A veteran teacher and administrator, Nanci has worked almost exclusively at all-girls schools. Castilleja School Photo #8 - Seniors show off their school spirit! 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. Print Edition/Archives The city council landed on around 89 parking spaces required, which already exists on campus. they remain out of compliance with. This is all at a time when accommodations such as Castilleja is seeking need to be made for "overriding public needs" such as affordable housing, which the Castilleja property would be an excellent home for! I don't agree that it doesn't matter the size of enrollment, because more student bodies means more parents and cars and staff, teachers, volunteers and event attendees. TheSixFifty.com 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 skepticism about that is valid; the City is weak in enforcement and the school has a history of exceeding enrollment. And isn't the staff already stuck parking in the Baylands and being shuttled onto campus while students will use the campus parking? for a responsible and inclusive community. We are proud and humbled to bring together highly-motivated, intellectually curious young women from diverse backgrounds to collaborate within our community. Will the decisions about Casti be consistent with the decision about the downtown garage? "Every year spent in process negotiation and compromise has resulted in scores of young women being shut out of joining the Castilleja community," Burch said. Since 2015, the 112-year-old private girls school in Old Palo Alto has been planning to rebuild its aging facilities and construct a parking structure beneath an old playing field on the six-acre campus. Its like threading a needle. March 1, 2023 at 6:20 p.m. St. Ignatius announced Lenny Vandermade as the team's head football coach via a press release on Wednesday. The school has made compromises many of them and it begins to feel like (it) will never be enough.". Not moving the pool and keeping the parking lots as-is saves a whole lot of the changes the school is going through. have spent my career in girls' education, and I am proud to carry on the legacy started by Mary Lockey. . This is AMAZING. Misogyny. He was one of many residents and Castilleja supporters who told the commission on Wednesday that the review process has gone on for long enough and that it's time to approve the project, which includes reconstruction of three academic buildings, relocation of the school's swimming pool and construction of a garage. Prior to becoming Head on July 1, 2010, Nanci served as Associate Head of School and Dean of Faculty. 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. Even more important than numbers was the message. The City Council concurred with some of the arguments from the project's critics in March, when it reviewed Castilleja's plans and directed it to reduce its proposed underground garage a target for project opponents and to further refine the design of its buildings to make it more compatible with the residential areas that abut its campus at 1310 Bryant St. "If they were to request a 10% enrollment increase, we'd be looking at about 450 students and there's there's sufficient parking on-site for 450. This is a wonderful neighborhood, but it simply isn't practical to block all new development in an attempt to pretend it's still 1990. The fact remains that the footprint will be smaller than what it is now. Based on recent reviews by an independent consultant, the city determined that Castilleja has an existing gross floor area of 138,345 square feet. "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. You want to educate more women to be leaders? A minus. of students and parents agree that lots of students participate in clubs and organizations. Even in its revised form, an underground garage has no business being in a residential neighborhood, critics of the project maintained. 2023 Palo Alto Online. Nor is concrete. 2023 Palo Alto Online. Maybe Casti should pay its staff more so they can live closer? Director of Operations Castilleja is a private, all-girls school located in Palo Alto whose mission is to educate motivated young women to become confident thinkers and compassionate leaders with a sense of purpose to effect change in the world. It is time to approve this and let the school go on with its modernization. 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 . Yet another said the EIR did not fully address GHG emissions. And what's the obligation of the parents and their hometowns? "I feel strongly that no modifications or adjustments are needed," Lee said.Thompson also suggested that the building, in its current iteration, "has a design intent. AI (Artificial Intelligence), specifically ChatGPT, poses some serious challenges for teachers. "So this plan is quite appropriate for the sustainability and mobility not just for the school but for the city. Additional Expenses: While Castilleja has maintained that it added the garage to its plans at the behest of neighbors who wanted cars off the street, Levitsky and other members of the neighborhood group suggested on Wednesday that the facility remains incompatible with the surrounding community. Even in its revised form, an underground garage has no business being in a residential neighborhood, critics of the project maintained. ", "It's doing something that is really powerful and I want to emphasize that," Thompson said. Circulation & Delivery, About Us Fehr & Peers have monitored the peak period generation, on- site parking, and on-street parking adjacent to the school since 2012. "That can be reduced so the building would be pushed back. There's also something called little C at the end of the day, where the teachers also help you. ""It's doing something that is really powerful and I want to emphasize that," Thompson said. [15] In June of 2022, the Palo Alto City Council approved the school's permit to expand the school's enrollment, renovate its campus, and build a parking garage. Schools deserve to be in neighborhoods. "It's ridiculous.". Let me repeat their findings: 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. intellectual advantages of all-girls education. Just think about what that means. MOBILE, Ala. - Well it looks like Theodore football has found their guy.Steve Mask has accepted the head coaching position with the Bobcats. The Almanac Also, please realize that if any of the students are on a club sport, they will be driving or having someone come pick them up; don't think that they will take a train or public transit. It's not one blank wall. Very bad timing on this report. Redwood City Pulse, 2023 Palo Alto Online Advertising Info This makes no sense in my opinion. INDIANAPOLIS (WNDU) - A bill passed by the Indiana Senate on Tuesday aims to help parents and perhaps prosecutors get "bad books" off the shelves of K-12 school libraries. Maybe the Casti parents could start addressing it in their own companies, law firms and vc firms?? As in the past, the public was split between those who believe Castilleja is still asking for too much, particularly when it comes to its proposed underground garage, and those who argued that Castilleja's project is worthy of approval and that the city's process has already dragged on for too long.Bill Burch fell squarely in the latter camp. Because it is not. It's inevitable. Its on Casti to prove its case. An unfortunate case of "Who's on First." Perhaps because the opposing group is such a small but very vocal minority? Downtown parking garage. Are they housing teachers and staff? Finding the right school for your child is a major project. The average private school tuition in Palo Alto, CA is $29,717 for elementary schools (read more about average. Follow Palo Alto Online and the Palo Alto Weekly on Twitter @paloaltoweekly, Facebook and on Instagram @paloaltoonline for breaking news, local events, photos, videos and more. Not 26 (although you might be referring to previous iterations). I bet you wouldn't be able to fight that project! And because Lew's term is about to conclude and he is not seeking another term, the ultimate decision about whether the new design passes muster could hinge on a board member who has not yet been appointed and who may have other ideas about the building's design. 2. Well have to continue to deliberate.. I cant but help think that if Casti truly feels it is so important to increase the number of young women benefiting from their education, Casti would want to move to a location where they can grow and not limit this wonderful opportunity to only 540 young women. As such, it is "anticipated to have fewer impacts on protected trees and construction-related disturbances," according to a new report from the Department of Planning and Community Environment. During C, you can go to teachers and ask for help, and they help you. Lee and Thompson, however, felt that the building is fine the way it is, having already gone through years of refinements and public hearings. Blah. Thats legal now. Large parking structures are not environmentally friendly. Stay informed on important city government news. TownSquare As a first-year teacher at an all-girls school, I was immediately impressed by my confident,decisive eleven-year-old students, who had acquired strengths and skills many of us work a lifetime to master. Will his actions on this reflect that? The three other members requested changes but had no consensus about what needs to be changed. The school has listened to the Council and incorporated their feedback. - because the school WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to increase enrollment if their traffic increases, period. Based on student and parent reviews of clubs and activities. Ron DeSantis apocalyptic attack on higher education. I also attended and LOL when Alcheck made his comments about the garage; that commissioner has garage history; I think he favors them! Set aside the rhetoric and focus on the practical issues. Privacy Policy 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. "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. I think you misunderstand my above post. 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 . Education changes. Terms of Use It would occupy about 24,294 square feet, which is 8,186 square feet less than in the original proposal. Gennady Sheyner covers the City Hall beat in Palo Alto as well as regional politics, with a special focus on housing and transportation. My life is forever changed and I will bring the lessons you have taught me throughout the rest of my life. The overall expansion wouldnt be nearly as massive as other school redevelopments on the Peninsula, she added. In fact, even if they got more students, they have enough surface spots on-site to accommodate them with the (planning) director's discount. 1. No one could answer the questions on managerial process. Bill Burch fell squarely in the latter camp. Please. I tried to change my name from sfvalley to my initials, azr, but I guess it isn't happening. Adalberto "Aldo" Toledo is a Bay Area News Group reporter who covers government on the Peninsula for The Mercury News and East Bay Times. Eloquently. [citation needed], Castilleja is recognized as the 18th best private high school and the #2 girls high school in the United States by Niche.com in their 2023 rankings. 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. led us to infuse our curriculum and progams with relevant, Because of its aggressive transportation-demand-management program, which includes shuttles, carpool programs and a requirement that staff drive no more than twice per week, Castilleja would also receive a 14% reduction in parking requirement from the city. Let's reduce the pain to all parties, to more quickly get their renovations completed! "Castilleja operates under a CUP (conditional use permit) which is a privilege and not an entitlement," Sylvester said. of students and parents agree that clubs and organizations get the funding they need. Their enrollment cap since 2000 is 415 students, but they've exceeded that number since 2002. Low-income included. ", "There is no reason for the underground garage," Reed said. If approved, the underground garage would have 24 fewer spaces than the structure that was previously proposed. Suddenly, from being a reasonably quiet residential neighborhood, 75% of its students are commuting daily into the neighborhood and the school begins its continual expansion creep with an increasing number of disruptive evening and weekend events. Thompson also suggested that the building, in its current iteration, "has a design intent. I have participated in some of the S-CAP meetings. Palo Alto is our home, its where weve been for 100 years and where we want to be in 100 years, Kauffman said. Related Articles Let Castilleja modernize and let this project get underway. $3.3 million in Tuition Assistance per year to 22% of student body. ", Baltay suggested that by failing to reach a consensus, the board is "doing the applicant a disservice by not providing the applicant with a solution.". "If Castilleja really wants 500 to 600 students, it's time to move or open another campus like so many others do.". As a bunch of us joked last night, the Palo Alto process is "Portlandia with extra whine.". Instead, new housing construction has consistently fallen short of local job growth for decades, then the people blocking housing have the gall to complain about teachers or students who need to live far away and drive here. Sports 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. "They just want to have less parking on-site so that they can have a bigger more massive building. I live within steps of people who have posted above and are persistently concerned about the "expansion". What sports does Castilleja School offer? [11][12] In 1926, the Castilleja chapel was designed by architect Birge Clark, in a complimentary design to the existing administration building. Amazing work from Castilleja. But, Castilleja has so many fun events and traditions. Why can't the students park in the Baylands and shuttle in just like their teachers rather than inflicting all the construction disruption and what will be ongoing traffic problems on Palo Alto? OOPS! Now they're offering to cut back on them even more or enforce a kiss and ride and a "ride home" program? where they work and hold top positions. Home & Real Estate Stanford and Paly populations dwarf Castilleja and it is those commuters that impact Embarcadero. Castilleja was named one of the Bay Area's Best Private Schools by San Jose Magazine. HEAD OF SCHOOL. There are currently 89 surface parking spaces on campus, see Fehr + Peers report, footnote 5 in the staff report. PALO ALTO Castilleja Schools proposed expansion, a sore subject among neighbors who have been fighting it for years, has hit another roadblock. HEAD OF SCHOOL Dear Castilleja Community, This summer, I reignited my fascination with a remarkable womanEleanor Roosevelta true woman learning, woman leading. Why, then, doesn't the school submit plans that comply with existing code? So, no garage needed. [Portion removed.] With sixty girls in one grade, it would seem that competition would be prevalent, especially during the college process. As in the past, the public was split between those who believe Castilleja is still asking for too much, particularly when it comes to its proposed underground garage, and those who argued that Castilleja's project is worthy of approval and that the city's process has already dragged on for too long. Get daily headlines sent straight to your inbox in our Express newsletter. Even the Fehr & Peers report, which was commissioned by Castilleja concludes that the garage is not necessary, It makes sense that it is time for Castilleja to modernize its campus. Uploaded: Thu, Dec 9, 2021, 9:43 am Nanci Kauffman is Castilleja's sixth Head of School. Castilleja School's revised modernization plan is set for hearings before two Palo Alto city commissions this month. Independent Teacher. No matter what changes Castilleja makes, they are not happy and will find ANY reason to oppose it. Both the architectural board and the planning commission plan to hold further meetings on the proposal before it goes back to the council next year for another hearing. I invite you to subdivide your lot and build a low income unit. Once again, the school leaders have made significant changes in response to feedback. Blogs The project encountered a similar division at the Architectural Review Board hearing on Dec. 2, which focused less on transportation and more on the design of the building. I agree it's a lot to ask of the teachers and I wonder why aren't **the girls** parking a distance away from the campus? Or require only exceptions that can work for that site w/o enormously negative impact on the neighborhood in which it is located? The two major points were a scaled down garage and a plan to manage traffic. Casti is a bubble that feels very, very wealthy, and very liberal. The other, known as Scheme A, creates 104 spaces but it does so by utilizing space on an athletic field, an option that both staff and Castilleja are hoping to avoid. Your support is vital to us continuing to bring you city government news. They have revised their plans numerous times and the loud voices of only some of the neighbors are holding up the entire project. Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic. Castilleja has presented many solutions, it's time to let them move forward with this project. "Staff conceptually supports a parking adjustment for the project given the Council's direction to reduce the size of the garage and Castilleja's robust TDM plan," Lait wrote. [12], In 2007, Castilleja celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding. Here's the new, best answer. contributing global citizens. I challenge those folks to say that Castilleja's traffic and/or parking impact on the neighborhood right now is even measurable. Since 75% of the students come from outside Palo Alto, it's tough to see how Palo Alto benefits, especially when many Palo Alto residents who are also Casti alums and parents oppose this project as a violation of the school creed. Mayor Tom DuBois agreed, saying in an interview Tuesday that there have been severe contortions to make this comply with zoning and get the yes vote from the council. Castilleja School is a top rated, private, all-girls school located in PALO ALTO, CA. of students and parents agree that the teachers give engaging lessons. courtesy, character, courage, and charity - which set the standard This school has been claimed by the school or a school representative. Really? They are also asking for an exception that allows the underground garage not to count toward GFA. Alcheck asked his colleagues. Education | That should be the baseline for discussion and is the baseline for the school's new proposal. Palo Alto: Castilleja School expansion plan, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Alameda County DAs new policy will reduce prison sentences through widespread elimination of sentencing enhancements, Palo Alto: Castilleja School expansion plan held up by parking garage debate, Santa Rosa high school student stabbed to death in classroom, Exactly what I needed: Los Gatos teachers move into affordable units, Teacher at California high school arrested after recording devices found in restroom, California high school scheme used fake documents to get basketball players on team, report says, Stockton elementary school teacher arrested on charge of being intoxicated on campus. Finally, one question about the massing on Kellogg. "The review process has gone on for long enough" is perhaps the worst argument for approval I've ever seen. Castilleja School Photo #6 - Sophomores tackle chemistry class. It's much more relevant to the Casti discussion than the long-winded speeches about how only Casti can end sexism, misogyny and discrimination when all those conditions have been and continue to be so blatant in Silicon Valley, Just follow the news for all the lawsuits and multi-million-dollar discrimination. "I feel this plan is better than ever because of all the feedback and iteration and response. Stockton elementary school teacher arrested on charge of being intoxicated on campus The school had hoped the council would finally decide Monday to approve the plan, which has been reworked over and over. When added to 26 surface spaces that currently exist and that would remain, Scheme E creates a total of 89 spaces. Interesting that this report makes it seem like last night was a balanced showing from the public. Responding to city feedback and community criticism, Castilleja School has revised its plan to rebuild its Bryant Street campus in Palo Alto so that it now features a smaller garage, enhanced tree protection and additional measures to encourage alternatives to driving. "I feel strongly that no modifications or adjustments are needed," Lee said. placed on academic development, Castilleja is just as committed to The Casti supporters who spoke about the benefits of having an all-girls education were addressing the value that Castilleja provides to the community. One commissioner, Michael Alcheck, suggested at the onset of the meeting that the city's concerns about the proposed garage may be overblown. Will decisions align with S-CAP goals? Become a member today. Tuition is $56,500 for the highest grade offered. Nanci enjoys travel, concerts, theatre, tennis and golf. At least the Churchill proposal is to save lives. It has 416 students in grades 6-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 7 to 1. "Staff conceptually supports a parking adjustment for the project given the Council's direction to reduce the size of the garage and Castilleja's robust TDM plan," Lait wrote. 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. It also dragged because of the lengthy speeches on how Casti could end misogyny right here in our own times. Niche ranks nearly 100,000 schools and districts based on statistics and millions of opinions from students and parents. I have spent my career in girls' education, and I am proud to carry on the legacy started by Mary Lockey. "They just want to have less parking on-site so that they can have a bigger more massive building. The school has made compromises many of them and it begins to feel like (it) will never be enough. 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. He graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in print/digital reporting and a minor in political science and German. In explaining her second, Kniss said the times have changed and noted that CC made climate change and sustainability a top Council Priority. [10], The school's core values, known as "the 5 Cs," include conscience, courtesy, character, courage, and charity. In theory the free market would solve this by building enough housing to meet their demand, but when you strictly enforce single family zoning (and make any possible exceptions go through a long and expensive bureaucratic maze), that isn't possible.