Lisa McLain League News, Mountain View Whisman School District, Observer Reports

Mountain View Whisman School Board Meetings January 2018

MVWSD Board Meetings, January 4th and 18th,  2018

The Mountain View Whisman Board of Trustees met on January 4th and 18th, 2018. Trustee Gutiérrez, Jr., was not present at the January 4th meeting.

SchoolMint – New Online Student Enrollment System

For the first time ever, registration for the upcoming school year can now be completed online thanks to a partnership with SchoolMint. The open enrollment period for the 2018-2019 school year is January 5th – February 2nd.

California Dashboard

The California School Dashboard is a new accountability system that replaces API (Academic Performance Index) and AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress). Rather than looking only at academic achievement, the Dashboard includes additional indicators such as suspension rates, chronic absenteeism rates, and English Learner progress. School and District dashboards are available to the public online.

The Dashboard has 8 priority areas that are measured through both local and state indicators. The Dashboard itself is portrayed using a circle cut into five pieces and with a color scale from blue (highest performance) to red (lowest performance). The academic achievement indicator was revised this year with different cut points for whether students met or exceeded standards due to wide swings in scores.  These cut points are expected to move again in the future as the state gathers more stable data over three years or so.

While the academic achievement indicator for students in the district overall was green, students in many subgroups, including English Learners and socioeconomically disadvantaged students, lagged behind.

 

Middle School Schedule Change

Trustees voted to adopt a new middle school schedule beginning in the 2018-2019 school year. The new eight period cascading schedule will allow all students to take at least one elective and some to take as many as three. Under the previous schedule, students who received English Language Development instruction and special education instructional support did not have a chance to take an elective.

Report on Workforce Housing Study

The District partnered with DCG Strategies to complete a workforce housing study in the hopes of finding a location and a strategy for building housing for teachers and staff. After a site review, DCG presented two possible sites for building teacher/staff housing on land owned by MVWSD. Funding for workforce housing construction could come from bonds, certificates of participation (COPs), a land lease, or selling off District owned land.

Adjacent to Cooper Park on Eunice Avenue, the District could build 82 workforce housing units in four buildings and fund the construction by selling 36 single family lots at the same site to an outside developer. The second option presented was to build workforce housing at the Whisman School site with funding through a land lease to a developer. The District could also fund construction at Whisman by selling off fifty single family home lots at Eunice.

Some trustees were reluctant to sell off MVWSD land, and all of the trustees agreed not to pursue construction at the Whisman School site due to population growth already projected for that part of town. Most board members were in favor of pursuing a project at Eunice after more study, and the board also asked DCG to look at the possibility of building a mixed use structure at Sylvan Park with a small school on the ground level and housing above.

— Devon Conley, Observer

Lisa McLain League News, Observer Reports, Rental Housing Committee

Rental Housing Committee Update January 2018

Background:

On November 8, 2016, the residents of the City of Mountain View voted to adopt Measure V, also known as the Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act (CSFRA), to stabilize rents and to provide just cause eviction protections for certain rental units in Mountain View.

Effective December 23, 2016 rent levels and rent increases for covered rental units built before February 1, 1995 must comply with the CSFRA.  As of this writing, single family homes, condominiums, and duplexes, are not covered by the CSFRA.

For more background go to the Mountain View website:

http://www.mountainview.gov/council/rental_housing_committee/default.asp

Rental Housing Committee Meeting 1/22/2018

The Rental Housing Committee (RHC) met this evening to proceed on advice from Mountain View’s Legal Team with establishing regulations to apply the CSFRA to Mobile Home Park Spaces.

This however did not occur as the motion was defeated in a 2-3 vote perhaps based partly on a letter that had been recently received by the RHC from an attorney representing one of the largest Mobile Home Parks in the City.  This letter implied future litigation if these regulations were to proceed. 

The Legal Team once again reminded the committee that their advice is to cover Mobile Home Parks under CSFRA although the law never specifically mentions ‘mobile homes’ and that none` of the exemptions listed in the CSFRA applied to mobile homes.

The committee was firm with their decision rejecting the legal advice and suggested that rather than include the Mobile Home Park Owner/Tenants in the CSFRA that they should campaign for their own measure and use language that specifically covers Mobile Homes.

The RHC decision brought angry comments from the Mobile Park Tenants who stated thy had no choice but to sue the City.

—Tamara Lewis, Observer

Lisa McLain League News, Los Altos City Council, Observer Reports

Los Altos City Council Meeting December 2017

Notes on Los Altos City Council meetings – December 2017

December 12, 2017

City Council authorized the Public Works director to record a notice of completion of University Avenue crosswalk improvements. This project began in June 2017 and finished in November 2017.

City Council received an update from Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) of the El Camino Real Bus Rapid Transit project with no further recommendations by the council. The project has been presented four times since 2011, the last in June 2016.

City Council received the concluding report for the Conceptual Design for the new Hillview Community Center Project. After presenting Concept I, Site 4 design, the Council directed Noll and Tam Architects to move forward with the Design Development phase based on a budget of $34.7 million to be completed by February 2018. It is understood that the budget may be adjusted depending on the 10-Year Financial Forecast to be presented in January 2018.

The design team, Noll and Tam Architects, accounted for elements gleaned from meetings with the Hillview Community Center Task Force (appointed city residents) and 400 community responses to surveys: to increase building quality, functionality, square footage, and outdoor program space; to provide pedestrian connectivity to downtown; and to refinish the existing parking lot. Provision for Children’s Corner access is not part of the design. Eight public speakers commented on design parts they did and didn’t like, gave alternative ideas for the location of Children’s Corner, and requested assurances of senior friendly design development, eg. few stairs. Council members were concerned about square footage, enhancements to buildings, and accommodations for the community’s growth in service needs – all related to a future rise in costs.

No meeting December 26, 2017.

— Claire Noonan, Observer

Lisa McLain League News, Mountain View City Council, Observer Reports

Mountain View City Council Meeting December 2017

Adoption of North Bayshore Precise Plan

After nearly three years of work, the Council adopted the North Bayshore Precise Plan revision, which establishes three neighborhoods adjacent to Shoreline Boulevard north of Highway 101 and allows up to 9,850 new housing units. In a marathon session on December 12th, the Council unanimously approved the plan after addressing a number of outstanding policy issues. The plan includes a 20% affordable housing goal, a “Local School District Strategy” to help secure funding or land for the possible development of new schools in the area, and a “local hire” policy to encourage the use of local workforce for the development of the plan area.

A key component of the plan is a program that allows developers to voluntarily provide community benefits in exchange for greater building height and density. All residential projects must comply with the citywide 15% affordable housing requirement. In addition, “Tier 1” projects must provide transportation improvements, funding or land for schools, or some other public amenity. Even larger “Tier 2” projects are required to provide 20% affordable housing and dedicate land for the development of a local school.

The Council also discussed the development process for the plan area. High-level “Master Plans,” which show the “proposed land uses; building locations; street improvements and circulation; and the overall phasing, timing, and improvement” of a given development site, will be required for each of the new neighborhoods. The Council may require Master Plans for other projects at its discretion. Generally, proposals that comply with an approved Master Plan will be allowed to proceed using a streamlined process. If a project is not in compliance with a Master Plan, Council approval will be required.

Addendum to 938 and 954 Villa Street (Weilheimer House Relocation)

On November 28, 2017, the Council voted 4-3 to allow the Weilheimer House to be relocated to 1012 West Dana Street, which is necessary to allow a redevelopment proposal on Villa Street to proceed. The proposal would replace two restaurants, Chez TJ and Tied House, with an office building and new ground-floor restaurant. However, on December 5th, one of the Councilmembers who had voted in favor of allowing the relocation of the Weilheimer House announced that he had reversed his position. This means that a majority of the Council does not support the relocation of the House. The developer may choose to alter the proposal, proceed with an up-or-down vote for the current proposal regardless of the Council’s position, or take some other action.

Potential Revenue Measures

The Council directed City staff on December 5th to prepare a workplan to pursue three revenue generating ballot measures, which would potentially be placed on the November 2018 ballot. The Council expressed interest in a cannabis tax, an increase in the transient occupancy tax (which would apply to hotels and potentially short-term rental services like Airbnb), and an increase and possible restructuring of the business license fee, which has not been updated since 1985. A Council subcommittee will be established to work on the details of each measure.

Temporary Moratorium Prohibiting Commercial Cannabis Activity

Also on December 5th, the Council approved a temporary moratorium prohibiting commercial cannabis activity. The “urgency ordinance will allow time for studies and community outreach for the development of a permitting and regulatory scheme for the City.” The moratorium went into effect immediately upon approval for 45 days, which options to extend for 1 or 2 years.

The Council also directed staff to prepare an ordinance allowing delivery of cannabis from business entities that have a license from the state and another city. Other cannabis activity will continue to be prohibited until the regulatory framework is fully developed, but the Council directed staff to prioritize the regulation (and legalization) of delivery of cannabis.

— Lucas Ramirez, Observer

Lisa McLain League News, Mountain View Whisman School District, Observer Reports

Mountain View Whisman School District Meetings Nov & Dec 2017

MVWSD Board Meetings, November and December, 2017

The Mountain View Whisman Board of Trustees met on November 2nd and 16th and on December 7th. The meetings included a review of the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) for each school, updates from task forces and PTA’s, a review of the interim budget and oversight committee updates. The November/December observer’s report focuses on the Board’s election of officers, presentations by Listos Mountain View and Landed, an update on a new middle school schedule, and the SPSA’s presented by each principal.

Election of Officers

The Board of Trustees elected Laura Blakely as President of the board, Jose Gutiérrez Jr. as Vice President, and Tamara Wilson as Clerk.

Listos Mountain View

The Board heard from Listos Mountain View, a group formed by parents and grandparents from Castro and Mistral elementary schools to assist undocumented immigrant families in MVWSD. The Mountain View Voice wrote an article featuring the nonprofit in October. Listos helps immigrant families choose who will care for their children if caretakers are deported and creates the necessary legal documents. They also help families explore citizenship options with an immigration lawyer and assist them in getting passports for children in both the United States and the caretakers’ country of origin.

Landed Program to Assist Staff in Buying a Home

Trustees discussed the possibility of working with Landed to provide housing assistance for teachers.  Landed is an organization that provides half of an employee’s down payment up to $120,000. Landed’s portion is seen as an investment in the property itself that the homeowner can buy out directly or by refinancing within ten years. The homebuyer must in turn share in the gain or loss of their home when they sell or refinance. Educators who participate can purchase a residence in nearby counties and must continue to work in the MVWSD for the next two years.

Middle School Schedule Task Force Update

The Middle School Schedule Task Force (MSST) is working with input from parents, students, staff, and administrators to develop a new class schedule that will allow all students to take at least one elective in middle school.  Currently, students who receive English Language Development and Special Education services may not be able to take an elective. The MSST developed three different proposals: a seven period schedule, an eight period schedule, and an eight period cascading schedule. A recommendation regarding which schedule to approve will be presented by the MSST in January.

Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA)

Every year the principals and teachers at each school are asked to analyze student test results from the year before, set goals for the upcoming year, and make a plan for achieving those goals. The resulting Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) is then presented to the Trustees for approval.  The SPSA goals are guided by MVWSD’s strategic plan, and this year’s SPSA’s included a change in the goals for English Language Learners’ academic performance.

Overall CAASPP Scores

The SPSA academic goals are based on student scores on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) system tests.  The California Department of Education makes education data available online at Ed Data. The District’s test scores for all students in English Language Arts (ELA)  remained at 66% of students meeting or exceeding standards in both the 2015-2016 school year and the 2016-2017 school year.  While the district wide results were flat, individual school results varied (see Graph 1).  In mathematics, district-wide students meeting or exceeding standards grew by 2%, moving from 60% meeting or exceeding standards in the 2015-2016 school year to 62% in the 2016-2017 school year. Again, results across schools varied (see Graph 2).

Graph 1

       

 

 

 

 

 

   (Source: Ed-data.org)

Graph 2

 

    

 

 

 

 

   (Source: Ed-data.org)

Overall CAASPP English Learner (ELs) Scores

English Language Learners (ELs) in the district saw a dip in scores between the 2016 and 2017 tests. In the 2015-2016 school year, 17% of ELs met or exceeded standards in ELA, and in the 2016-2017 school year only 13.7% met or exceeded standards.  All but two schools district wide saw a decrease in ELs performance in ELA (see Graph 3). In mathematics, 18% of ELs met or exceeded standards in 2015-2016, and 17.2% met or exceeded standards in 2016-2017. Half of the schools in the district had a drop in ELs’ math performance, half of the schools had a gain (see Graph 4).

Graph 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

    (Source: Ed-data.org)

Graph 4

   

 

 

 

 

 

 (Source: Ed-data.org)

The rise and fall of EL scores across school sites between the 2015-2016 school year and the 2016-2017 school year is affected by a range of factors. The EL population within the district is constantly changing as new students enter and leave, and as students’ EL status changes.  When an EL student reaches English proficiency, they are labeled the subsequent year as Redesignated English Language Proficient (RFEP).   While the percentage of students in MVWSD who were ELs decreased from 28.8%  in 2015-2016, to 25.6%  in 2016-2017, the percentage of students who were RFEPs increased from 19.7% in 2015-2016, to 21.9% in 2016-2017.

At the individual school level, some schools in the district have a low percentage of students who are classified as ELs – small changes in a small group are magnified in an across schools comparison, and large changes in large groups are minimized.  Comparing middle schools and elementary schools suffers from differences in scale, as well, because the middle schools are much larger than the elementary schools.  At Huff, which saw the sharpest decline in ELA scores for ELs, ELs made up 16.3% of the student population in 2016-2017. At Castro, ELs made up 69.7% of the student population in 2016-2017. That being said, trends across schools still provide important information for developing district policy..

District/School Review Fall 2015 and  MVWSD Strategic Plan 2021

After Superintendent Dr. Rudolph joined the district in July 2015, a comprehensive  District/School Quality Review was completed in the Fall of 2015. The review found several “factors limiting the effectiveness of the district,” including that: “The provision for English Language Learners across the District is ineffective, inconsistent, and, in many cases, counterproductive.” The District/School Quality Review findings became the basis for the MVWSD Strategic Plan 2021, a five year plan which was developed in the spring of 2016. The second goal of the strategic plan is to eliminate the achievement gap “for all student groups in all areas,” including English Learners (ELs).

SPSA Goals for ELs

For the last few years, schools have included a goal aimed ELs in the SPSA. For the 2016-2017 school year, principals and teachers at every school set a goal to close the achievement gap for ELs by increasing the number of ELs who met or exceeded standards on the CAASPP system assessments in both ELA and mathematics.  The outcomes of these plans are the 2016-2017 CAASPP results seen in graphs 3 and 4.

For this year (the 2017-2018 school year), schools developed a different type of goal in the SPSA for ELs – a goal centered on Long Term English Learner’s (LTELs) or students at risk of becoming LTEL’s.  LTELs are students in grades 6-12 who have been classified as an English learner for six years or more and failed to make progress on the English language development test for two or more years. Only middle schools in the district have LTELs. “EL students at risk of being classified as LTELs” are in grades 5-11, score at intermediate or below on the English language development test used by the district, and for a fourth year do not meet or exceed ELA standards on the CAASPP.  At the elementary school level, only fifth grade EL students meeting these criteria are identified as at risk of becoming LTELs. Because ELs at risk of becoming LTELs are in grade 5-11, these students are a small subset of the students at elementary schools.

MVWSD elementary schools set SPSA goals for the 2017-2018 school year to decrease the number of ELs at risk of becoming LTELs by 10%, and the district’s two middle schools set a goal to decrease both ELs at risk of becoming LTELs and LTELs by 10%.  At Bubb this means the EL goal for the school is to reclassify 1 student in fifth grade, and at most elementary schools in the district it means reclassifying between 2-4 students. This focus on a handful of students is different from prior years when schools developed goals for all ELs in ELA and mathematics.

—Devon Conley, Observer

Lisa McLain League News, Mountain View Los Altos High School District, Observer Reports

Mountain View-Los Altos High School District (MVLA) Meetings Nov & Dec 2017

November 6, November 20, and December 4, 2017

These three meetings of the MVLA Board were quite long, due to lengthy discussions about how much of the Facilities Master Plan should be built, and how large a bond to propose for the election.  The various proposals presented by the architects, at the request of the board, ranged from a bare minimum plan of $210M to a more complete plan of $304.8M.  The changes in the various options included: the creation and size of Student Services Buildings to bring all services into one location; the size of the Student Unions; the modernization of cafeterias, libraries and gyms; increasing the size of existing classrooms at MVHS; the size of the Freestyle Academy building; improving Performing Arts spaces at MVHS; artificial turf fields; and the building maintenance at Alta Vista, Adult Ed, and District Office buildings. Even the $304.8M plan did not include everything recommended in the Facilities Master Plan.  Community comments overwhelmingly supported a much bigger budget to include all the needed upgrades and to build a facility that is comparable to neighboring schools and is built for the future.  Neighbors of LAHS expressed concern about having a two-story building so close to the edge of campus and suggested it get built in the center of campus.  The board did not take a vote on the Facilities Master Plan on 12/4 as planned, but deferred it to January.

In addition to the construction conversation, regular business also needed to be done.  The Annual Review for Los Altos High School and Mountain View High School was held using a new format this year, in which the high schools presented their reports together, as a panel discussion.  Topics covered included: more detailed data tracking for sub-groups of Latino students (regular education, special education, English Language Learners, and Socioeconomic Disadvantaged); gender parity in STEM classes; student wellness and counseling needs; and the impact of enrollment growth on school culture.

Brigitte Sarraf, Director of Assessment and Evaluation, presented an analysis of over 500 pages of data on SBAC *, AP, SAT, and ACT test scores, including breakouts of data on Latino, English Language Learners, Special Education, and Socioeconomic Disadvantaged students.  Her conclusion is that SBAC results in 2017 truly reflect what students know, much better than 2016 results.  She covered what it takes to prepare students for the test: provide students experience with taking tests on a device as part of regular classroom experience; cover common core style exam questions; and emphasize critical thinking and problem solving every day in classrooms.

The first Interim Budget Report was presented by Associate Superintendent Mike Mathiesen.  Revenues are projected to be $87,591,000 compared to $84,931,000 in the original budget due mainly to an increase in property taxes and in one-time state revenue increases.  Expenditure projections increased from $85,031,000 to $88,567,000, due to increases in staffing, retirement benefits, and special education costs.  Expenditures include $2M of transfers to reserves and other funds. The reserve in the first interim is $12.6M compared to the eventual goal of $17.7M.  

Keith Moody’s retirement was announced from his position as Director of the Adult School, effective 12/15/17.  New board officers were elected: Fiona Walter, president; Joe Mitchner Vice President; and Phil Faillace, Clerk.  The board selected Fiona Walter as the Board Representative for the County Committee Election. Joe Mitchner as California School Board Association Delegate, and Ellen Wheeler as representative for the Santa Clara County committee on School District Organization District 5.

*Smarter Balanced Assessment System – Testing (CA Dept of Education)

The Smarter Balanced assessment system utilizes computer-adaptive tests and performance tasks that allow students to show what they know and are able to do. This system is based on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics. 

–Sally Ahnger, Observer

Lisa McLain League News, Observer Reports, Rental Housing Committee

Rental Housing Committee Update November 2017

Rental Housing Committee Meeting 11/6/2017

The focus of this meeting was the hot topic of the Rental Housing Fee question. Should it should be paid 100% by the Landlords, split 50/50 between Landlords and Tenants or strictly ‘passed through’ to the Tenants?  One of the new attorneys, Karen Tiedeman, who will be working with the Rental Housing Committee stated that the CSFRA is clear in its writing that the fee be charged to Landlords.  Other Jurisdictions that have allowed a ‘pass-through’, base it on authorizing legislation which specifically includes this rule which in this case is non-existent.

Many Landlords disagreed and spoke up not only about this but also once again stating that the fees are just too high when comparing them to other California cities with Rent Control.

Some of the members of the Rental Housing Committee agreed with the Landlords and, further, that the CSFRA is not clear in its writing. With fresh discussions breaking out and a  3-1 vote, the committee agreed to draft a letter to the Mountain View City Council to request the City pay $1 Million as part of the Rental Housing Committee’s budget. 

This discussion will be continued December 4, 2017.

 — Tamara Lewis, Observer

Lisa McLain League News, Los Altos City Council, Observer Reports

Los Altos City Council Meeting November 2017

Notes for Los Altos City Council   November 2017

November 14, 2017

The City Council approved $416,000 to expand and upgrade the kitchen at Grant Park, especially for use by the Senior Center. Santa Clara County Health Services required the upgrade of old unsafe facilities in order to prepare food.

The Los Altos Public Arts Commission engaged Designing Local to develop a detailed Public Art Master Plan for Los Altos, funded by CIP Project monies. Amanda Golden, Managing Principal of the organization, presented the recommendations after extensive community engagement at workshops, pop-up tables at Fine Arts in the Park, stakeholder conversations, and on-line surveys. The plan lays out five chapters of information and recommendations, including place-based strategies for art and priority actions.

The plan stresses common values for Los Altos residents, such as, showcasing a variety of kinds of art, preserving and highlighting the natural beauty of the town environs, and honoring the historic roots of the city. Four public speakers were impressed with the plan, although all but one had problems, mostly over costs. City Council members felt the plan was too costly, especially hiring a part-time Cultural Arts Manager, and setting aside 1.5-2% in public municipal property development and at least 1% in private property development for art works on the site. While council members liked the division of the plan into short, medium, and long-term priorities, they directed the Public Arts Commission to evaluate the elements of the plan which can move forward and present again at a future meeting.

November 28, 2017

After a study session, the city council approved continuation of further action to another meeting on Children’s Corner’s revised lease proposal to occupy space at the rebuilt Hillview Civic Center.

Council members felt the budget for rebuilding the Civic Center had not been finalized and so the proposal couldn’t be evaluated.

After the presentation by Jennifer Quinn, Project Manager, City Council approved $125,000 to support the July-August Downtown Green Five-year Plan on Third Street between State and Main. Comments pro and con from the public concerned parking, need for outreach to merchants, and business deliveries. Solutions to afternoon heat were to provide shade and more shaded seating and (perhaps) misting.

The City Council granted the appeal and approved the administrative office use permit application to allow administrative office use of a vacant tenant space at 400 Main Street. The Heisling-Simons Foundation, a philanthropy to advance sustainable solutions to climate change and clean energy, wishes to lease the space. They have agreed to allow public use of their conference rooms. The property is intended for retail, restaurants, and services, but has remained unoccupied for 2 or more years. The city staff recommended granting the appeal in spite of comments from the public about previous denials of use of tenant space on appeal.

Last, Christopher Diaz, City Attorney, presented the details and the City Council adopted an Urgency Ordinance to establish a moratorium in all Los Altos zoning districts for any creation or expansion of commercial cannabis use. The Medical and Adult Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA), passed in November 2016, goes into effect in January 2018. The city plan is similar to the ban on any type of medical marijuana business when the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA) went into effect. The new Urgency Ordinance will be in effect for 45 days. It will allow the City Council to review in January 2018 and make changes before preparing the permanent ordinance to submit to the state Bureau of Cannabis Control. This ordinance does not affect personal use and cultivation of six plants per family inside the residence or in an accessory structure on the property.

— Claire Noonan, Observer

Lisa McLain League News, Mountain View City Council, Observer Reports

Mountain View City Council Meeting November 2017

938 and 954 Villa Street: Proposal to Relocate the Weilheimer House

On November 28th, the Council provided additional input on a proposal to remove two historic buildings in the downtown area and replace them with a four-story office building and ground-floor restaurant. Despite significant public support for preserving the Weilheimer House (currently occupied by the restaurant Chez TJ) in place, the Council voted 4-3 to allow the House to be relocated to nearby 1012 West Dana Street, currently the site of a four vacant housing units. The vote allows the developer, The Minkoff Group, to proceed with the redevelopment proposal. The Weilheimer House will become private property and be restored to its original use – as a single-family home.

The Council also provided early feedback on the design of the new building and on parking requirements. A majority did not support retaining and incorporating the façade of the Tied House building into the new development. Additionally, the Council directed staff to use the Downtown Precise Plan parking requirement calculations for the project. Under the Precise Plan requirements, the developer would need to provide 27 more parking spaces than they would otherwise have to under an older, conflicting agreement that the City made with the property owner in 1988. Under that agreement, the property owner agreed to pay the City $243,000 in lieu of providing 27 parking spaces. The agreement stipulated that the In-Lieu Fee payment reduces any future parking requirement on this site by 27 parking spaces. However, the parameters of this agreement were never incorporated into the Downtown Precise Plan.

Affordable Housing Strategy & Modifications to the Below-Market-Rate (BMR) Program

Also on November 28th, the Council confirmed the direction provided during a September 12th study session on affordable housing. The Council affirmed an investment strategy for affordable housing funds, which will be used to construct housing for low-income people and permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals; a strategy to provide housing for the “missing middle” (middle-income families); and a strategy to provide additional opportunities for homeownership.

Additionally, the Council directed staff to immediately modify the City’s Below-Market-Rate (BMR) Affordable Program. The BMR Program requires that 10% of units in market-rate residential development be affordable to low-income people. The City’s BMR Program went into effect in 1999, but a state appellate court decision (Palmer v. The City of Los Angeles, often referred to as the “Palmer decision”) rendered the Program unenforceable, and it was suspended in 2009. However, earlier this year, Governor Brown signed AB 1505 (called the “Palmer Fix”) into law. AB 1505 allows cities to enforce inclusionary housing ordinances, like Mountain View’s BMR Program.

Council approved a two-step modification of the BMR Program. First, the affordable housing requirement will be increased from 10% to 15% of both rental and ownership units in new residential developments. The Program will also allow developers to propose an “alternative mitigation” in lieu of providing units. This could include dedicating land for a future affordable housing project, paying a fee, or some other option. Second, City staff will begin a longer-term comprehensive update of the Program.

The Council noted that residential projects in the pipeline will be significantly affected by this update. Council directed staff to identify a reasonable threshold for exempting projects that are close to project approval.

— Lucas Ramirez, Observer

Lisa McLain League News, Mountain View Whisman School District, Observer Reports

Mountain View Whisman School District Meeting October 2017

MVWSD Board Meeting, October 5th and 19th, 2017

2016-17 California Assessment Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) Report

The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System is a collection of tests based on California’s state adopted content standards. Since the 2014-2015 school year, MVWSD students have taken CAASPP tests in grades 3-8 for English Language Arts and mathematics and in grades 5 and 8 for science. Test scores for the 2016-2017 school year were recently released.

In 2016-2017, the District’s average score in English Language Arts remained flat compared to the previous year – 66% of students met or exceeded the standards tested. In mathematics, the District saw a 2% increase in overall scores with 62% of students meeting or exceeding the standards tested.

The District outperformed the state in all areas and outperformed the county in all areas except with English Language Learners, who lagged behind by 3% in mathematics and 4% in English Language Arts. Scores at some individual schools dipped, but Castro’s English Language Arts scores increased from 39% in 2015-2016 to 45% and in mathematics from 32% the previous year to 41%.

School sites are using the CAASPP results to develop school site plans to address student learning that will be presented to the Board in November. Individual school data and comparisons across subgroups can be found in the CAASPP Board Report.

Response to Instruction Update

Response to Instruction (RTI) is a three tiered framework used by the District to provide academic intervention and/or enrichment based on individual student needs. Students receive targeted instruction in small groups or one on one. RTI was first piloted at Castro in 2015-2016. Castro staff focused on improving literacy, and literacy scores at the school have increased each year since. In 2016-2017, the pilot was expanded to include Bubb, Monta Loma, Theuerkauf, and Landels. For the 2017-2018 school year RTI is being implemented at all school sites, but each school site is allowed to tailor the program to meet their students’ needs. With 1 additional teacher per 300 students, the program will cost $1.6 million this school year.

Workforce Housing Proposal and Study

Dr. Rudolph and the Trustees discussed different approaches to address the high cost of housing for teachers in MVWSD. Teacher salaries range from $60-114 thousand in the District, and the average cost of a single family home in Mountain View is around $1.5 million.

A multi-pronged approach from the District might include building housing, working with outside partners, and looking at teacher compensation. The Santa Clara Unified School District built below market rate apartments available to teachers and staff to rent for up to 7 years with an eye toward allowing tenants to save toward a down payment while renting. MVWSD is also exploring next steps with Landed, a company that provides teachers with half of their down payment up to $120 thousand. The District is currently doing a compensation study and will discuss those results in the future.

English Learner Update

English Language Learners (ELLs) make up 24% of the District’s students as of October 2017. The District Quality Review carried out in 2015-2016 found that “The provision for English Language Learners across the District is ineffective, inconsistent, and, in many cases, counterproductive.” In response, the Board previously set a goal to revise the District’s English Language Learners program so that 80% of students reach English language competency within 6 years. The District plans to do so by 1) implementing the Sheltered Instructional Observation Protocol (SIOP), an instructional model targeting English Language Learners across the curriculum, in 2017-2018, and 2) implementing an evidenced based early learning language acquisition program for K-3.

The District researched five different programs to provide targeted support for English Language Learners in K-3: Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL), Accelerated English Program, Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA), Sheltered Instruction Observational Protocol (SIOP), and Guided Language Acquisition and Design (GLAD). Based on cost and the overlap with existing programs, District staff recommended that the District further consider GLAD, continue implementing and evaluating SIOP, and possibly develop it’s own program drawing on elements from the different programs researched.

Enrollment Priorities Task Force

The Enrollment Priorities Task Force (EPTF) members were selected and had their first meeting on October 24th. The meetings are not filmed, but the District will provide regular updates to the community and the Board. More information about the EPTF is included in the September LWV report.

— Devon Conley, Observer