Community Matters Newsletter
Winter 2025
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I enter the new year refreshed and ready to make into reality the important facilities improvements we have clearly declared for our students, staff, and community. Given the overwhelming approval of Measure U (thank you for your support) we are now able to move into the exciting phase of planning. Forging ahead to create new and improved spaces with the support of our community firmly behind us is invigorating. We look forward to pushing deeper into our strategic direction to “create inspiring environments.” Our physical spaces say so much about what we value, and I know that inspiring environments will serve to enhance our other two strategic directions, grow student belonging and strengthen academic excellence. Read more below about our capital improvement plans and how to get involved.
At our most recent school board meeting, I acknowledged the devastation of the LA fires and the direct personal connections that many people in our community have to affected family members, friends, and firefighters. Our hearts go out to our fellow Californians at this difficult time. The California Department of Education partners with SupplyBank which supports California families and children during crises, and currently 100% of that support is going toward LA fire relief. MPCSD supports this effort and encourages those wishing to donate to consider SupplyBank. Additionally, we support efforts that empower our students to show compassion and engage in service. As your public school district, we are here to support our community and the students we serve. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you or your family are in need of support.
With gratitude,
Superintendent Kristen Gracia
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Emergency Preparedness Reminder
The LA fires remind us that emergency planning is important for everyone, especially as we in the Bay Area are also vulnerable to wildfires. The Atherton Police Department shares timely information and tips about how households can prepare. See the APD website for details. You may also sign up for the countywide Emergency Management Alert System and Evacuation Route Alert System.
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Dates to Note
Please see our website 72 hours in advance of each School Board meeting for the agenda and attendance details. Open Session begins at 6:00 p.m.
January 23 - Speaker Series Event "Empowering Kids: Overcoming Anxiety with Responsibility and Freedom" 7:00 p.m. free over Zoom
February 3 - NEW Student Registration Opens for Fall 2025
February 13 - School Board Meeting
February 17-21 - Schools Closed for Mid-Winter Break
March 6 - School Board Meeting
March 15 - Annual Auction Benefitting MPAEF
April 2 - Speaker Series Event with Lenore Skenazy of Let Grow
April 7-11 - Schools Closed for Spring Break
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New Student Registration
Registration will open February 3 for students new to MPCSD, including incoming kindergartners currently enrolled in our TK program. Children turning five on or before September 1, 2025 may register for kindergarten. Children with birthdates between September 2, 2020 and September 1, 2021 may register for transitional kindergarten. See more details at our enrollment webpage.
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School Board Reorganization for 2025
The School Board welcomed new members following an uncontested November election for two open seats. Francesca Segrè began her second term, and new member Josh Spira (pictured at right taking the oath of office from Superintendent Gracia) was sworn in for his first term. Trustee Segrè has been serving since 2020, including as Board President in 2024. Trustee Spira is a thirteen year Menlo Park resident who is also a math teacher in the Palo Alto Unified School District. He joins the board with the priorities of creating an inclusive and supportive school environment, enhancing mental health support in schools, ensuring exceptional teachers for every student, and achieving equity in education. In addition to teaching, he serves as the Math Department Instructional Supervisor, a member of the PAUSD math steering committee, and recently served on the Palo Alto Educators Association Executive Board as vice president. We look forward to Member Spira’s contributions to the board and to our district.
As part of the board's annual reorganization, member Sherwin Chen was elected as president and member Jed Scolnick was elected vice president/clerk. David Ackerman has retired from the board after eight years of service. He was recognized for this contribution by the board at the November meeting.
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January is School Board Recognition Month and we thank our board members for their dedicated volunteer service. School boards make a powerful difference in our communities and for our students. In San Mateo County, 145+ board members oversee the education of more than 80,000 public school students, who will determine the future of this wonderful county. Thank you Francesca, Jed, Josh, Scott, and Sherwin!
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Measure U Next Steps
MPCSD is exceptionally grateful to the entire community for supporting our schools by voting in favor of Measure U. We were honored to receive over 70% of the vote! It’s clear that Encinal, Laurel, Oak Knoll, and Hillview are valued by the community. We are committed to delivering a comprehensive capital improvement program that addresses our facilities guiding principles: School Safety & Security Upgrades, Maintain Quality Schools, Climate Resilience & Healthier Spaces, and Modern Technology & Infrastructure.
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We will use this newsletter to report to the community as the bond program progresses. In this first year of our six-year bond program, much of the work is behind the scenes: utilizing the bond project list to determine how bond funds will be spent, determining project timing, terms, and priorities, modeling scenarios and cash-flow schedules, and determining the bond program scope and sequence. On January 16, the Board approved a contract with Cumming Management Group, Inc. for program and construction management services and approved the issuance and sale of the first issuance, anticipated at approximately $65M in bonds, which will be available through Stifel, Nicolaus and Company, Inc.
The shovels will hit the ground in late 2025. We are so excited to be making improvements that will enhance the safety and security of our schools for generations to come. Read more at our website about Measure U and our facilities needs.
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Citizens Bond Oversight Committee Seeks Members
A critical component of our bond program is the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC). We are now seeking community members to join this committee, which serves an auditory function to report to the public on how the district’s bond funds are being spent. California Education Code requires that the CBOC team includes members with these backgrounds:
- Active in a senior organization
- Parent in the district
- Parent active in a parent-teacher organization
- Representative of business community in the district
- Member of a bona fide taxpayer organization
If you are interested in serving on the CBOC, please read more at our website or complete the online application. No experience is necessary to serve.
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The Housing Element and Schools: MPCSD Prepares for Future Development
The Menlo Park City School District has been engaged with the City of Menlo Park for many years around the city’s housing element. Knowing that over the next several years the city will add nearly 3,000 housing units, many within MPCSD boundaries, the district advocates for its needs as new housing will add new students to the district over time. MPCSD owns five campuses, all of which are fully developed, and purchasing new land is cost prohibitive for the district. Bond funds do not pay for land purchases. MPCSD meets regularly with city officials to discuss:
- Potential space for additional school or district office needs as part of new developments
- Teacher and staff housing which would aid MPCSD in attracting and retaining teachers
- Impact of housing units on enrollment numbers, using professional demographer student generation rates
MPCSD is already preparing for future housing by:
- Securing endowment funds from Stanford and the City of Menlo Park for enrollment impacts of Middle Plaza
- Moving internal school boundary lines to direct more students to Oak Knoll which has capacity, and away from Encinal which will absorb much of the new housing along El Camino Real and at the Parkline development
- Regularly monitoring enrollment and capacity through engagement with a professional demographer who is able to calculate anticipated enrollment based on housing developments that are coming online using specific generation rates, demographic data, and local trends
MPCSD enrollment is currently on the decline due to low birth rates and cost of living, as is enrollment at districts across the state. This decline was anticipated and makes room for additional students as more housing comes online within our boundaries. MPCSD supports housing and stands ready to welcome and educate students in our district, no matter where the housing is built or who occupies it. We are grateful for a productive and collegial relationship with city staff and look forward to continuing to meet with city staff and council members to keep MPCSD’s needs at the forefront of housing discussions.
Screenshot image accessed from the City of Menlo Park website Housing Element link on 01.21.2025
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Local Host Families Needed for Next Year
MPCSD partners with the Amity Institute Program to bring Spanish speaking interns to support the Spanish language programs at our schools (as pictured at right). These interns are Spanish language models and informal ambassadors for their countries. We cannot run this program without host families, and you may be just the right fit.
We are in need of three families starting in September 2025. Some families choose to host for a whole year while others have the interns stay with them for 3-6 months. We can work with you to determine what works best for your family. All families who have hosted interns in the past developed close connections and long lasting friendships.
If you are interested in becoming a host family or would just like to learn more about what it would entail, please contact MPCSD's Spanish Immersion and World Language Coordinator, Tami Girsky, at tgirsky@mpcsd.org or one of the host family coordinators: Marta Solsona at msolsona@yahoo.com or Elizabeth Santana at seniawski@yahoo.com.
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The Shows Go On!
Musical season began early in MPCSD! This year, the district marked ten years of Lion King, Jr. productions and now what began as a small PTO effort at one school is a new, district-wide program thanks to Proposition 28, the Arts and Music in Schools Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act, that was passed in November 2022 by California voters. These funds have allowed MPCSD to add a part time district theater specialist position so that the experience can be part of the third grade curriculum district-wide (see Oak Knoll rehearsal photos below).
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Prop 28 has helped MPCSD create a dynamic arts education environment, enriching students' learning and fostering well-rounded development. The third grade Lion King, Jr. will run throughout February.
And coming soon…Frozen, Jr. the musical will open in April, featuring performances by the Hillview Drama Department and the 4th and 5th grade students from Encinal, Laurel, and Oak Knoll. MPCSD loves its musicals and is so proud of its dedicated teachers and talented students!
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Families Support Annual Campaign - Community Can, Too
The district's annual campaign to support every school's Parent Teacher Organization and the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation has wrapped and we are pleased to report that over 64% of district families donated. This campaign, known as the One Community Campaign, is the primary fundraiser for our schools and allows the district to provide counseling, smaller classes, science, PE, library, art, music, and a rich middle school elective menu. It also lets schools offer community-building events, STEAM fairs, enriching experiences like cultural and academic assemblies, and so much more to create the positive school climates at Encinal, Laurel, Oak Knoll, and Hillview.
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Now that our families have supported their schools, we welcome the broader community to show its support as Friends of MPAEF. Grandparents, alumni families, and neighbors all help the MPAEF meet its annual goal and grant the district five percent of its operating budget. Thank you for your support - MPCSD wouldn't be the desirable district that it is without you!
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School Board
Sherwin Chen, President
Jed Scolnick, Vice President
Scott Saywell
Francesca Segrè
Josh Spira
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