District narrows Castro plan: refine year‑one gains, delay some year‑two expansions and propose partial staffing shifts
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Summary
After a year of implementing the Reimagining Castro plan, staff reported increased RTI time, new schedules and breakfast changes; they recommended refining year‑one work, delaying parts of year two, sharing Playworks between Castro and Mistral, and adding a 0.5 assistant principal while reducing some site support FTEs.
At the May 8 Mountain View Whisman School District board meeting, staff presented a year‑one update on the Reimagining Castro plan and proposed a narrower set of year‑two actions.
Staff said year one increased Response to Intervention (RTI) blocks, centralized data management for group placement, implemented breakfast options and added a full‑time site-based counselor. They reported improved teacher collaboration and more targeted small‑group instruction, but also noted persistent scheduling constraints because Castro shares campus resources with Mistral.
Key recommendations: staff recommended refining and continuing year‑one work rather than immediately expanding into all year‑two actions. Specific proposals included: - Share one Playworks coach between Castro and Mistral to provide playground supervision and classroom game time. - Move to a second‑chance breakfast at recess rather than breakfast in the multiuse room at start of day; provide site snack budgets so classrooms have food available during morning routines. - Add a half‑time assistant principal split between Castro and Crittenden (0.5 FTE at each site) to free the principal for instructional leadership. - Reduce some site non‑instructional FTEs (recommendation to move from 1.5 to 1.0 School and Community Engagement Facilitator and from 2.0 to 1.5 at‑risk supervisors) while keeping an additional full‑time counselor in place.
Board discussion centered on capacity, staffing tradeoffs and whether reductions of SCUF or at‑risk coordinators would harm the school. Trustee Caudley requested that chronic absenteeism and McKinney‑Vento (unhoused student) data be included in follow‑up materials. Trustee Conley and others asked for more detailed data snapshots, including recent i‑Ready and LCAP measures, and recommended a site visit and parent engagement to refine plans.
Public commenters—parents and community groups—said Castro families wanted more outreach, that PTA funding fell after the campus split with Mistral, and urged more teachers and direct student services rather than added administrators. A former trustee raised concerns about staffing and funding allocations, urging the board not to replace pupil‑services FTEs with administration. Trustees signaled general support for pausing some year‑two expansions to consolidate gains and requested a deeper data review and community outreach before final decisions.
Ending: staff will implement selected recommendations for 2025‑26 pending board feedback, continue working with the principal and community, and return with details and data as the new year is planned.