16 September 2025 PAUSD Board Meeting Comments
7. Open Forum
Our secondary students in the special education programs at Cubberley deserve the same representation on the school board as their peers at Paly, Gunn, and Middle College. Last year, the board added a representative from Middle College when the program had fewer students than at Cubberley. The Cubberley students have no voice and little visibility in our school district. Apparently, they don’t even rate a back to school night and last year there were apparently problems with even getting them lunch. I ask the the board and student board members give our Cubberley program students an equal voice.
4A. Gunn High School Academic Achievement Data for Target and Special Education Students
This is really excellent for Hispanic, Socio-Economic Disadvantaged, and Students with Disabilities from Gunn. It is also notable to look at these results compared to those at Palo Alto High (per last months report).
I hope that these processes can be expanded to all of our other schools and that Gunn continues with this effort.
https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/pausd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=DKNS9K716FAA
https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/pausd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=DK5PZE670991
4B. Hospital School 100-Year Celebration
Very impressive program. Check out the slides
https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/pausd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=DL8QHP69482D
4D. FACILITIES MASTER PLAN INTRODUCTION
This looks impressive…. but…
How does it make sense to talk about a Facilities Master Plan when we don’t have an overall District Strategic Plan?
The one question that this may raise is whether the team is looking at expanded strategic options such as consolidating schools or redrawing intra-district lines between schools to address our shrinking student body and shifting location of students within the district.
https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/pausd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=DL7SQ873BF7C
5. Consent Agenda
D. Classified Staff – there were 61 classified staff hired on or after the first day of school. This includes 34 Special Education aides and within that group 16 Mod-Severe Aides.
Compared with last year at the same time, there were 44 staff hired and just 4 Special Education aides hired.
This would seem to indicate that all of the staffing changes were in special education. It should be noted that these special education staff shortfalls likely create immediate IEP compliance problems as well as substantial challenges for the special education teachers. I hope the board and district look more deeply into this issue.
https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/pausd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=DL7SQ873BF7C
https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/pausd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=D8KU9Y7B0821
S. Board Policy (BP) 5030 Student Wellness.
PAUSD Language should be changed on page 3 from “… as specified in behavior plan or Section 504 “ to “…t as specified in IEP or Section 504 Plan”.
8. Sufficiency of Instructional Materials
I ask that for future versions of this resolution that Students With Disabilities be clearly called out just as English Learners are. Accessibility of all instructional materials is a critical part of reducing segregation in education for disabled learners:
WHEREAS, sufficient textbooks and instructional materials were provided to each student, including English learners AND STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES , in mathematics, science, history-social science, and English/language arts, including the English language development component of an adopted program, consistent with the cycles and content of the curriculum frameworks, and;
9 – Information Items
It is thoroughly disheartening looking at the board calendar for this school year. Even in a well-financed, well-run school district, there are always things that can be improved… and the board’s role is critical.
Instead, we are having fewer meetings with what looks like less substantial agendas – such as tonight where there are no Action Items and a minimal Discussion agenda.
Somehow, we are going to get to at least October without ever discussing overall enrollment or graduation data from last year – something that has previously been discussed at the August meeting.
The board can act promptly to improve information disclosure from the district.
They can add a standing information item on enrollment by school and comparing this year to the previous year (we provide more detail on Public Records requests than we do on enrollment).
They can provide a meaningful monthly report on open positions, interviews, and other metrics on staffing and changes in staffing from previous years.
This information is available and important both for the board and the public to understand the state of our school district.
D. Calendar of Board Items
https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/pausd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=DKNSE2717034
