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PAUSD midyear ‘Palo Alto Promise’ snapshot shows gains in inclusion, literacy and expanded mental-health services
Summary
District leaders reported declines in chronic absenteeism, gains in inclusion and IEP progress, expansion of early literacy supports and new mental-health partnerships, and previewed the Hoover Elementary ribbon cutting next week.
Palo Alto Unified School District officials presented a midyear snapshot of the Palo Alto Promise on Jan. 20, reporting measurable gains on several goals and describing program expansions in mental health, literacy and sustainability.
Superintendent Dr. Austin highlighted Hoover Elementary’s upcoming ribbon-cutting and said the rebuilt, two-story campus will be ‘‘one of the greenest schools in the state’’ when it opens. ‘‘We are now doing our ribbon cutting on Thursday. The doors will open Monday,’’ Dr. Austin said, thanking staff who worked through relocations and rebuild phases and singling out project lead Eric Holm for ‘‘extraordinary’’ effort.
On student outcomes and supports, district leaders reported declining chronic absenteeism, improved inclusion (an increase in students participating in general education settings), and that over half of IEP goals in some self-contained programs have been met or are in progress. Deputy Superintendent Mr. Bad Singh said early-literacy supports have expanded districtwide, more high-school students access college pathways through dual enrollment, and the district’s virtual mental-health therapy program now serves K–12 students beyond school hours.
Mr. Bad Singh also announced a new sustainability program manager, Karina Takamoto, and described a partnership with the Palo Alto Police Department’s psychological emergency response team to support community mental-health incidents and school referrals.
Public comment raised concerns about how the district measures inclusion. Steven Davis told the board that the district’s current metric—tracking movement of students into the ‘‘most inclusive category’’—can obscure students who remain in highly segregated settings and urged the board to adopt metrics that promote systemic change.
What’s next: the presenters described this report as a midyear checkpoint; the district will publish a comprehensive annual report in May with fuller data and trend analysis. Trustees asked staff to provide baselines for family communication metrics and to outline next steps for implementing math and literacy goals discussed during the presentation.
