District adopts multiyear roadmap with Orenda to lift the floor and raise the ceiling for student achievement

Mountain View‑Whisman trustees heard a multi‑year implementation roadmap March 19 based on recommendations from consultant Orenda Education designed to tighten curriculum, align systems and close widening achievement gaps.

Superintendent Baird and Associate Superintendent Bauer presented Orenda's diagnosis of four root causes — inconsistent data systems, weak program design, a "Christmas tree" effect of overlapping initiatives and poor system alignment — and urged a sustained multi‑year commitment to implement the firm's recommendations. They described near‑term steps (revising site plans, convening teacher teams to create grade‑level essential standards and assessment matrices, aligning intervention work into core instructional time) and longer‑term changes to be embedded in the next strategic plan cycle.

Board members emphasized teacher involvement, measurable short‑term wins, community engagement in any strategic planning process and continuity across administrative changes. Trustee questions focused on how the district will sustain the work through staff turnover, how it will communicate progress to the public and whether Orenda will be retained to support multi‑year implementation. Superintendent Baird said the district will build ownership across principals and teachers so the work becomes part of district practice regardless of personnel changes.

Trustees discussed using potential one‑time block grant funds to underwrite consultant work for implementation coaching; staff said they are evaluating funding options and will return with recommendations. Trustees also requested preliminary data updates on middle school math placement and equity indicators before summer schedule finalizations.

What happens next: staff will convene committees to design middle school schedules, pilot revised intervention models that push intervention into core instruction time, continue Orenda engagement, and start a strategic planning procurement for broader community input and plan development.