Partnership aids Redwood City Elementary School District overhaul

Traffic calming programs, enhanced communication efforts, additional child care services and help in determining the future uses of former school campuses are among the support programs offered to the district by the city.

School district spokesman Jorge Quintana expressed gratitude for the city’s assistance as the school system moves through a critical transformation.

“We know that great schools make great communities and we appreciate that city leaders and residents know that and that they roll up their sleeves to support their local school district,” he said in an email.

The assistance comes in the wake of school officials deciding last year that Adelante will be folded into a similar Spanish immersion program offered at Selby Lane Elementary School, Fair Oaks will merge with Taft Elementary School, Hawes students will be primarily distributed between Henry Ford and Roosevelt campuses, and the Orion program will be moved to John Gill Elementary School.

Officials reconfigured the district in hopes of overhauling a historically limited budget which struggled to operate a system comprised of neighborhood schools. Dwindling enrollment, popularity of local charter schools, concerns of inadequate state funding and rising pension costs were among the financial constraints which ultimately forced the decision by officials.

To prepare for the start of the first year under the new configuration, school officials established a network of bus routes designed to take students from the Fair Oaks campus to the Taft campus, from the Hawes campus to the Henry Ford or Roosevelt campus, and Selby Lane neighborhood to the Roosevelt campus.

To assist with the new flow of students, Redwood City officials agreed to assign police to ramp up traffic enforcement and also contract crossing guard services for the first two weeks of the school year.

The city also formed a traffic ambassador program, under which volunteers will be placed near school campuses in the morning and afternoon to answer questions and provide support. The city has signed up several volunteers for the program, and is planning to train them at the police department in advance of the first day of school, Monday, Aug. 19.

Police officers are expected to show an increased presence near schools for the first few weeks of the school year and also meet with principals to review attendance numbers and analyze traffic patterns. Members of the city’s Transportation Advisory Committee will also help the district craft and refine circulation routes and safety tips for the year.

Beyond traffic issues, city officials also approved financing after-school programs serving district students for one year. The city’s contribution will fund after-school care at the former Hawes campus, as well as allowing the district to hire more staffers at a higher pay to limit staff turnover. The city is also partnering with organizations like the Boys & Girls Club, YMCA and local youth centers to assure students are offered a safe place to go once class ends.

City and school officials are also working together on unified communication efforts to help spread the message of the district’s new configuration, which includes establishing a page on the city’s website dedicated to school district updates. The city will also post the district bus schedule online, help the community understand the school system’s financial constraints and promote collaborative initiatives on social media.

Beyond the pressing issues which must be addressed immediately for the new school year, officials expect the joint effort will carry through the process of picking new tenants for its former campuses.

For most of the shuttered campuses, school officials are planning to rent the facilities and generate more revenue to bolster the district’s budget. Two charter schools will occupy the Fair Oaks campus and school officials are examining redeveloping the downtown district office into a building for staff housing.

School officials are considering a proposal to lease the former Orion campus to the Creative Learning Center, a service provider for students with special needs headquartered in Los Altos. And a tenant for the former Adelante campus is sought, following Menlo Church withdrawing its interest in leasing the site.

As the district determines the new tenants, officials agreed to adhere to city’s zoning code, and the two agencies will coordinate use of each site.

For the sites where programs will be combined, Quintana said new school names, mascots and colors will be identified. New attendance boundaries for neighborhoods near shuttered school must be identified as well.

While the new shape of the district continues to take form, city officials agreed to continue monitoring and offering assistance.

“City staff will continue to work closely with school district staff to fully understand impacts during the beginning of the school year,” said an email from city spokeswoman Meghan Horrigan.

Quintana, meanwhile, said the city’s contribution will be essential in navigating next steps.

“We have the responsibility and the honor of educating the young men and women who one day will be the new city leaders and a partnership with the city of Redwood City is invaluable,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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