Milpitas Unified outlines AI rollout in classrooms, highlights training and equity questions

Milpitas Unified School District leaders presented a study session on Jan. 27 outlining how the district is expanding use of artificial intelligence in classrooms and internal operations, saying the effort emphasizes educator coaching, data privacy and equitable access.

"We are going into the digital equivalent of the industrial revolution," said Chenong, the district’s director of technology services, introducing the presentation on the multiple layers that support AI — models, software, chips, data centers and the applications schools use. Chenong described the district’s multi-year plan as moving from awareness to building capacity and then toward measurable impact.

Executive Director of Learning and Innovation Priy Jari said the district has pursued a grassroots approach to professional development, including one-on-one coaching and group sessions. "To date we have 130-plus educators doing one-on-one training," Jari said, adding that the district is working with the Cross Center for Innovation and participating in a Stanford research project to track classroom use.

Staff identified Gemini (Google’s integrated assistant) and a research-focused Notebook LM as the primary tools, noting Gemini’s seamless connection to the district’s Google Workspace and the privacy protections that come with managed apps. They also described Panorama for student-level data to help personalize interventions.

District technology staff reported metrics they said show early adoption: "We have 1,543 active daily users," Chenong said, and an exposure rate above 50 percent for staff who have seen at least one AI-integrated application. They said elementary teachers — particularly grades four through six — currently account for a disproportionate share of high-frequency users.

Student board representative Nia Gupta summarized informal student feedback gathered by student representatives. "Most students are already using AI," Gupta said. "They use it for brainstorming ideas, homework help, studying, editing grammar and math help. It’s usually more about understanding the material than copying." Gupta and other students urged clearer and consistent rules on when use counts as cheating.

Another student speaker said classroom expectations vary widely and that inconsistency makes some students "nervous about getting in trouble even when they’re using AI to study or brainstorm." Students asked for instruction on how AI works and for class-level clarity about what constitutes unacceptable use.

Trustee Jung pressed for outcome data focusing on disadvantaged learners: "In a future report, I would love to see how those learnings from the teachers translate down to especially our disadvantaged kids," Jung said, noting English learners and students who are years behind in grade-level standards.

Superintendent Jordan framed adoption as an equity and workforce issue: "If we aren’t using it and we aren’t understanding it, then we’re creating a huge equity gap for our learners and their families," Jordan said, adding that workplace demand makes AI literacy important for student livelihoods.

District staff acknowledged tensions among secondary teachers who label AI use as cheating. Board members and staff said the district’s strategy is to use targeted PD, rubrics (from partners such as KCI) to assess whether an AI use aligns with learning goals, and to measure impacts via a combination of usage data and long-term outcomes such as attendance and performance dashboards.

Next steps: board members asked staff to return with follow-up reporting that ties AI adoption to student outcomes, with attention to equity and disciplinary differences between elementary and secondary classrooms. Staff said they will continue one-on-one coaching, expand PD offerings, and measure the technology’s effects in ways the board can review at a later date.

The board concluded the study session and recessed for a brief break before resuming regular business.