful for our exceptional staff members, supportive families, and remarkable students. Thank you for all you do to make MVWSD such a strong and caring community. Together, we continue to accomplish amazing things.

Sincerely, 
Jeffrey Baier
Superintendent

Staff members’ years of service and retirements

Please join us in recognizing our staff members’ years of service and retirements. We are grateful to our MVWSD staff members (

Congrats to Ms. Chuang, our Teacher of the Year!

Meghan Chuang, STEAM Teacher at Monta Loma Elementary, was named Teacher of the Year. Ms. Chuang has taught in MVWSD for 10 years, spending the last five years teaching STEAM. She creates an engaging, innovative program that connects hands-on, technology-driven learning to real-world experiences. Thoughtful, collaborative, and deeply committed to student success, Ms. Chuang also piloted the RAD program to foster positive student leadership across grade levels at recess. 

Congrats to Ms. Donahue, our Classified Employee of the Year!

Sarah Donahue, Library Technician at Stevenson Elementary, was named Classified Employee of the Year. Sarah creates an engaging, inclusive library program that supports classroom learning while inspiring students to become confident, capable readers and lifelong learners. Thoughtful, detail-oriented, and deeply committed to student success, she is also a trusted and supportive colleague who continuously seeks ways to improve student engagement and access to high-quality resources.

Board meeting review: ELOP, Intentional Use of Tech and LCAP

Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP)

The Trustees approved a contract for next year with the YMCA as a service provider for MVWSD’s afterschool and non-school day programs, called MVWSD+. MVWSD+ currently serves approximately 900 qualifying students. MVWSD’s Expanded Learning Opportunities Programs (ELOP) are currently operated by district program Beyond the Bell, which will continue next year, and community partner YMCA. 

In response to parent feedback, this year the District and YMCA teams have worked closely to address concerns, provide training and coaching, and develop systems to address areas of need. The district will be working toward a universal structure of ELOP programs for all service providers to further improve services for students and families by ensuring consistency of expectations, documentation, training, and procedures.

The Intentional Use of Education Technology

Trustees approved a resolution in support of the use of technology to enhance instruction, support research, collaboration, and creativity, and help ensure equitable access to learning opportunities for all students. This resolution codifies MVWSD's desire to balance the benefits of instructional technology with the harms of excessive screen time, and to continue to intentionally plan and monitor educational technology for the maximum benefit of students. 

Next year, we are reducing our student-assigned device program for younger students. Students in grades K-3 will utilize Chromebook carts in the classroom, rather than be assigned individual devices. A limited number of Chromebooks will be available for Kindergarten through 3rd grade students’ individual use at parents’ request, and if students do not have one at home. Our Transitional Kindergarten students do not typically use Chromebooks very much or at all in the classroom, and TK teachers have very minimal access to Chromebooks.

Parents, staff members and students grades 4-8 are currently sharing their perspectives in a survey about the types of technology used, how often, and how it helps students learn. This feedback will guide the district's planning and decision-making about student technology use in the future.

Local Control Accountability Plan: Federal Addendum and Annual Update

School districts in California must develop a three-year plan, the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), to explain their goals and strategies for improving achievement for all students and provide updates on the prior year’s plan successes and challenges through the annual update. Staff presented the plan for Trustees consideration. The draft LCAP and presentation is here.

Budget Planning for 2026-27 and beyond

As we plan the district budget, we see a similar trend for 2026-27 that we experienced last year — slow revenue growth and increased expenditures. Just like families have noticed groceries and gas costing more, our district and others around us are feeling the same pressure.

The money, property tax revenue,  isn’t growing the way it used to, and the cost of educating students continues to rise. Revenue growth from property taxes (Assessed Valuation - AV), our main funding source, is maintaining its slow pace. Over the last 6 years, AV grew an average of 8.79% per year. This last school year, AV growth slowed significantly, shrinking to just 1.9% this year. The County Assessor projects similarly low growth for the next several years. 

At the same time, our expenditures continue to rise. We predict our costs will grow next year by $3.1 million. Some of the largest increases are services for special education students and increases in preschool costs due to changes in the state’s structure. At this pace, we are set to dip below our required 17% reserve levels in 2029-30. To be budget neutral, we would need an AV of 11.79% which is unlikely.

Our current financial outlook of increased expenditures and reduced revenue is not unexpected.  We already took early action this spring by reducing $7.5 million, helping to strengthen our position. Our budget pressures are real, we will have to make thoughtful, strategic adjustments again this year to support students and protect our future. For the Board presentation, please click here.

Check out the MVWSD “Summer Menu” for learning activities students can do at home

Click here - mvwsd.org/summer - for information about free meals and a handy list of resources for students to practice their academic skills this summer.

Free summer meals 

Free meals provided by MVWSD and Santa Clara County are available to everyone under the age of 18 throughout the summer. The summer meals program reaches children who need good nutrition when school is out of session. No questions. No IDs required. mvwsd.org/nutrition.

Rengstorff Park
June 10 - July 31, 2026
Weekdays from 11 am- 1pm
(No Meals June 19 and July 3)

District Office summer hours

This summer, the District Office, 1400 Montecito Ave., is open for business Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. The District Office is closed Friday, June 19 for Juneteenth and Friday, July 3 in observance of the Fourth of July. 

High Fives

Middle school track stars win medals, set records at county finals

Our middle school track and field athletes delivered an outstanding performance at the recent County Finals, bringing home medals and setting records.

Crittenden's track teams placed in the County Finals:  7th Boys: 2nd place. 6th Grade Girls:  4th place.  8th Grade Girls: 6th place.

Our Panthers not only captured multiple top finishes including gold medals, but also broke school records in the process:

• 7th grade boys 4x400
• Crittenden’s first 6th grade girls county champion in 12 years
• Crittenden’s first ever 400m county champion for both 6th and 7th grade

Graham's Bears placed in the County finals: 6th grade boys: 2nd place. 7th grade girls: 3rd place. 6th grade girls: 8th place. 7th grade boys: 10th place. 8th grade boys: 10th place. 8th grade girls: 13th place. 

Graham’s track teams won the gold in three events. Additionally, individuals placed 2nd in three events, 3rd in five events, and students placed 4th or 5th in 15 events. Two students set records in three events.

Congratulations to all of our student-athletes, coaches, and families on an incredible season. Your hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship made our schools proud!

Early Literacy Program honored with Glenn W. Hoffmann Award video

MVWSD's Early Literacy Program was recently honored with a Glenn W. Hoffmann Award by the Santa Clara County School Boards Association (SCCSBA).

The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) put together a wonderful video highlighting the program—please check it out! You may recognize some familiar faces. 

Our Early Literacy Program provides targeted reading intervention, professional development, and family literacy events, all aimed at ensuring every student is reading by third grade. Our dedicated team of 11 site instructional coaches and 6 reading interventionists work across our schools, collaborating with teachers and specialists to provide students with the focused support they need. 

Thank you to the early literacy team, and congrats!