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PAUSD board holds study session on draft 'PAUSD Promise'; staff to produce May 13 draft
Summary
Palo Alto Unified staff presented the process for developing next year’s PAUSD Promise and solicited board and community input. Staff said they collected 537 survey responses and will circulate a first draft May 13; no board action was taken at the April 29 special meeting.
The Palo Alto Unified School District held a special April 29 study session to gather board and community feedback on the draft PAUSD Promise for 2025–26. Staff framed the process as an internal review plus a district-wide survey, and said the first draft of the Promise will be shared at the board’s May 13 meeting.
Staff presenters Dr. Chay and Dr. Austin told the board that goal-setting began with each school’s site council and leadership teams and was informed by a community survey that returned 537 responses. Dr. Chay said staff will combine tonight’s feedback with existing documents and draft proposed goals for the board’s review on May 13.
The session was structured as discussion only: board members and staff emphasized they were seeking priorities and measurable outcomes rather than final language or formatting. ‘‘We don’t care about the formatting tonight,’’ Dr. Austin said, asking trustees to focus on the core priorities staff should draft into the Promise.
Board members and staff repeatedly urged an outcomes-first approach: identify the measurable results the district wants to achieve (for example, students at or above grade level) and then discuss inputs such as tutoring, staffing or curricular changes. Staff noted the district’s SWIFT plan and its key performance indicators could be elevated and embedded within the Promise.
Dr. Austin closed by saying staff would synthesize the meeting notes and return a draft for board discussion on May 13; the board did not take any vote on the Promise itself during the special meeting.
