District pilot to open campuses on weekends draws steady use and questions about supervision

The San Mateo‑Foster City School District reported early results of a pilot program opening school campuses on weekends for community use, and trustees heard both praise from parents and operational concerns.

Director of Administrative Services Ryan Haven said the pilot began in mid‑March at College Park, Sunnybrae and Abbott and has run each weekend through the end of the school year. Attendance varied by site: Sunnybrae averaged about 25 visitors a day, College Park roughly 20 and Abbott about 12. “Overall reception has been positive, although turnout was modest,” Haven said, noting most uses were informal family recreation and adult pickleball at College Park.

Community commenters emphasized the pilot’s benefits. Parent Pablo Quintanilla, whose family uses Sunnybrae, said turnout can be higher than staff counts and described a multigenerational pickup soccer group that has grown to 12–13 families. “We really try to leave this place better than what we found it,” Quintanilla said, urging visible signage and simple tools (grabbers and buckets) to keep fields clean.

District staff acknowledged problems: an uptick in trash and dog waste at some fields, occasional noise complaints, confusion about which gate to use, and the need for supervision if bathrooms or gyms are opened. Haven said the weekend monitor is based at Abbott gym and primarily opens and closes sites, limiting active supervision at outdoor fields. Staff proposed operational adjustments including later start/end times, clearer gate signage, targeted publicity to reach more neighborhood residents and exploring whether the monitor assignment should prioritize outdoor supervision over gym coverage.

Trustees and staff discussed options to expand access while limiting liability and costs. District officials noted that opening bathrooms increases insurance and supervision concerns, and that expanded gym access could be managed via joint use agreements with city parks and rec staff or through fee‑based reservation systems. Trustees suggested volunteer and community‑partner models (including teen volunteer shifts, neighborhood associations and Parks & Rec coordination) to reduce district costs while maintaining community oversight.

The board heard one in‑person public comment and several emailed suggestions urging multilingual signage, clearer maps to parking‑adjacent gates, and outreach to neighborhoods with higher concentrations of school‑age children. District staff said the pilot will continue through summer scheduling considerations and the team will return with recommendations for expansion and operational rules.