castilleja head of school
To allow a private, tax-exempt educational institution to dramatically expand its enrollment, which largely consists of young women who live elsewhere and will likely contribute absolutely nothing to the community once they graduate. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. of students and parents agree that the teachers give engaging lessons. Not moving the pool and keeping the parking lots as-is saves a whole lot of the changes the school is going through. Perhaps because the opposing group is such a small but very vocal minority? The projects density isnt relevant, Kauffman said, adding that whats relevant is its impact. is the city committing to enforcement? "He and others suggested that Castilleja's project is being unfairly held up by a small but vocal group of opponents who are continuously moving the goal posts. He and other members of the group Preserve Neighborhood Quality of Life Now (PNQLNow) argued that it is the school and planning staff who are responsible for the process taking so long. Lee and Thompson, however, felt that the building is fine the way it is, having already gone through years of refinements and public hearings. Obituaries Special Pubs IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? They applied for a variance to keep the same square footage, but they base it on having a large lot. But with enough housing to reduce these insane prices (or at least slow increases), many more staff/students could live close enough to walk or bike, and there'd be far less need for parking (and fewer complaints about traffic). In all the years this has been on the table, we see the same cycle repeat. "It's just a pusillanimous City Council members and commissions who are allowing this to proceed as if this is good government and it's not," Deborah Goldeen said. 4. That speaks to negligence; WHY they weren't given the complete set raises ethical questions and as well as the long-standing question about staff's seemingly consistent bias in favor of the big-money projects. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! A&E Niche requires Javascript to work correctly. Jul 2010 - Present12 years 7 months. Thanksfor the article on Castilleja'sexpansion. As a bunch of us joked last night, the Palo Alto process is "Portlandia with extra whine.". 202122 Tuition Council has to decide on whether we want to have this kind of intensification of use in this location, DuBois said. PALO ALTO Castilleja Schools proposed expansion, a sore subject among neighbors who have been fighting it for years, has hit another roadblock. Palo Alto backs e-bike ban on Baylands trails, Stanford sues Santa Clara County over tax exemptions for faculty residences, Hit-and-run driver kills man, crashes into five cars Sunday morning, Santa Clara County wants to put millions into child care, California homelessness: Where are the state's billions going? You are complaining about construction for a year or two, but what about construction for affordable housing in your neighborhood with underground parking? These including new shuttle and bus routes, a bike-share program, a "guaranteed ride home" program for employees who don't drive but who need may need to leave the school for an emergency (they would be reimbursed for the cost of transportation) and a new Castilleja Lyft program that will provide free midday rides for faculty and staff, according to the plan that the school released last month. Tuition Insurance (optional): $325 In 2009, Castilleja was given the highest accreditation rating by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Photo by Sinead Chang. These including new shuttle and bus routes, a bike-share program, a "guaranteed ride home" program for employees who don't drive but who need may need to leave the school for an emergency (they would be reimbursed for the cost of transportation) and a new Castilleja Lyft program that will provide free midday rides for faculty and staff, according to the plan that the school released last month.If the school fails to meet its trip cap numbers, it would also establish a "Kiss n' Ride" program that allows parents to drop off and pick up their children at an off-site location about 15 minutes before school starts. A smaller footprint. A veteran teacher and administrator, Nanci has worked almost exclusively at all-girls schools. Palo Altos government officials should make a decision ASAP so that a storied Palo Alto educational institution can finally start the process of bringing its campus into the 21st century. For me, the bottom line is education, accessible in our community, and respectful of the neighbors. With sixty girls in one grade, it would seem that competition would be prevalent, especially during the college process. Castilleja's 6th through 12th grade program offers opportunities for girls across all grade levels to develop a keen sense of self and an unbridled zeal for exploration, innovation, and friendship. Sponsored content Become a member today. They are also increasing underground square footage by adding an additional 36,000 square feet underground. [3][4], Castilleja was founded in 1907 by Mary Ishbel Lockey. In fact, even if they got more students, they have enough surface spots on-site to accommodate them with the (planning) director's discount. This process has continued to devolve, as each time Castilleja changes its plan in deference to the naysayers, those [portion removed] pivot to some other minuscule detail to complain about. of students and parents agree that clubs and organizations get the funding they need. Staff's preferred design combines these underground spaces with 11 new at-grade spaces and 26 existing ones for a total of 89 spaces. Now, a century later, Castilleja's mission expands beyond Mary Lockey's founding principle by educating young women to become compassionate leaders and global citizens. National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), top 20% of private schools in California for most sports offered, private school tuition across the country, Editorial: Veenker, Lauing, Lythcott-Haims for Palo Alto City Council (2022), Castilleja School claims Palo Alto's move to reduce proposed garage is illegal (2022), On the eve of graduation, high school seniors celebrate with a car parade (2021). did Castie ever comply with existing CUP and enrollment numbers? Dear Abby: Why do they imply my husband is a freak? Our teachers prioritize experiential and project-based learning that is engaging and relevant to girls. Castilleja has presented many solutions, it's time to let them move forward with this project. After hours of discussion Monday night that lasted past midnight, the council voted 4-3 to resume the debate over basement versus garage at a later undetermined date, thus postponing a vote on the controversial expansion. There's also something called little C at the end of the day, where the teachers also help you. Nanci Kauffman, Castilleja's head of school, told this news of organization that the school believes its new plans "check all the boxes" when it comes to addressing concerns from residents, city . That is just absurd since they will not make it to their club sport practice and games. It was only a few decades ago that Casti switched to a day school model. The skepticism about that is valid; the City is weak in enforcement and the school has a history of exceeding enrollment. Print Edition/Archives Rob Levitsky, who lives near Castilleja, sees the situation differently. However, they made their site large when they got the city to give them the 200 block of Melville in 1992, and merged 6 residential lots into the school, so they can't use size to qualify for a variance. Embarcadero Media file photo by Magali Gauthier. If memory serves, that commissioner has a niece who attends Casti (she may have graduated by now) and a business relationship with the lawyer representing the school. "We don't need a CO2-belching industrial concrete garage in our neighborhood," Levinsky told the commission. For Reed, the latest design tweaks fail to address the overarching issue the belief of many that the school is simply asking for too much when it comes to student growth. Isn't Palo Alto already funding and developing a teacher's housing project? of students and parents agree that lots of students participate in clubs and organizations. In explaining her second, Kniss said the times have changed and noted that CC made climate change and sustainability a top Council Priority. The school tweeted, "Castilleja School is committed to creating an anti-racist curriculum and making space for difficult conversations about racism." . Home This project is worth fighting for. She currently serves on the Boards of Trustees of the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), Wagner College in New York City and the Peninsula Bridge organization in San Mateo. Sign up for the Peninsula Foodist newsletter. Andie Reed, one of the group's co-founders, noted that even the revised project includes elements that residents have consistently deemed to be problematic namely, an underground garage that many believe is incompatible with the neighborhood. I remember the theoretical discussion about "if enrollment was increased to 1000 and there were no impacts or increase in traffic, would that be OK?" You cannot convince me that Embarcadero traffic will be worse with a hundred more students using the transportation measures Castilleja has imposed. Elizabeth Hughes, a consultant who developed the transportation-demand-management plan for Castilleja, assured the commission and the public that the programs in the plan will keep traffic levels steady. Global Investigator trip for all 11th graders. People who live on Kellogg have stated at open hearings that they dont want a break in the building there because the building creates an effective barrier between life inside and life outside of campus. That should be the baseline for discussion and is the baseline for the school's new proposal. Castilleja's pedagogical approach is shaped both by tradition HEAD OF SCHOOL. "But Mary Sylvester, co-founder of PNQLNow, argued at the architectural board meeting that the revised design particularly, the garage continues to clash with the surrounding context. This is AMAZING. The planning commission, which had already reviewed and approved an earlier version of this plan, is expected to dive into the details of the current one at its upcoming meeting. Neighbors would love to support a less massive project and reasonable enrollment increase. I suggest that anyone wishing to comment start off by remembering the feedback from the council earlier this year Web Link as noted at the time on PA Online. Castilleja School is an independent school for girls in grades six through twelve, located in Palo Alto, California. I know the value of this education, as my daughter was fortunate enough to have gone there for 7 years. He and other members of the group Preserve Neighborhood Quality of Life Now (PNQLNow) argued that it is the school and planning staff who are responsible for the process taking so long. The surface parking would be created by shifting the school's swimming pool eastward, moving the pool stairs and eliminating the below-grade ramp that was intended for deliveries and trash pickup. Large parking structures are not environmentally friendly. "Does it seem to you that this is going to bite us in the rear when we look at this project in the future and ask, 'Why did we make a big deal out of this minor difference in underground parking?'" I recently started as a 6th grader, and so far, my school experience has been..out of this world. The pursuit of our motto, "Women Learning, Women Leading," has You want to educate more women to be leaders? footage, more traffic, more harm to the environment Funny how they could do that when, as Rita Vrhel noted in her speech, they were working with incomplete information since various critical reports were never forwarded to the decision-makers A shameful waste of taxpayers money!! This time its in the form of a planned underground parking structure that school and city planning officials describe as a basement but a majority of Palo Alto City Council members consider a garage. Going on record as accepting the lies and deceptions of Castilleja about their enrollment, which to this very day One option they suggested was to find a temporary campus, although no location was now known. have spent my career in girls' education, and I am proud to carry on the legacy started by Mary Lockey. "That can be reduced so the building would be pushed back.". Alcheck asked his colleagues. Alcheck asked his colleagues.The revised proposal includes five garage designs, though only three of them meet the council's March direction of the underground facility to include no more than 50% of the required on-site parking, which amounts to 52 spaces. We've always known that this is a compromise and we are just so ready to get this done.". Uploaded: Thu, Dec 9, 2021, 9:43 am Castilleja has 75% of the students coming from outside of Palo Alto and I continue to be so confused as to why they cannot move somewhere where this is much more space for them to continue to expand. "If Castilleja really wants 500 to 600 students, it's time to move or open another campus like so many others do. PALO ALTO Castilleja School's proposed expansion, a sore subject among neighbors who have been fighting it for years, has hit another roadblock. Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic. With public testimony stretching until nearly midnight, the planning commission deferred its own discussion of Castilleja's plans until Dec. 15. Best All-Girls High Schools in California, Best College Prep Private High Schools in California. "It's ridiculous. Nanci Kauffman, Castilleja's head of school, assured both panels in recent meetings that the school has already made many compromises with neighbors and urged them to approve the project and allow the school to increase enrollment. Blah. Castilleja also has a lot of programs, or C, which are study blocks, or your elective, or grade meetings. Palo Alto backs e-bike ban on Baylands trails, Stanford sues Santa Clara County over tax exemptions for faculty residences, Hit-and-run driver kills man, crashes into five cars Sunday morning, Santa Clara County wants to put millions into child care, California homelessness: Where are the state's billions going? At Castilleja, she taught in the History and Social Sciences department for seven years, and served as the interim Middle School Head for a semester. Enough is enough. Become a Member The faculty consists of approximately 70 full-time and part-time women and men. But just to be clear, the plans proposeto move a pool to make room for one large building that replaces 5 older buildings, which takes away 60 currently existing surface parking spaces. The three other members requested changes but had no consensus about what needs to be changed.Board member David Hirsch urged significant revisions to the layout of the project, including setting the building's further back and creating a drop-off and pick-up area for students on Kellogg Street. At least the Churchill proposal is to save lives. And here we go again. The report further states: At an enrollment of 540 students, the analysis using the schools parking data concludes that on an average day there would be adequate parking. I am watching to see if PTC and CC are serious about climate change mitigation and sustainability. Once again, the school leaders have made significant changes in response to feedback. 23 Also, just as Casti continues to conflate the schools stellar ability to educate young women, which NO ONE disputes, with land use entitlements, neighbors continue to question the likelihood that terms of the CUP and TDM program will be enforced. Elizabeth Hughes, a consultant who developed the transportation-demand-management plan for Castilleja, assured the commission and the public that the programs in the plan will keep traffic levels steady. Who is trustworthy in this process? Living on Embarcadero about 3 blocks from campus. 6th to 12th Grade Tuition & Fees are $54,000. Despite Monday nights setback, Kauffman said she will continue fighting for a project that is on the right side of history. In response to DuBois comments, she said the school isnt going anywhere. $3.3 million in Tuition Assistance per year to 22% of student body. Process, finger-pointing and arcane arguments should never be allowed to obsucre common sense. How can there be "no new traffic" when they're increasing enrollment and the number of parking spaces and building a garage?? "We don't need a CO2-belching industrial concrete garage in our neighborhood," Levinsky told the commission. Here's the new, best answer. 6. Let's reduce the pain to all parties, to more quickly get their renovations completed! Castilleja School ranks among the top 20% of private schools in California for: Highest average SAT score, Highest average ACT score, Largest student body, Most sports offered, Oldest founding date and Largest endowments. Education | Were really digging to see how we could get to yes, but I fear the conclusion may be no. "The review process has gone on for long enough" is perhaps the worst argument for approval I've ever seen. Community Calendar Does Casti even pay PA taxes? 2023 Palo Alto Online. Thompson also suggested that the building, in its current iteration, "has a design intent. Nanci Kauffman, head of Castilleja, said Monday that the school is prepared to reduce its proposed square footage in accordance with the council's direction, but said she hopes this "minor change . It's not one blank wall. "We just want to be educating girls," Kauffman said. Us 6th graders won the tug of war for Spirit Week, and I'm so excited for the Haunted House on Monday! Ten years. Threatening the well-being of protected oaks and redwoods; I firmly support Castillejas right to update its campus. Castilleja also remains true to the 5 C's - conscience, PALO ALTO Castilleja School's proposed expansion, a sore subject among neighbors who have been fighting it for years, has hit another roadblock. The school's gross floor area is significantly in excess of what is allowable by code (81,385SF). Castilleja needs to modernize. PALO ALTO The final version of a proposal to expand the exclusive 112-year-old private Castilleja School received its first public hearing this week as the city council gets one step closer. And one member of the PTC is going out of his way to help this along. On page 1 this report indicated Alternative 4, the Disbursed Circulation/ No Garage Alternative-would meet the Citys Municipal Code requirements providing 104 parking spaces, which is based on the number of teaching stations. He said the planners were putting their thumb on the scale in presenting the parking structure as a basement, a move he described as an insidious attempt to ram the project through. N'T followed: what should you do protected oaks and redwoods ; I firmly support Castillejas to! This is a compromise and we are just so ready to get this done. `` process has gone for... Until nearly midnight, the bottom line is education, accessible in our neighborhood, Kauffman! That Embarcadero traffic will be worse with a hundred more students using the transportation measures Castilleja has presented many,... But what about construction for affordable housing in your neighborhood with underground parking campus... 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