In this edition ...

• From the Desk of Mr. Baier: Protecting students and staff
• Board Meeting Review: Students experiencing homelessness, Budget, Staff housing non-profit, Hispanic Heritage Month
• High Fives

From the Desk of Mr. Baier: Protecting students and staff

Dear Families and Staff Members,

Students have to be and feel safe in order to learn. Our District is responsible for the safety of 4,700 students and more than 600 staff members every day. The reality is, there’s a lot in the world that we can’t control—but we can take steps to prevent issues and be ready to act when dangerous situations arise. 

Safety in MVWSD is all-encompassing. It means programs for prevention, such as bike safety, mental health, disaster training, and digital citizenship. It means physical improvements, such as improved lighting, ventilation and secure campus perimeters. It also means procedures that guide our actions in times of poor air quality, dangerous intruders, earthquakes, fires, etc. 

Our safety practices are guided by our overarching comprehensive school safety plan. This plan informs and provides the framework for each of our schools’ safety plans.  Drills (see bullets below) are an opportunity for staff and students to test our emergency response actions and make improvements. We approach our practices with sensitivity and age-appropriate activities. We appreciate your support of these efforts. 

With gratitude,

Jeffrey Baier
Superintendent

Safety Measures

• On October 21, we will hold an earthquake drill so students and staff members can practice strategies for evacuation, accounting for students, parent-student reunification, search and rescue techniques, first aid, and school operations without power, food or water. 
  
  
• In late October/early November, our elementary schools will review what to do in the event of a dangerous intruder or similar event on campus. The dates for each school’s practice will vary depending on scheduling. Practice means students will view an age-appropriate video (like the “dangerous intruder” video for elementary students that you may preview here – English) and talk with their teacher. The video and classroom discussion will encourage children to stay calm, follow directions, and listen to trusted adults. Middle schools will hold dangerous intruder drills, which include practice. Your principal will give you more information closer to the time of practice.
  
  
• Our schools have already held fire drills to practice how to evacuate in the event of a fire or other emergencies, and how students are accounted for. Fire drills will continue throughout the year.

For Staff:

• Red “first aid” emergency backpacks should be complete and hanging in your classroom. Backpacks should be stored on this hook off the floor at all times. No materials from the backpacks should be used or removed except in a schoolwide emergency. Each classroom and main office will get one backpack. If you are missing a backpack, please let your principal know.
  
  

Emergency materials for school sheds have been replenished. These materials are critical in emergencies and should be accessed only during a drill or schoolwide emergency.

Board meeting review: Students experiencing homelessness, Budget, Staff housing non-profit, Hispanic Heritage Month

Update: Students experiencing homelessness: Federal law (McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act) ensures the educational rights and protections of children experiencing homelessness. MVWSD has one of the larger homeless populations among elementary districts in Santa Clara County. Currently, there are approximately 200 students receiving McKinney-Vento services, though this number can fluctuate over the course of the year.  MVWSD has made progress in reducing chronic absenteeism and suspensions for these students and increased their participation in expanded learning programs, although the students as a group are not making gains in academic proficiency in reading and math. The district must continue focused support and monitoring to address persistent achievement gaps. Read the presentation here

Budget update: We have long anticipated that real estate revenue growth (assessed valuation, or AV for short) would slow. This is our district’s primary funding source. While we experienced an average growth rate of 8.79% in the last six years, AV growth has sharply reduced to just 2.34% this year, partly due to commercial property tax reassessments. It is unlikely to rebound in the next few years. At the same time, our expenditures continue to increase. New state-mandated programs, such as expanded Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and afterschool programs, add costs without dedicated funding. In addition, the rising costs of staffing—the staff that is critical for student outcomes—represent 83% of our budget. For these reasons, we must act now to align future expenditures with projected revenues. The decisions made now will have a lasting impact on the health of our district for years to come. Please see the presentation here and Mr. Baier’s Sept. 26 letter here. 

Transitioning Staff Housing to MVW Residences Corporation Board: MVWSD recently purchased the land under staff housing and entered into a partnership with Foothill DeAnza Community College District to sell unfilled units. These actions created a pathway for lower rents and greater access for MVWSD staff. The Board heard a presentation about the next steps for the dedicated nonprofit entity, the MVW Residences Corporation, which will be managing staff housing moving forward. Their work will include implementing an overall average of 25% reduction in rents. Read the presentation here.

Resolution Recognizing National Hispanic Heritage Month: September 15—October 15 marks Hispanic Heritage Month. MVWSD recognizes and honors the significant and historical contributions people with Hispanic/Latino heritage have made in our community. Please read the resolution here.

High Fives

Walkathons

Walkathon season is officially in full swing! Last week, Theuerkauf and Bubb held their annual Walkathons, and both events were a resounding success. Each school kicked off the festivities with a Spirit Week, helping to build school pride leading up to the big day. On Friday, students, families, staff and volunteers gathered behind the schools to enjoy delicious food, carnival games, prizes, face painting, temporary tattoos, hair spray, and more. Thank you to all the volunteers for making the Walkathons so fun and so successful! 

Next up: Stevenson and Vargas host their Walkathons this Friday. We can’t wait to see you there! 

Summer Readers

This past summer, 460 MVWSD students registered for the Mountain View Public Library reading program across the district. Each school encouraged students to participate over the summer. In total, almost 70% of the students completed the program, meaning they each read every day for at least 30 days! Many thanks to our young readers for participating, and to the Mountain View Public Library and the District library techs who promoted this program!

Suicide Prevention Week

During Suicide Prevention Week, Graham Middle School school/counselors focused on promoting mental health and well-being. Throughout the week, students were encouraged to reach out, talk openly, and show kindness every day—helping to promote a caring campus where everyone feels seen, heard and valued.

Panthers at Yosemite

Our Crittenden 8th graders took their much-anticipated, week-long trip to Yosemite. It’s a special chapter in their middle school adventure, and we would like to extend our thanks to our amazing chaperone team. This team of teachers and parents/guardians was on call 24/7 and made sure the Panthers were safe while they discovered the wonder of Yosemite, bonded with their classmates and developed expert travel/outdoors skills.